Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938) is a Jewish-American author. She has written many extremely popular novels for children and young adults.
Blume's novels for middle schoolers were among the first to tackle such controversial matters as racism (Iggie's House), menstruation (Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret), divorce (It's Not the End of the World), masturbation (Deenie) and teenage sexuality (Forever). Fans of Blume's novels have praised her use of real-life settings, ambivalent endings and gentle humor. Her allegedly ambiguous treatment of moral issues made her at one time a regular target of school library censors and the religious right.
After publishing novels for young children and teens, Blume tackled another genre, that of adult fiction. Her novels Wifey and Smart Women met with luke-warm receptions. But her breakout hit Summer Sisters (1998) was widely praised and sold more than 3 million copies.
In 2004, Blume was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. In 1996 the American Library Association selected Blume for its Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to young adult literature . Blume received the Library of Congress Living Legends award in the "Writers and Artists" category in April 2000 for her significant contributions to America's cultural heritage.
