The Age of Adolescence

Originally published in 1970, Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is the story of an eleven-year-old girl who moves from New York City to the suburbs while going through puberty and has to try to fit in at a new school. Written from the point of view of Margaret, the book is peppered with Margaret’s prayers for guidance as she weathers the storms of adolescence and navigates intricate middle-school social hierarchies. “Please help me God. Don’t let New Jersey be too horrible,” she pleads before the big move. “Have you thought about it God? About my growing, I mean,” she wonders after buying her first bra. In a famous scene, captured on film for the first time in a new film adaptation of the book, Margaret and her fellow flat-chested friends chant aloud, “We must—we must—we must increase our bust!”