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Buzz Book Club: The End of Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume

BuzzSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:30:27 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! We've reached the end of Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. This section contained some of my favorite essays of the entire book, and I'm excited to chat about them with you after the jump.

But more about that in a second. First, for those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, have gone up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump, you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

Now, to discuss the end of the book, in which we read from "The Wienie Girl's Guide to Making Friends" to the end, just read more.

The Sally J. Freedman lover in me was thrilled to read "Brave New Kid." I love the way author Diana Peterfreund tapped into exactly the thing that made me love Sally: she wanted to be an adventurous, questioning kid, and that was also my main goal at that age. Thinking about the book characters (not necessarily Blume's) that you've loved over the years, can you identify why you loved your favorites?
I'm not an oldest kid, but "Superfudged" still cracked me up. Are any of you oldest siblings, and did you see yourself (or your siblings) in the Fudge books?
The details in "Are You There, Margaret?" were great - like the E-S-P on the front of the author's t-shirt and the R-I-T on the back. If you were writing one of these stories about your own childhood/teenagehood, what details would you use about your attire, music choices, etc.?
Now that the book is over, did you have a favorite essay? A least favorite? One that surprised you?
Can you think of other influential authors who deserve this kind of anthology tribute?

Buzz Book Club: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:30:06 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! This week's section of Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume really brought back memories as the authors reflected on a wide range of Judy Blume novels, from It's Not the End of the World to Tiger Eyes.

But more about that in a second. First, for those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

The next assignment: Finish the book! We'll discuss this section next Friday, July 31.

Now, to discuss the third section, in which we read from "It Wasn't the End of the World" through "The Mother of All Balancing Acts," just read more.

Reading "It Wasn't The End of the World" got me thinking about characters we latch onto at different stages of our lives. When you pick up a book, do you look for characters with whom you can identify? Or do you look for an escape to a different world? And has that changed since you were younger?
After all the Deenie love earlier in the book, "Freaks, Geeks, and Adolescent Revenge Fantasies" sure put a different spin on things. Have you ever read a book where terrible things happen to the main character and you thought, "Ha! That's what you deserve!" If you read Deenie, did you identify more with Deenie herself or with the characters like "the Creeping Crud"?
I think my favorite part of "Guilty's House" was actually the line in Jennifer Coburn's bio about what her mom told her when someone called her "weird": "Weird was simply a word used by boring people to describe interesting ones." That's a piece of wisdom that would be right at home in one of Judy Blume's books! Have you noticed any other lines like that?
Man, I wish I had the Judy Blume diary as described in "A Different Kind of Diary." That story also touched on one of my worst fears as a kid: having my diary found and read aloud! Diaries were actually a big theme in this section, as Beth Kendrick's hilarious entry about her mom shows up in "The Mother of All Balancing Acts." If you kept a diary as a kid, can you still remember what it looked like? Have you ever reread it?
Have any of the essays encouraged you to seek out other writing from these authors? Do you think any of them have Judy Blume potential?

Buzz Book Club: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:30:17 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! This month, we're focusing on how one of the iconic authors of my youth affected tons of women writers by reading the essay collection Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. This week, we read another group of essays by writers who had some very different thoughts on how Blume's writing affected their lives.

But I'll get to that in a second. First, for those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

The next assignment: Read from "It Wasn't the End of the World" through "The Mother of All Balancing Acts." (Stop before "The Weenie Girl's Guide to Making Friends.") We'll discuss this section a week from today, July 24.

Now, to discuss the second section, in which we read through "Vitamin K, Judy Blume, and the Great Big Bruise," just read more.

