National Coalition Against Censorship Salutes Judy Blume
By Sara Antill -- Publishers Weekly, 10/21/2009 2:37:00 PM
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Judy Blume and NCAC executive
director Joan Bertin.
All photos: James Patrick Cooper.
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Some people may have difficulty finding humor in the issue of censorship. Thankfully, celebrated author Judy Blume isn’t one of them. Nor were the many actors, comedians, authors, and supporters who gathered at City Winery in New York City on Monday evening for “A Night of Comedy with Judy Blume & Friends.” Presented by the National Coalition Against Censorship, the event was both a celebration of the coalition’s 35th anniversary and an opportunity to honor Blume, who has actively battled censorship of her own books since the 1980s, and who has been on NCAC’s board of directors since 2000. The evening’s emcee, comedian Judy Gold, declared the adoration she’d held for Blume’s books since childhood. “The books I read were all Judy Blume,” she said. “They dealt with all the topics my mother decided we would never talk about.”
Over the years, those forbidden topics have included menstruation, masturbation, and wet dreams, among others. Blume’s frank discussion of such issues, so often taboo in children’s literature, has consistently landed many of her books, such as Deenie, Forever, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, at the top of several censorship lists, making her books some of the most censored in the country.
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Junoz Díaz and Judy Blume.
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Her choice of subject matter has also gotten her more than a fair share of angry letters, many from irate parents. Monday night, several of these letters were presented amid the dramatic readings and testimonials. “Shame, shame, shame,” declared author Junot Diaz, reading from one such letter. But while such accusatory responses have come from adults, the letters Blume has received from young readers paint a different picture. “Thank you for letting me know I’m normal,” read one of the letters presented.
Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, chaired the event. “It’s obvious I was never a teenage girl, but my daughter was,” he said, referring to his very pregnant daughter, Amy, who was in the audience. Reading from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, he led the crowd in a rousing call of the classic line, “We must, we must, we must increase our bust!”
Along with Glickman’s reading, comedian Rachel Dratch, actress Martha Plimpton, authors Amy Sohn and Elna Baker, and noted First Amendment trial lawyer Martin Garbus also read from Blume’s works Then Again, Maybe I Won’t and Forever.
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A family portrait: daughter Randy Blume (l.), son Lawrence Blume, Judy Blume, and husband George Cooper.
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While the tone of the evening remained, for the most part, humorous and celebratory, the National Coalition Against Censorship’s continuing fight remained in the foreground. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg, in a video appearance, reminded those in attendance, “We do need Judy and we need her books and we need every writer who attempts to tell the truth.” Comedian Paul Moody encouraged Blume to “stay who you are, and stay on ’em.”
Blume herself said little on stage, though she thanked, with a radiant smile, those who had organized the event and those who had attended. Judy Gold, in her closing remarks, repeated a sentiment expressed by so many others throughout the night. “To the mother I always wanted,” she said, “thank you, Judy.”
