Happy New Year !

Do you remember the first novel you ever read?

For me, it was Judy Blume's iconic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and for a wide-eyed ten-year-old, that book was THE guide to the mysteries of growing up.

It covered all the nitty-gritty details: training bras, boys, menstruation, and reproduction, all of which were far more detailed than anything I'd learned in that one-hour crash course in fifth grade (you know the one).

It was a turning point for me – a moment when literature opened up a world I didn't even know was mine to explore. It's a feeling I strive to recreate in my own writing, crafting stories that not only thrill but resonate on a personal level.

In a delightful full-circle moment, Judy Blume's masterpiece has recently been made into a movie starring Rachel McAdams, now on Crave. You can watch the trailer here.

The reviews were lukewarm, but I loved it. Seeing the story come to life on the screen was a pure delight, even if it was a bit cringy at times. But then again, that was a big part of the book's charm. The raw, unfiltered peek into adolescence that Blume captured so well.

What book kicked off your love of reading? Reply to this email, and I’ll share the responses in next month’s newsletter.

This got me thinking about the book’s 1970 New Jersey setting and wondering how Margaret would fare if she timeblinked to today’s high-tech world.

For one, imagine her reaction seeing this all-emoji text message depicting the facts of life on a friend’s phone:

In Margaret’s day, such taboo topics were only accessible through playground gossip or uncomfortable (though mercifully rare) discussions with adults.

Nowadays, she would’ve been mortified to find the information plastered across the digital universe… and yes, reduced to a string of playful icons on a tiny computer that fits in your pocket. How times have changed! 🙈