Judy Blume is credited with being the first writer for young adults to deal realistically with teenage worries. Her 1970 novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret addresses the issues of starting a new school in a new neighborhood and finding a religious faith. Its central character, Margaret, also worries about beginning menstruation and buying her first bra. In Forever (1975), Katherine has to decide whether to "go all the way" with her boyfriend Michael. These were topics that just a few years before had been forbidden subjects for children's fiction.

Blume's books have sold millions of copies, and several have been adapted for television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) and film. Refusing to back away from the controversies her books have caused, Blume became an out-spoken opponent of censorship and offered her support to other civil-liberties organizations. Critics have recognized...