In 1970, Judy Blume released a middle grade novel that would connect to students across the world. This year that very book, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, is finally getting an adaptation on the big screen. The trailer just dropped, giving us a look into the complicated world of puberty, and it can be viewed below.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret follows the titular Margaret (Abby Ryder Forston) as she and her mother (Rachel McAdams) move from New York City, and grandmother (Kathy Bates), and into the New Jersey suburbs. Not only does Margaret have to adjust to a new school, but she also has to deal with the crazy changes that every young person goes through.
Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret is written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. This will be Craig’s second film with directing credits, but not the first time she’s tackled such topics. Her previous directing credit (and directorial debut), The Edge of Seventeen, which also tackled similar coming-of-age themes.
Judy Blume’s Dedication to Margaret
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret was a personal story for author Judy Blume. While the book wasn’t exactly an autobiography, she always felt a strong connection to the character of Margaret. This connection helped her pour out the book fairly quickly. She recalls this in a blog post on the book’s 50th anniversary in 2020.
The story isn’t autobiographical but the character of Margaret, both physically and emotionally is pretty close to the girl I was. The first draft came out quickly and spontaneously, in about six weeks.
When the book was published, it faced a number of backlashes and critiques for how it casually discussed not only religion, but menstruation and sex. In the book, Margaret was raised by a Christian mother and a Jewish father, and zero connection to either faiths. Her connection to God is special, and she always opens her prayers with the titular phrase “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.” The book also goes into detail on various topics revolving around puberty, such as bras, exercises that are meant to “increase the bust,” and belted sanitary napkins (later changed to adhesive pads in later editions). The book ranked among The American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
Likely from a mix of both personal connections and fears of censorship, Blume has famously denied adaptation rights throughout the decades. But in 2018 she allowed the rights to be sold. Meanwhile, Craig looks upon the book with respect. She expressed to Entertainment Weekly that “I was and still am a diehard Judy Blume fan.” She recalls reading the book and feeling a special connection of her very own.
"It was one of those experiences as a kid where you just are like, 'Someone gets me now.' I need to read absolutely everything this person does because somebody out there sees me. It was like she had a little window into my very personal, complicated thoughts and feelings and desires and was putting it all down in print. She says the unsayable. What's so amazing about her is it feels like she told you the truth that all the adults tiptoed around."
Despite being over fifty years, Margaret still manages to connect to audiences just as strong as before. This time, however, it will be in an all new way. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret comes to theaters April 28th.