“Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”
-Judy Blume

Parents should decide what their kids can read, not politicians debating the first amendment. According to the Washington Secretary of State Blog, “Book banning is the most widespread form of censorship in the United States.”

At the end of the day, kids shouldn’t feel worried about the content of their reading because it is the parent’s responsibility to talk to their kids and teach them so that they don’t feel left out.

If parents have pure intentions towards teaching their children about Blume’s books, children will be more aware of their own lives. Blume books have a life-changing impact on young girls. For example, when a girl is going through a menstrual cycle and she reads one of Blume’s books about the topic, it affects the way she will think for the rest of her life.

Blume writes bestselling books, but they still get banned. She tells kids about what it’s like being a child by creating honest and meaningful stories. However, most of the topics she covers are controversial.

The new movie based on the book “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” discusses religion. Margaret is a little girl who has a Jewish Dad and a Christian mom. Margaret’s grandparents were against her Christian mom marrying a Jewish man, which made her mom’s life difficult. This book was banned in many schools across the country for being inappropriate and anti-Christian.

When I read “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” for the first time, I just remember my whole life changed in so many different ways. Blume writes like she is a young girl becoming a teenage girl with details, depth, passion, and meaning.

Blume also writes about other controversial subjects including bullying, menstruation, teenage sex, divorce, and disability. These subjects often lead to her books getting banned.

Although she is known for being one of the most banned authors in America, Blume said, “It never stopped me from writing.” I hope it never does.

Blume has influenced so many children across the world. Children should know the honest truth about their own lives. Parents or guardians should talk to their own children about books like Blume’s.