Book: "Judy Blume: A Life"

To know the name Judy Blume is to know and love literature. Her influential novels turned classics—including "Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret;" "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing;" "Deenie;" and "Summer Sisters"—touched the lives of tens of millions of readers. For more than fifty-five years her work has done something revolutionary: it rewired the world’s expectations of what literature for young people can be—frank, candid, earthy, and unafraid to show the messier sides of humanity. But little is known about the real woman behind the iconic persona, and the unlikely journey of her literary ascension, until now.

In "Judy Blume," journalist, historian, and longtime Blume aficionado Mark Oppenheimer pens a beautiful, multidimensional portrait of the acclaimed author through extensive interviews with Blume herself, invaluable access to her papers and correspondence, and thoughtful analysis of Blume’s beloved novels, including early, unpublished works that shed light on the pathbreaking writer she would become.

Mark Oppenheimer: Mark Oppenheimer is a father, a husband, a dog-owner, and a challah baker (in order of importance), but writing and talking are what he does for work. He teaches at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, at Washington University in St. Louis, and is the editor of the magazine Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera. Until 2016 he wrote the Beliefs column for The New York Times.

Cost:

• Event only - Free
• Event & Book - $35

Book purchase tickets will close Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 12 a.m.