In 'Are You There, God?' Margaret's story isn't universal — and that's OK
In 1970, Judy Blume published the story of one girl, at one moment, with one group of friends, who experiences early adolescence in a way particular to her. And that's what makes it compelling.
When the lights go down on the new adaptation of Judy Blume's middle-grade classic Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, one of the first things you see is a note about the year in which the film is set: "1970." That's the year the book came out, too, so the film leaves the story there, in its moment.
It's very easy to imagine updated for 2023: Margaret with a smartphone, Margaret with the ability to
