Explore Judy Blume's ''Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret''. Read a summary, discover the controversies around the young adult novel, and learn why it was banned.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret | Summary, Controversy & Ban
Table of Contents
- Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
- Summary of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Banned
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was "Are You There God It's Me Margaret" banned?
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has been banned a number of times because the book explores issues of religion and sexuality that some people found offensive. Although she speaks to God often, twelve year old Margaret Simon was raised in a nonreligious family, so she decides to try to find a religion that is right for her. She and her friends also discuss their growing breasts, starting their periods, and having their first kiss.
What is the opening line of "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"?
The book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret begins with Margaret praying to God: "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret." Margaret continues to speak with God throughout the novel.
Table of Contents
- Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
- Summary of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Banned
- Lesson Summary
Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was published in 1970. The novel stood out because it addressed a number of topics that were considered controversial for a novel marketed to preteen girls.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here for access
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Your next lesson will play in
10 seconds
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret tells the story of eleven year old Margaret Simon's sixth grade year in Farbrook, New Jersey. The novel begins with the line, ''Are you there God? It's me, Margaret,'' a line that is repeated throughout the novel as Margaret speaks candidly with God about everything that is going on her life.
When the book opens, Margaret has just moved with her parents from New York City. Her mother, Barbara Simon, is a painter and her father, Herb Simon, works in insurance. Her mother was raised Christian and her father was raised Jewish. Because their parents did not approve of their union, the Simons decided to raise Margaret with no religion. Margaret's maternal grandparents disowned her mother and Margaret never met them. Her paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, or ''Grandma'' as Margaret calls her, did not approve of Margaret's mother, but ultimately accepted her as a daughter-in-law. Margaret suspects that her parents do not approve of how close Margaret and Grandma were when they lived in New York City, and that moving to the suburbs was, in part, a way to create some space between the two of them.
Soon after arriving in Farbrook, Margaret makes friends with her neighbor Nancy Wheeler, whom she discovers will be in her class at school. Margaret is surprised when she arrives for her first day of sixth grade at Delano Elementary School and finds that her teacher is a young man named Mr. Benedict. Before long, Nancy invites Margaret to join the Pre-Teen Sensations, or PTS's for short, a secret club that includes two other sixth grade girls, Janie Loomis and Gretchen Potter. The girls decide on club rules which include wearing a bra, telling the other girls if they start their period, and keeping a ''boy book'' to list the boys they have crushes on.
The PTS's soon realize that they all like the same boy, Philip Leroy. They also spend a good amount of time gossiping about a shy girl in their class named Laura Danker, who is very tall and has large breasts. Margaret secretly develops a crush on an older boy named Moose Freed. He is a friend of Nancy's brother, so she does not tell anyone that she likes him. Nancy tells the PTS's that Laura goes behind the A&P store with Moose and Margaret believes her.
Margaret discovers that Gretchen is Jewish, Nancy is Methodist and Janie is Presbyterian. She tells the girls that her family is not religious, and the girls are shocked. Later, Mr. Benedict tells the class that they are going to do a year-long individual project. He encourages the students to think about a topic that is personal and meaningful. After some deliberation, Margaret decides to do her project on finding a religion for herself. Over the course of the school year Margaret attends a number of religious services in the hopes of finding a religion that she likes.
 |
As the year progresses, Margaret attends a sixth grade square dance, performs in a Christmas-Hanukkah pageant, and attends a co-ed dinner birthday party for a boy named Norman Fishbein. In the spring, the sixth grade girls view a film called What Every Girl Should Know that teaches them about menstruation. A week later, Gretchen has her first period. The other girls are very jealous. Margaret approaches the subject with her mother, and her mother explains that she was fourteen when she started her period and that her cousin was sixteen. Margaret responds in horror, ''Do you suppose that could happen to me? I'll die if it does!'' Her mother assures her that she will take her to the doctor if she does not start by the time she is fourteen. The next week, Nancy sends Margaret a postcard that says, ''I GOT IT!''
A few weeks later, Margaret goes to New York City for the day with Nancy's family. While they are in the restroom Nancy begins to cry and tells Margaret to get her mother. Margaret believes Nancy is sick, but she soon finds out that Nancy has started her period for the first time. Nancy begs Margaret not to tell the others that she lied about starting her period and Margaret agrees to keep her secret.
In March, Margaret turns twelve and gets assigned to work on a group project with Norman, Philip, and Laura. Philip does not do any of the work and Norman works slowly, but Margaret discovers that Laura is a good worker. One day, the two girls stay at the library after school to work together and they get into an argument. Eventually, Margaret tells Laura, ''I heard all about you and Moose Freed,'' and accuses her of going behind a building with an older boy. When Laura acts confused about why she would do that, Margaret says ''I know why they do it...they do it so they can feel you or something and you let them!'' Laura calls Margaret a liar and a pig before leaving the library. All of sudden, Margaret realizes that she is acting like Nancy and that the story about Laura might just be a rumor, so she runs after Laura to apologize. Margaret is stunned when Laura tells her how hard it is has been for her to be the ''biggest'' girl in the grade. Margaret never realized that Laura knew that they all talked about her behind her back.