I'm amazed how many of these writers have specific memories of the way Blume talked about sexuality and even masturbation. I don't remember Judy Blume's books being that dirty, but at least one of you said you remember being kind of uncomfortable with her sexual themes. Do you remember noticing that at the time you read Blume? Or were you oblivious?
On a related note, do you think Judy Blume fans fall into "Sunday Cartoon Camp" and "After-School Special Camp," as Stacey Ballis suggests? And which were you?
Another thing that's surprised me is how many of the writers mention Deenie! That book has come up in nearly every essay. I can't say it was ever my favorite, but looking back, it probably makes sense that it had such a deep effect on people: it deals a lot with themes of appearance, self-confidence, and identity that are often significant to teen and preteen girls. Were you a Deenie fan?
I really enjoyed "Forever . . . Again" and the way the author discussed her rediscovery of Forever. . . as an adult. Would you ever turn to a favorite old book - especially a young adult book - for help with an adult problem? Do you ever reread books you loved as a teenager or preteen?
At this point, I think I prefer the essays that don't talk about the author's own writing to the ones that do. Do you think it's odd when the writers talk about their own work? Or, since Blume inspired many of them to write in the first place, do you think it's perfectly appropriate?

Buzz Book Club: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:30:23 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! This month, we're focusing on how one of the iconic authors of my youth affected tons of women writers by reading the essay collection Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume. So far, I've been impressed with just how many of the writers had similar experiences reading and learning from Blume's books - but I'll get to that in a second.

First, for those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

The next assignment: Read from "Cry, Linda, Cry" through "Vitamin K, Judy Blume, and the Great Big Bruise." (Stop before "It Wasn't the End of the World.") We'll discuss this section a week from today, July 17.

Now, to discuss the first section, in which we read through "A Long Time Ago, We Used to Be Friends," just read more.

Did Forever. . . have the kind of mystique for you that Megan McCafferty describes in the book's opening essay? Or was there another Judy Blume book that did? I remember thinking the period scenes of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret held some kind of secret, revelatory knowledge - but Forever was deemed "the one about sex" and I don't think I ever actually got my hands on a copy!
What do you think of Jennifer O'Connell's definition of a "Judy Blume moment"? Do you have any "Judy Blume moments" of your own? I know I'm still terrified of Man o' Wars because of Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself.
Do you think the characters in the Judy Blume books you read were "regular girls," as Stephanie Lessing suggests? Or did they strike you as unrealistic?
What do you think of the characterization of female friendships in "A Long Time Ago, We Used to Be Friends"? I thought the author captured well the feeling of growing apart from a formerly close friend without even noticing until the break is permanent. At the same time, I think female friends can be a lot more than companions who "travel down the road with [us] as [we] either seek out or wait for The One."
Is there a particular favorite Judy Blume book of yours that's already come up in an essay? Is there one you hope comes up later?

Buzz Book Club: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:43 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! We're deep into Summer reading season, and that makes me even more excited about my selection for July: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume.

See, Judy Blume is the epitome of Summer reading for me. In my pre-teen years, I spent long Summer afternoons by the pool poring over Deenie or Superfudge or whichever Blume classic I'd grabbed from the library most recently. I still have my well-loved paperback copies of Just as Long as We're Together and Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, the ones I read the most - often finishing one and immediately starting the other.

So I was delighted to stumble upon this essay collection, which features women writers including Meg Cabot and Megan McCafferty reminiscing about their own experiences reading Blume and the (sometimes shocking) lessons learned from her books. (One essay is titled "Do Adults Really Do That? Does Judy Blume Really Do That?")

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To read more about this month's book and get your first assignment, just read more.

A synopsis of this book reads:

"I remember how painful it was to be invisible to those other kids. And I think of Judy Blume, whose . . . name will always mean friendship to me," writes Berta Platas. "She allowed me to save myself," says Meg Cabot. In stories contributed by many well-known female writers, this anthology pays homage to the "guru" of adolescent experience. Many nostalgic selections speak about the crucial comfort that a Blume novel brought during an author's teens, soothing worries about body image, parental divorce, friendship scuffles, sex, and masturbation. Also striking are the many essays about "Judy Blume moments" in adult life. For one author, rereading Forever helped her reenter the dating world as a single thirtysomething. Another contributor remembers the teenage reassurance she'd found in Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, when, after childbirth and breast-feeding, she once again suffered from "boob drama." Funny, poignant, honest, and reverential, these stories will resonate strongly with the legions of readers who, like the authors, are grateful and lifelong Blume devotees.

