Book
Deenie by Judy Blume
Why it was banned
The main reason the book has been banned is the
inappropriate themes geared toward adolescents. Some of the themes include
masturbation and menstruation.
Brief Summary of the Book
This story is about a seventh grade girl named Deenie
who at the demanding hand of her mother is being pushed to become a model. She
cannot seem to book any jobs because of her slouching. When a gym teacher calls
her into her office to tell her to go see a doctor, Deenie starts to freak out
that something is really wrong with her. After several doctor visits, Deenie
learns that she has adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The book goes through the
trials and tribulations of her accepting her condition, getting fitted for a
back brace which she will wear for the next four years, and dealing with her
peers’ reaction to her new situation of wearing the brace every day.
My thoughts
First off, it was really nice to read a Judy Blume book
again. I had read several growing up and always liked the straight-forwardness
of her writing and the topics she wrote about. This book read almost like an
information pamphlet; there really isn’t much in the way of flowery
descriptions or really deep, emotionally-driven characters. But then again,
this book is written for a younger age group and that’s not really Ms. Blume’s
style.
I never really felt like there was anything in this book that
was inappropriate for the age group that would be reading it. It deals with a
lot of issues that junior high students would be going through, so it seemed
pretty relevant to their daily lives. I like how Judy Blume never really shies away
from uncomfortable declarations or character thoughts. An example of this was
when Deenie sees a group of special needs children at her school and says, “I’m
always scared Gena Courtney will see me and say something and I won’t know what
to say back.” (p.19) I loved the honesty of that statement because the fear of
interacting with people you are unsure of how to respond to is something young
adults have to muddle through. Deenie and her classmates are at that age where
they are finally becoming aware of the social status of their peers and what is
accepted behavior to be deemed popular. This issue is also brought up again
when Deenie interacts with Barbara. At first she calls the red patches
on Barbara the “creeping crud” and tries her best to stay away. Only after
feeling ostracized herself about her brace does Deenie see Barbara as a
regular human. They even become friends at the end. It’s a nice little metaphor
for showing that most things scare people because they don’t know much about
them, but at the end of the day, we are all humans and we should all treat each
other with love and respect.
The first glimpse at the masturbation topic seemed to kind of
come out of nowhere with little to no transition into it. One minute Deenie was
upset about something her parents had said and the next minute it’s about
masturbating. “I have this special place and when I rub it I get a very nice
feeling. I don’t know what it’s called or if anyone else has it but when I have
trouble falling asleep, touching my special place helps a lot.” (p. 57) Again I
can see where some teachers or parents might see this as inappropriate for
their children to read, but these are the issues adolescents are having to deal
with. Just because a parent is uncomfortable talking about these topics,
doesn’t mean that it’s wrong for their children to seek out this information or
be curious and have questions they need and want answered.
The talk about Deenie having her period was really not that big
of a deal. Maybe that’s because I’m a girl and have to deal with it monthly,
but I don’t know why the talk of mentration has everyone in an uproar. It’s not
like girls can stop the fact that they get their periods every month. Why is
everyone so ashamed of something that is just a biological function of the
female body? I mean, do we get embarrassed when we talk about boys’ voices
cracking when they go through puberty? No, of course not. It’s just something
that happens as their bodies change, just like menstruation. If boys are
reading this book and they think it’s gross to know about, then that’s on them.
One day if they get married and have a wife and/or a daughter, they might have
to deal with periods or the side effects of them. There really wasn’t too much
talk about her period only that it was pretty sporadic since she first got it.
After Deenie got her back brace, she was on the toilet and asked her sister to
get her a pad because she got her period. Talking about my period with my
female friends is a pretty common thing. It’s something that bonds us together
because we all have to deal with it every month. It’s nice to talk to other
girls and know that all the cramps and cravings are universal.
Initially I can see why some parents/teachers may freak out
about this book and wanted it banned but after I read it, there’s nothing
inappropriate at all about anything written. Judy Blume has a wonderful way of
discussing uncomfortable topics in a friendly and matter-of-fact manner. She
explains topics like masturbation in ways that make it something to not be
ashamed or embarrassed about, while stressing that it is a natural phenomenon
that starts when you are going through puberty. Children are curious enough
about their changing bodies, why not supply them with information that is
accurate and resourceful; it’s better to gain knowledge from a credible and
reliable source than hear false information from an older sibling or
neighborhood kid.
When I was younger and just learning about sex, I would sit in
the library with a stack of books on the topic and read them. I just wanted to
know what it was all about and have all the facts straight. It saved me a lot
of anxiety when I was going through puberty because I didn’t have to have all
these unknowns and unanswered questions. My school was always really good about
having health programs that discussed puberty and sex; most of what I initially
learned was from those classes. I think those programs are great because kids
trust their teachers and feel a little more comfortable asking them sensitive
questions rather than their parents. I think children tend to be hesitant to
ask their parents about sex because the parents may freak out and think the
only reason their kid is asking about the topic is because they’re
participating in the act. Sometimes kids are just curious, they are still
constantly learning and discovering the big, wide world they’re a part of.
Overall, this is not a book I would think to ban in any library.
I thought it conveyed sensitive topics with grace and factual information. It’s
almost one of those books that should be a staple for young girls to read, just
so they know they are not alone when they start masturbating and menstruating.
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