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ANALYSIS
Judy Blumes
Are You There God? Its Me Margaret
remains a cultural icon in the realm of
young adult books. Not only did it address what was rarely written about upon publishing in
1970puberty and boysbut it also discussed religion from a young persons point of view. As a
young girl who is torn between her mothers Christian roots and her fathers Jewish heritage, Margaret
Simon engages in finding a solution to her adolescent journey towards an established religion.
A controversial book at its release,
Are You There God?
touched upon the problems of a
young woman in a modern setting. It embodied contemporary realistic fiction but deterred many adults
with its descriptions of a 11-year-old girl growing up (Jacobs 132). However, it managed to remain a
classic over the years, surviving through the disapprovals and teaching adolescents about the shift
between childhood and adulthood.
A focus with
Are You There God?
is how religion has threatened Margarets upbringing. As an
introduction to her sixth-grade classroom, Margaret is required to tell her teacher of her likes and
dislikes. She likes
t hings that are pink
but dislikes
religious holidays
(Blume 27-28). Subtly
addressed, it is clear that Margaret is uncomfortable with the religious undertones that have never really
been a part of her life. But she still wonders about the presence of God frequently, as she talks to her
own version of God about the struggles of growing up. She accepts this figure, but doesnt see the point
in much else since her parents have never really pushed her with a single religion.
When her teacher questions her about her dislike for religious holidays, Margaret remarks to
herself that no one has ever confronted her about this; after living in New York for her whole life,
suddenly her small New Jersey community thinks her lack of religion is abnormal. So, she decides to
embark upon a project about religionof course, after asking God if this is alright (53).

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A specific scene in
Are You There God?
that really focuses on young Margarets unique
situation is a conversation between Margaret and her friends. After her friends inquire about her lack of
religion, where Margaret explains that her grandparents did not approve of her parents mixed-religion
marriage, her friends all express jealousy and fascination (
Youre so lucky you dont have to go to
Sunday School/Hebrew School!
). And then the girls go back to discussing their periods and Margaret
talks to God about how she wants a bra. A fitting jump for a sixth-grader, Blume makes it easy for an
older reader to see what is really on the mind of a young adult (34-36).
Vivian Vasquez, in her work
Getting Beyond I Like the Book,
mentions that, Critical
literacy involves understanding the sociopolitical systems in which we live and should consider the
relationship between language and power (Vasquez 4).
Are You There God?
focuses on a specific
class-based issue; since the marriage between Margarets parents was frowned upon, Margarets family
dynamic was disrupted by discrimination. Her mothers parents did not want a Jewish man in their
family, so the couple eloped. The way Margaret was brought up, with this imbalance in her family,
affected her negativity towards religion. If her grandparents could not engage in tolerance and
acceptance with religion, Margaret would certainly not want to participate in that aspect of life.
But what does religion really mean to young adults? Margarets situation is typical; its not as
important as becoming a woman, but its a hassle to deal with. I found this personally a connection; as a
young adult, I was expected to attend church every Sunday and participate in religious education. It was
a bother, but my social relationships and physical and mental changes really dominated what I thought
about. When Vasquez discusses young children seeing their backgrounds represented in books
(Vasquez 5), I was able to analyze why
Are You There God?
plays a significant part in my interests.
Seeing a young adult tackle religion is uncommon for most books, which is why Blumes commentary

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on Margarets daily trials combines the true bridge between a carefree childhood and an adulthood filled
with important decisions.
Blume combines Margarets struggle with one passage in particular, stated by Margaret:
And
before I start junior high, Ill know which [religion] I am. Then Ill be able to join the Y or the
Center like everybody else
(Blume 61). Through all of Margarets woes about fitting in relating to
puberty, her adolescence pushes a decision on her that she feels she must address. And she frequently
questions God about what she should do. She complains to God that she is the only girl without a
religion and without having gotten her period (101); this difficult situation takes a toll on Margarets
sixth-grade school year. She laments:
Why do I only feel [God] when Im alone?
(120). Her family
and school dramas are connected by a desire to talk to God, but it all comes to a head when
Margarets Christian grandparents visitstubborn and unaccepting, Margaret gives up on her quest to
find a religion. But at the very end of the text, Margaret talks to God again, thanking God when she
finally gets her period (149). A young adult she certainly is; she still has room to grow but considers a
degree of flexibility within her daily life.
This type of 360-degree turn Margaret goes through is common with her age group. An
anecdote that comes to mind is from my own family. Two years ago, an aunt of mine went into hospice
after years of battling cancer, and my mother had to tell this to my 11-year-old sister. My mother
delicately explained what hospice means to my sister, and that my aunt only had a few weeks left to live.
My sister, after nodding her head thoughtfully, had one simple question:
But who is going to make the
sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving?
Like Margaret, 11-year-olds have different priorities and cannot
exactly understand them in conjunction to more relevant issues. These discussions in literacy are
important to understanding an age group that is hard to relate to.

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Sources
Blume, Judy.
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Group,
1970. Print.
th
Jacobs, J. S. & Tunnell, M. O. (2008).
Childrens Literature, Briefly
. 4
ed. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Vasquez, Vivian.
Getting Beyond I Like The Book Creating Space for Critical Literacy in K-6
Classrooms
. International Reading Association, 2010. Web.