My absolute favorite Judy Blume book is ‘Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself’. Judy, herself, has said that Sally most represents her at age 10. I read this book at 10 years old as well. I have since read it in my teens, twenties, thirties, forties………Each time I read it I glean something new. As I child I was also like Sally. I did not understand racism. I had a massive interest in Anne Frank and Hitler. I had anxiety. I had a brother who got sick and my mother worried incessantly about. I had all different kinds of girlfriends, I liked a boy. I just wanted to fit in. Most of all, Sally had a wonderful Grandma called Ma Fanny, and I had a wonderful Grandma named Florence. Ma Fanny was who Sally would ask her questions to, and get reassured by. The same was true for me. My grandma never ceased to tell me I was smart, kind and had a big heart. She also always found something to compliment me on, and usually that was the very thing I was most insecure about, she would admire. I have no idea if she did this on purpose or not. I never asked. This book has been a comfort for me for decades. I actually just found the book pictured at an old library book sale and picked it up because the cover was so cool. If you’ve never read it give it a try. The history in it is so good to remind us of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go.