Margaret is supposed to spend her spring break with her grandmother in Florida, a trip that she has been looking forward to, when she finds out that her mother's parents have planned to make an unexpected visit the same week. Margaret is outraged and she blames her mother for her cancelled trip. The visit does not go well. Margaret's maternal grandparents begin critiquing the fact that Margaret is not being raised in the Christian church and the family begins to fight. Her grandparents leave after spending only two days in New Jersey. Margaret decides to stop speaking with God.
After spring break, the school year begins to wind down. Margret turns in a letter as her year-long project. She feels embarrassed that she was not able to come to a decision about which religion would be best for her. There is an end of the year party for the sixth grade and Margaret begins to think about what it will be like to go to junior high next year. As she is getting ready for summer camp, she sees Moose cutting the grass and she confronts him about the lie he told Nancy about Laura. Moose does not know what she is talking about and Margaret realizes that Nancy made the story up. When she goes inside, she sees that she has started her period. Margaret is so relieved and pleased that she begins speaking with God again.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has been banned a number of times because of the way that it deals frankly with religion and sexuality. During the 1980s the book was removed from a number of school libraries. Removing a book from library shelves or taking access away from the book is a form of censorship. Books are often censored because some people find their content to be offensive or inappropriate. Judy Blume wrote Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret for a preteen audience, but some people felt that the discussion of periods, bras, kissing, and religion should not be featured in a book for a younger readers.
Controversies Around Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
The controversies around Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret are centered around the book's themes of sexuality and religion. Margaret and her friends speak frequently about puberty and their changing bodies and they also express their curiosity about boys. Margaret's private quest to find a religion for herself has also been seen as controversial. While Margaret speaks with God in a very personal way, she comes to the conclusion that religion may not be for her.
Sexuality
Margaret and the other PTS's are naturally interested in their changing bodies and their new romantic feelings for boys. Though she thinks about (and prays about) her flat chest and lack of period, Margaret also feels shy about her body. She asks her mother to buy her a bra, but she is embarrassed when they go to the store to pick one out.
A similar reticence exists between the girls' feelings towards boys and romance. Though they keep ''boy books'' and sneak peeks of the bodies in Gretchen's father's anatomy book and Margaret's father's Playboy magazines, the girls are quick to judge Laura Danker, who Nancy claims ''goes behind the A&P'' with older boys. The girls dislike for Laura runs counter to their desire for their own breasts to grow. The PTS's are so focused on expanding their bosoms that they perform exercises as they chant, ''we must - we must - we must increase our bust!''
 |
At Norman Fishbein's birthday party Margaret and the others play Two Minutes in the Closet, a game where a girl and a boy go into the closet alone together. Margaret is elated and frightened when she is selected to go into the closet with Philip. Philip kisses her on the mouth twice, which Margaret finds thrilling. When it is her turn to call a number, she ends up with Norman, who is very polite and tells her, ''I really like you, Margaret. How do you want me to kiss you?'' Margaret tells him to kiss her on the cheek and he does. Margaret's interest in Philip, who is handsome but rude, causes her to reject Norman, a boy who is always respectful and kind to her. Margaret hints at the fact that she and the other PTS's only like Philip for his looks, and she begins to like Moose even more because he is handsome and nice.
Religion
Although Margaret speaks privately with God throughout the book, she worries about not having a religion. When she decides to make finding a religion her year-long project, she starts by asking her grandmother if she can go to temple with her. Her grandmother is delighted, but also wary that her parents may think that she pushed Margaret into wanting to follow the Jewish religion. When Margaret tells her mother about her plan, her mother gets upset. Margaret tells her that she is just interested and her mother responds, ''I just think it's foolish for a girl of your age to bother herself with religion.''
Margaret goes to temple with her grandmother on Rosh Hashanah. She enjoys the music, but she does not feel moved: ''I expected something else. I don't know what exactly. A feeling maybe.'' Next, Margaret accompanies Janie's family to their Presbyterian Church for a Sunday service. Margaret is struck by how similar the church service is to the temple service. After the service she tells God, ''I've been to church. I didn't feel anything special in there God. Even though I wanted to.''
Margaret's lack of religion makes her feel left out during the holidays because she does not really celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. She attends a Christmas service at a Methodist church with Nancy and she is very impressed with the choir. When she gets home she confesses to God, ''I didn't really feel you God. I'm more confused than ever.'' In the spring, Margaret follows Laura into the Catholic church and goes into the confessional. When the priest addresses her, she panics and says, ''I'm sorry'' before running out of the church. That night she talks to God and says, ''Why do I only feel you when I'm alone?''