The first assignment: Read the first five essays. (Stop before "Cry, Linda, Cry.") We'll discuss this section next Friday, July 10.

Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of Love Will Tear Us Apart

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:30:43 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. This week, we wrapped up the final section of Love Will Tear Us Apart by Sarah Rainone. Lea and Dan are married now, and I feel like I've been on quite the emotional journey with our characters through some tough memories of adolescence. I'm excited to hear your thoughts about this section and the book as a whole.

But first, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, have gone up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section. Stay tuned to find out what's next for book club! Now, to discuss the final section of Love Will Tear Us Apart, in which we read from "Lover Lay Down" to the end, just read more.

"Lover Lay Down" was a powerful section, and I thought Rainone handled the story deftly - and the song she chose added so much to the story. Having read the whole book, which song and section hit you hardest? Another that clicked for me was "Smells Like Teen Spirit," with Shawn learning of Kurt Cobain's death on his birthday.
Dan and Lea's wedding ended up seeming like an afterthought to me; the stories of these characters' pasts are so much more intense and high stakes than what happens at the wedding itself. Do you wish we could have seen more present-day action? Or is all the drama and appeal in the flashbacks? Are you glad there was no big "I object!" moment at the wedding or reception?
Do you have more sympathy (or less) for Alex now about her feelings for Dan? And do you wish we'd ever heard from Dan and Lea? Do you want to know if Lea knew what happened with Dan and Alex?
Which character's story ended in the most satisfying way for you? I cheered a little at the thought of Cort riding off into the sunset with a guy who shares her values and appreciates her.
More than a lot of books I read, I could see Love Will Tear Us Apart becoming a movie - between the music and Rainone's quick, immediate descriptions and dialogue, it's a very sensory read. Do you think it could work on the big screen? Any thoughts on casting?

Buzz Book Club: Love Will Tear Us Apart, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:30:52 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. This month we're reading Love Will Tear Us Apart by Sarah Rainone. Much of the story takes place at a wedding and now that we've read through the second section it's getting a little stressful - this wedding is quickly going downhill! We'll discuss this section after the break.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read from "Lover Lay Down" through to the end of the book! We'll chat about the conclusion a week from today, June 26.

To discuss last week's section of Love Will Tear Us Apart, in which we read through the section marked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (stopping before "Lover Lay Down"), read more.

I didn't care for Ben's character at first, but I'm warming to him. Does knowing about his experiences with missing the Little League World Series (and seeing Dan get all the praise there) and encountering the attack on Shawn make you feel sympathetic toward him at all? Or do you think he should have just sucked it up and gotten off the bike to help Shawn?
Speaking of Dan and the Little League World Series, I was so curious to know what Dan was feeling during that time. And I continue to be curious about Lea's point of view, like what she was thinking during that game of Spin the Bottle. Do you still want to hear from Dan and Lea? Or do you agree with Rainone's decision to keep their perspectives out of the narrative so far?
I also wonder about Lea's motivation for inviting Alex to be a bridesmaid. These two seem more like frenemies than friends. Why do you think Lea asked Alex to be in the wedding party? Was it a deliberate jab? Or maybe after her mother's death she wanted to be reminded of how things used to be? Do you think it was a genuine gesture of friendship, or was it mean-spirited?
In "Blasphemous Rumours," Alex describes how she very deliberately crafted her image as a mean girl: "I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be the good girl, but I could be the next best thing: the bitch who in real life would have beaten her every time, stealing her boyfriend with a smile on her face, consoling her with backhanded compliments in bad times while plotting her demise in good." Do you relate to this section at all? It made me cringe with embarrassment to think that there was a period of time in which I wanted badly (and tried my best) to be just like Brenda on 90210.

Buzz Book Club: Love Will Tear Us Apart, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:30:32 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. Are you enjoying Love Will Tear Us Apart by Sarah Rainone so far? In this first section there are already several interesting characters to get to know. I'm intrigued by their early friendships and I'm having an easy time turning the pages. We'll talk more about this section in a moment.

First, a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read through the section marked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (stop before "Lover Lay Down"). We'll chat about this section a week from today, June 19.

