A warning, this conversation will contain discussions of sex and it might not be suitable for all listeners.

Judy Bloom has been a prominent author for more than 50 years. Her books are incredibly beloved.

She's written for little kids, for middle school kids, or high school kids, for adults,

and she's faced controversy. She's the subject of a new documentary and perhaps her most treasured

book, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, is about to get its first film adaptation.

I'm Linda Holmes and today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're talking about the life and work of Judy Bloom.

Joining me today is NPR Senior Editor Barry Hardiman, Hi Barry!

Hi there! And also with us is Film Critic and Culture Journalist, Bedotry D. Chaudhry,

Hey Bedotry! Hello Linda, hello Barry! Hi! I'm not sure how much introduction Judy Bloom needs.

She has written 29 books that have sold more than 90 million copies. She writes frankly about sex,

about puberty, about grief, good and bad feelings, and people who are anywhere from toddlerhood to

adulthood. In fact, her books are so important to young readers, they've had such an impact that she's

frequently on lists of the authors whose books have been most frequently challenged or banned.

It's also worth mentioning that Bloom was in the news recently after she was quoted as having

declared her support for JK Rowling, whose opposition to trans women being present in women's

spaces has been widely criticized. Bloom later clarified that she fully supports LGBT people and

their need for full equality and suggested that her comments were presented out of context,

although she still expressed sympathy for Rowling's position as somebody who comes in for a lot

of criticism on social media. We're going to mostly talk about Judy Bloom's own work though,

because at 85 she's having a perhaps unexpected moment of renewed interest in that work.

In part because it's been so long, literally decades, that she's held off on letting anybody

adapt. Are you there, God, it's me Margaret, which is coming out on April 28th. We're going to

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