When her maternal grandparents come to visit, they pressure Margaret's parents about her lack of religion. Both of the Simons remain steadfast in their belief that Margaret can choose her own religion when she grows up, but her grandparents insist that it is not possible to choose your own religion. As the conversation intensifies, Margaret yells, ''Who needs religion? Who! Not me... I don't need it. I don't even need God!'' And with that, Margaret decides to stop talking to God. The situation is made worse when her paternal grandmother surprises her with a visit and tells her, ''you're a Jewish girl.'' Margaret tells her she does not believe in God at all, which upsets her grandmother.
Margaret has a chance to reflect on her religious journey in her year-long project letter. She decides that she will not be choosing a religion anytime soon, or possibly ever. She writes, ''If I should ever have children I will tell them what religion they are so they can start learning about it at an early age. Twelve is very late to learn.'' Though Margaret does eventually begin speaking with God again, she does not revisit her plan to find a religion. She is content with her personal relationship with God.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret? was published in 1970. The novel is about Margaret Simon's sixth grade year. When she moves to New Jersey with her parents, Margaret quickly becomes friends with Nancy, Janie, and Gretchen and the girls form a club called the PTS's. During their meetings they discuss their desire for their breasts to start growing and for their periods to start. They also talk about which boys they have crushes on, like Philip, and they gossip about other girls, like Laura. Margaret's teacher, Mr. Benedict, assigns a year-long individual project on a topic of choice and Margaret decides to do her project on finding a religion. Margaret's father was raised Jewish and her mother was raised Christian, but they have decided to raise Margaret without a religion. Margaret explores a number of faiths, but ultimately realizes that she feels closest to God when she is talking to God privately. The novel was censored a number of times because of the way it deals frankly with sexuality and religion. Censorship is when people try to remove access to something that they find objectionable. The novel has been removed from several school libraries for this reason.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
What is Censorship?
Who should be allowed to say what books, movies, or TV you may have? Does anyone tell you what you can't read or watch?
These are questions that deal with censorship. Censorship happens when someone believes that a book or other material (movie, magazine, computer game, etc.) contains something bad and shouldn't be read or seen, and then tries to make sure people can't access the ''bad'' materials.
Censorship can happen in a small area, like when one library removes a book from its shelves, or it can occur in a much larger area, like when a group goes to court to try and keep an item from being read or seen anywhere at all.
Are You There, God?
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume is a book about growing up. It's a simple story told by the main character, Margaret.
Margaret just moved from New York City to New Jersey and is starting her sixth-grade year at a new school. The book tells the story of sixth grade—friends, secret clubs, gossip, and the changes that happen as a part of growing up. She also spends time trying to decide if she wants to be Jewish, like her dad's family, or Christian, like her mom's family. Her parents practice neither religion and say Margaret can choose.
Censorship of Margaret
Although it's a story that many people can relate to, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has encountered censorship. In the 1980s, several school libraries removed the book, and many other libraries talked about doing the same. Other school libraries only let a student check out the book with a note from their parents. The American Library Association has a list of the ''100 Most Challenged Books'' from 1990 to 1999 and another for 2000 to 2009; Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is on both lists.
Censored for Sexuality
Why were so many people upset about Margaret's story? The most common complaint about it was its discussion of sexuality and religion. Let's look at some examples.
Margaret and her friends talk extensively about periods, and when one girl gets her period, she tells her friends about it. Margaret and her friends also do an exercise meant to make their chests larger, during which they chant, ''We must, we must, we must increase our bust!''
Margaret and her friends sneak a look at an anatomy book to see what the male body looks like. One girl says, ''Do you suppose that's what Philip Leroy looks like without his clothes on?'' Another answers, ''Naturally, dope! He's male, isn't he?'' The girls also take a look at an issue of a magazine known for showing naked people.
The sixth graders have a dinner party where they play the kissing games ''Spin the Bottle'' and ''Two Minutes in the Closet.'' Margaret worries about who she will have to kiss.
Censored for Religion
The book has also been recommended for censorship because of its title character's ongoing conversations with God, with some stating that the questioning of religion is inappropriate for young readers.
Margaret talks to God about her thoughts and feelings. She asks God several times to help her with growing up: ''Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I just told my mother I want a bra. Please help me grow, God. You know where.''
Margaret also talks to God about wanting to pick a religion, since all her friends have one. She tells God when it's not going well. ''Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I've been to church. I didn't feel anything special in there, God. Even though I wanted to.''
Despite its history of censorship, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is now widely available and remains popular decades after its original release.
Lesson Summary
Censorship is when someone tries to prevent people from reading or viewing a book or other material. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has been censored due to its treatment of topics related to sexuality and religion.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret | Summary, Controversy & Ban
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 88,000 lessons
Browse by subject