To discuss last week's section of Love Will Tear Us Apart, in which we read from the beginning of the book to the end of the chapter titled "Born in the U.S.A." (stopping before "Blasphemous Rumours" begins), read more.

We've now gotten first-person narratives from several very different characters: the macho "bros before hos"-type guy Ben, coke-fiend city girl Alex, all-natural hippie Cort, and sensitive gay musician Shawn. I like how real they are in the sense that I feel sympathetic toward them but also sometimes repulsed. Is there a character you relate to more than the others? Is there one you like more than the others?
Notably, we haven't heard from the actual bride and groom, Dan and Lea. Are you curious to see things from their perspectives? What is your opinion of the happy couple so far, just from the bits we've heard from the other characters?
I love that, because these are characters from my age group, I know every single one of the pop culture references - intimately. I especially enjoy the way Rainone uses music. What do you think of the way she weaves music into the narrative? Do you think it's cool? Or trying too hard to be hip?
Like our last Book Club book, My Sister's Keeper, here we have a female author writing from a few different male characters' perspectives. Do you think she's successful at this? I find the character of Ben to be particularly painful to read at times, which makes me wonder if it's because she's writing as a guy (and such a "guy's guy" at that) or because the character himself is simply painful to read.

Buzz Book Club: Love Will Tear Us Apart

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:30:32 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I'm excited for my June selection, which appears to be a heartfelt and nostalgic Summer read.

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Sarah Rainone initially caught my attention simply by having song lyrics for a title. But as I read more of the description, the book sounded almost too good to be true - especially for music lovers like me. Many who have read the book compare Rainone to the likes of Nick Hornby in the way she uses her awesome musical taste - Nirvana, The Geto Boys, Madonna, and more - as a tool to tell her story.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Love Will Tear Us Apart is about and get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Love Will Tear Us Apart reads:

High school sweethearts Lea and Dan are getting married - and no one’s surprised. After all, they’re both perfect - so perfect that their "friends" can’t help but be reminded how screwed up they are in comparison. As an awkward night wears on, and getting wasted is the only way to make it through, a killer soundtrack - from Madonna to Nirvana, the Geto Boys to the Grateful Dead - takes us back to the first cracks in their friendships, their shaky transitions into adulthood, and the few moments of love and connection that have defined them through the years.

The first assignment: Read from the beginning of the book until the end of the chapter titled "Born in the U.S.A." (Stop before "Blasphemous Rumours" begins). We'll chat about this first section a week from today, June 12.

Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of My Sister's Keeper

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:30:14 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. I've been re-reading My Sister's Keeper this month so that I can discuss the book's interesting topics with you before the movie comes out. Are you ready to talk about this controversial ending?

First, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I've suggested chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, went up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Also, don't forget to keep an eye out next week for my June book club announcement!

To discuss last week's section of My Sister's Keeper, in which we read the section marked "Monday" through to the end, read more.

Last things first: What do you think of the twist at the end? Do you think Kate should have died and Anna lived? Or should Picoult have allowed both to live? I found myself feeling frustrated by this ending.
While I enjoyed the book overall, I was less interested in some characters than others, and wondered if we really needed to go through all their stories. Specifically, I probably could have done without Julia's whole story, and maybe Jesse's, too. Do you think the book was a little cluttered with all these characters?
Speaking of Jesse, do you think Picoult writes male characters well? Do Brian, Campbell and Jesse's perspectives seem authentic to you?
Were you surprised to learn that Judge was a service dog for Campbell's epilepsy? Did finding this out change your feelings toward Campbell at all?
Anna's revelations on the stand about Kate asking to die were painful to read - but they also struck me as realistic requests from a 16-year-old who'd been sick her whole life and even seen her first love die of a similar disease. Were you shocked by anything Anna said about Kate? Overall, do you wish we'd heard more from Kate in the book, or was the epilogue enough?
After finishing the book, what do you think about the casting? Can you see Cameron Diaz as Sara? And do you think Abigail Breslin will be a good Anna, or would you have preferred seeing what the Fanning sisters could do?