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1A Movie Club: 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' (Rebroadcast)
Rachel McAdams as Barbara Dimon and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Photo Credit: Dana Hawley
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46:49
Maybe you were in class and someone pointed out a spot on your jeans when you stood up. Or one morning you woke up to blood in your bed and got a bit spooked.
Menstruating can be a very pivotal part of life. It certainly is inJudy Blume’sstory“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
But the 1970 novel wasn’t well-received by all when it was first published. It wasbannedin libraries and schools,includingthe one Blume’s children went to.
It follows an 11-year-old Margaret stepping into the world of adolescence (breasts, boys, and periods included) and exploring her religious identity along the way. Her father, Jewish, and her mother, Christian, kept religion out of Margaret’s upbringing to allow her to decide her faith for herself.
Now, the story has thefilm treatmentby writer-directorKelly Fremon Craig.
For this edition of the 1A Movie Club, we discuss periods, adolescence, and grappling with your identity.
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