Gabfest Reads The Unlikely Rise of Judy Blume

Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book Judy Blume: A Life . Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history. They discuss what made Blume’s frank, funny voice so revolutionary for young readers in the 1970s, the surprisingly progressive household that shaped her, and the genius of Forever , her landmark novel in which teenage sex is depicted as pleasurable rather than catastrophic. They also dig into the scandalous adult novel Wifey , Blume’s dogged persistence through rejection, and her tireless championing of other writers’ right to be read. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Gabfest Reads The Unlikely Rise of Judy Blume is an episode from Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts.

This episode is 40:15 long.

This episode was published on Apr 18, 2026.

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