Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

When Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was first published in 1970, the book was applauded for its honest portrayal of feminine puberty and religious exploration. However, during the past 50 years, the book has often been challenged for its “vulgar” and “inappropriate” themes, and it is often considered one of the most challenged children’s novels of all time. On the 50th anniversary of the book’s initial publication, Blume recalls how excited she was that she signed three copies of the novel and gave them to her children’s elementary school. However, Blume learned that the books never made it to the library shelves because the school’s male principal decided that the content (specifically the conversation around menstruation therein) was inappropriate for elementary-aged children. Ironically, the novel discusses how many girls between fourth and sixth grade (upper elementary grade levels) get their periods, and it is unfair to deny these students a story about a girl like themselves who is trying to navigate the unfamiliar waters of puberty. Nonetheless, the novel earned a place on the American Library Association’s list of Most Challenged Books, and many libraries restricted access to the book by requiring parental permission or removing the book entirely from the shelves.

The 1960s ushered in what would become known as Second Wave Feminism, which lasted from 1963 into the 1980s. Whereas the First Wave Feminism of the early 1900s focused on obtaining women’s right to vote, Second Wave Feminism pushed for challenging gender roles and sexual discrimination. In Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Margaret and her friends come face-to-face with sexual harassment in their sixth-grade classroom: Laura Danker is bullied for being tall and having breasts as an 11-year-old, and the boys in Margaret’s class comment about Margaret’s flat chest. The girls also look through a copy of Playboy magazine and are intimidated by what they see: women with huge breasts who are only a few years older than they are. The girls are told that they must look like these women if they want to be desired, but at the same time, girls like Laura Danker are demonized for looking like this too early. The messages are confusing and overwhelming, and Blume uses these contradictions to point out the obvious issues with a patriarchal society that caters to the fantasies of men and boys.

Additionally, topics around female reproductive health are traditionally considered taboo. From a very young age, girls are taught to self-censor and keep things like cramps, menstruation, and sanitary products to themselves. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of this expected secrecy, passages from the book of Leviticus in the Judeo-Christian Bible state that a woman who is menstruating is “unclean,” and anyone who touches her during this time is “unclean.” Similarly, other religions such as Hinduism and Islam consider menstruation to be physically, spiritually, or ritually “impure,” and women may be barred from partaking in certain religious practices until they are free of their menses. These religious implications along with generations of societal conditioning may have created what is now known in the modern day as “period shaming,” or critical comments or treatment surrounding menstruation.

More than 50 years after its initial publication, Margaret’s story continues to charm audiences and renew conversations about female puberty and the truth about becoming a woman. In 2023, the Lionsgate film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was released, and a new generation of young women is finding comfort and camaraderie in Blume’s timeless tale of acceptance, growing up, and removing the stigma of puberty.