Episode 165: Deenie
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Deenie
Episode 165 kicks off with a proper Judy Blume lovefest! From there, Alli and her guest get into the good, the bad, and the ugly of 1973’s Deenie. They discuss the way the book portrays scoliosis, complicated mother/daughter relationships, and the general awkwardness of middle school. They consider perspectives from writers who, like Deenie, were diagnosed with scoliosis as teenagers. They chat about Deenie’s more controversial elements, most notably masturbation. And they wrap up with a nuanced conversation about empathy, reliability, and likability in literature.
Hayley Krischer is the author of The Falling Girls and Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf. Follow her on Instagram (@hayleykrischer) and Twitter (@hayleykrischer).
CHECK OUT HAYLEY’S LAST APPEARANCE ON SSR HERE!
CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS JUDY BLUME EPISODES…
Episode 36: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (with Emma Gray)
Episode 68: Just As Long As We’re Together (with Caroline Moss)
Episode 75: Forever (with Emily Edwards)
Episode 92: Superfudge (with Caroline Zancan)
Episode 133: Then Again, Maybe I Won’t (with Jen Calonita)
Episode 153: Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (with S.K. Ali)
CHECK OUT HAYLEY’S BOOKS:
Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf
CHECK OUT HAYLEY’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
MORE READING:
“Judy Blume Was Right: On Reading Deenie Twice” (Los Angeles Review of Books, 2012)
“#TBT Reads: Deenie (And Why We Still Love It)” (Bustle, 2014)
“Review: Deenie by Judy Blume” (Disability in Kid Lit, 2016)
“Deenie” (Kirkus, 1973)
“As a kid, I loved Judy Blume’s books. As an adult, I wonder: How do they ready today?” (The Washington Post, 2021)
“Deenie” (New York Times Book Review, 1973)
“Deenie Sales Soar After Gwinnett Schools Ban Book” (AP, 1985)
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