Chapter 6: Judy Blume on bouncing balls, biting breasts, and building bookstores

Jun 13, 2018

Did you grow up with Judy Blume?

My mom says I “found my voice” reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to my sister in the bathtub when I was a little kid. Well, I grabbed that tattered copy and carried it with me down to Key West, Florida where I had the extreme privilege of sitting down with the one and only Judy Blume (@JudyBlume).

Join us as Judy shares her three most formative books, how they inspired her, and we pull out some themes relevant to today.

Judy and I met on a hot and sweaty day in her Books & Books bookstore … where she works! I’m not joking. Step off your cruise ship and Judy Blume will ring up a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey if you like. We grabbed a little circle table, set it up in front of the bestseller wall you see behind us, and then talked about her most formative books.

(As a special bonus, near the end of the chat we get up out of our seats and Judy gives us a walking tour of her store!)

In this chapter, Judy and I discuss censorship, why sexy scenes should be kept in books, how to get kids to love reading, the role of bookstores in a community, and a surprise reveal on which book Judy says is the only one she has left to write... 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• What is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children?
• How can a writer create a world that readers can easily fall into with relatable characters?
• How does Judy free her mind in order to come up with incredibly imaginative stories?
• What book could Judy not put down in her 20s?
• Why does Judy prefer not to reread books?
• How do you recommend the right books to encourage children to love reading?
• Why aren't there sex scenes in books anymore?
• What do Judy and Neil disagree on?
• What's the first thing Judy does once her books are published?
• What's the only book Judy has left to write?
• What book did Judy steal... and why?
• What was Judy's household policy on reading censorship?

Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/6

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