Welcome to another edition of our new semi-regular series: Blast from the Past.

A refresher: We will occasionally read (or listen to) a book we had loved as children but have not re-visited as adult writers. And then we’ll tell you about it. How did the story hold up? Is the magic still there? What differences do we notice, both cultural and in storytelling techniques and how we respond as adult writers? Would our childhood faves appeal to kids today? It also shows us how far we’ve come in society, or haven’t, and what are truly fundamental aspects of human behavior.

On to my selection. Let’s talk periods. When I think about my book choice for Blast from the Past, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, that is what I think of. When this book first came out, that’s what was talked about, and probably why it was controversial and banned in some areas. I know, I was around when it was first published. But it’s not all about periods. It’s also about breast size. 

And growing up.

SYNOPSIS: Margaret Simon, almost twelve, likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She’s just moved from New York City to Farbook, New Jersey, and is anxious to fit in with her new friends—Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie. When they form a secret club to talk about private subjects like boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret is happy to belong. But none of them can believe Margaret doesn’t have religion, and that she isn’t going to the Y or the Jewish Community Center. What they don’t know is Margaret has her own very special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything—family, friends, even Moose Freed, her secret crush. Margaret is funny and real, and her thoughts and feelings are oh-so-relatable—you’ll feel like she’s talking right to you, sharing her secrets with a friend.

THE SIMILARITIES: After reading this book again, as an adult, and seeing pre-teen and teen girls today, I realize a few things have not changed year after year or generation after generation. Some aspects of our personalities are fundamental. In terms of this story, I am talking about the concern with our appearance. Both looking at our own bodies and comparing ourselves to others. Just as Margaret and her friends do, we look at our bodies, hair, even our minds and wonder why we can’t have what others have, or ask ourselves when we’re going to get it.

I would love to think that we don’t judge people by how they look, but even forty years after this book was written, we still do. Margaret and her friends believe and foster rumors about Laura Danker’s life because she developed earlier than the girls her age. Unfortunately, body shaming is still around and still as hurtful as back then. Whether it’s the size of a person’s body or the style of their hair, people form opinions about what others’ abilities are physically, academically, and emotionally.

THE DIFFERENCES: There are a few differences I found amusing because they remind me how far we’ve come with technology and how much I still cling to the old days. These differences are activities such as the girls looking at naked bodies in books instead of on computers. However, the reason they look is the same: curiosity.

There are other differences that show, in my opinion, how society has changed for the better. In this book, male teachers are a strange occurrence. The fact that Margaret and her friends are in Mr. Benedict’s class, is a big deal. I’m happy to see that has changed. Today, male teachers are in every school in the country and my own kids have had a few amazing male, and female, teachers. 

Because Margaret and her friends are in middle school, boys, kissing, and sex are regular topics of conversation. As are middle school sex education classes. In Margaret’s school, because of the era, these classes are done separately. Boys in one room and girls in another. Today, at least in my area, they are now together. Are the kids uncomfortable? Probably. But I feel it’s important for people to learn about each other, the similarities and differences.

And this takes me to the last difference I found. It involves one specific scene when the kids are at a party. They decide to play Spin the Bottle, a game I remember from my middle school days. What struck me though in the book was the line “no fair boys kissing boys or girls kissing girls.” I am not sure what the “rules” are when kids play today (you know they do!) but I do hope it it’s different. I find this generation is a lot more open and accepting of people who think and feel differently than they do. It’s why I believe kids today will be world changers. 

DOES THIS BOOK HOLD UP TODAY? My thought is yes. Most of the differences are easily explained with changes in technology and societal standards. I do believe kids today would enjoy this book as much as they did back then. I also think adults are a little more open to kids reading about body changes. I would caution them, however, about believing everything back then holds true today such as the Spin the Bottle scene.