How Wifey Transformed YA Author to Adult Author

Judy Blume's Female Empowerment Novel for Adults

Aug 9, 2008

Judy Blume, author of over 20 best-selling novels, made a name for herself as both a respected YA author, and as a groundbreaking author of female empowerment books.

It's highly likely that Judy Blume is one of the few authors who have been able to successfully cross over genres and achieve best-seller status in both the Children/Young Adult market and the Adult Fiction market. While Blume began her writing career as a Children/Young Adult author in 1969 with the publication of her book The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo, Blume became a household name with the publication of her Fudge series.

Blume's Success in the Children's and Young Adult Market

Judy Blume is easily one of the most popular children's authors. With books such as Freckle Juice, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge and Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great, every generation since the early 1970s has likely read and enjoyed at least one of her novels.

Blume went on to write several young adult novels that remain favorites decades after their initial publication. Books such as Forever, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, It's Not the End of the World, Deenie, Blubber, Tiger Eyes and Just as Long as We're Together remain relevant to teenage readers today.

Blume's Transition into the Adult Fiction Market

While Blume was no stranger to the stronghold of censorship, she met with even more resistance when her first adult novel Wifey was published in 1978. The book was full of socially contemporary issues such as open marriages and the celebration of women's sexuality.

Erica Jong's 1973 novel, Fear of Flying, was the first mainstream novel to openly address female sexuality and encourage women to indulge in their fantasies and enjoy sex its own sake without double-standard fear of being labeled morally loose or having to be involved in a relationship. However, Blume's Wifey shocked audiences more so because of her uncanny ability to write for a young audience and then seamlessly switch gears and tackle female sexuality with such honesty and frankness.

Wifey can be read as a novel in support of the women's liberation movement. The main character, Sandy, questions her twelve year marriage and mourns her missed opportunities, especially those pertaining to relationships with other men. She lives in a world of country clubs, child rearing and home making, typical of women in the early 1970s. Sandy is the typical bored suburban housewife; tired of following the rules her husband imposes (how to wear her hair and what to cook for dinner) and longs for the attention and sexual experiences offered by other men.

In addition to an encounter with a friend's husband, Sandy decides to begin an extramarital affair with her high-school sweetheart, Shep, only to realize that her fantasies of divorcing her husband and living happily ever after with him were childish and impossible. Through her sexual trysts, Sandy realizes that she loves her husband and wants to make their marriage work, though she understands that things must be different in order to do so.

While the novel does end with the redeeming message of the importance of honesty and communication within a marriage, it also presents the readers with a character who is not afraid to voice her unhappiness to her husband, be open about her sexual needs and question the status quo of society's ideal wife.

Blume has gone on to write several other novels for adults including Smart Women and Summer Sisters, both to critical acclaim.

The copyright of the article How Wifey Transformed YA Author to Adult Author in Literary Culture is owned by Lisa Rufle. Permission to republish How Wifey Transformed YA Author to Adult Author in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.