Dear Gossips,

Something really exciting happened this week: Judy Blume has finally agreed to have Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret turned into a movie. Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen, a movie I loved) will write the screenplay and direct. James L Brooks will produce. Kelly told Deadline that:

“It’s rare for me to run into a woman or girl who hasn’t read it and every time I’ve mentioned it to a woman, they clutch their heart and let out this joyful gasp. There’s something so timely and full of truth and I remember for me that at that age, it felt like a life raft at a time when you’re lost and searching and unsure. This book comes along and tells you you’re not alone. Women remember where they were when they read it. I can’t think of another book you can say that about.”

Every word is true for me. Like Margaret, I was an only child. Like Margaret, I was confused about my place in the world, my place in school, my breasts (only in my case it was “I must, I must, I must DECREASE my bust”), and my period. I am STILL confused about my period. This year, my period has taken up more mental and emotional energy than anything in my life. I just went for an ultrasound yesterday because of my period. My period has been f-cking up my sh-t all week. Margaret made me feel like it was normal to have a frustrating relationship with your period. And yet, even now, almost 50 years after its publication, girls are still dealing with their periods in secret, and often in shame. Girls continue to miss out on opportunities because they’re menstruating. Here in Canada, nearly 1 in 7 girls have either left school early or missed school entirely because of their periods.

So that “joyful gasp” that Kelly is talking about? It’s real. A joyful gasp came out of me when I read this headline yesterday. And, probably, there will be a lot of joyful gasps when we go see the movie. There are certain memories, certain feelings, we don’t outgrow. For so many of us, it’s impossible to outgrow Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Are you re-reading it this weekend? 

Have a great weekend!

Yours in gossip,

Lainey