When I lock myself up to write, I cannot allow myself to think about the censor or the reviewer or anyone but my characters and their story!
Judy BlumeRead
[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Censorship stifles creativity and limits the knowledge that future generations may gain from unwritten books.
In this quote, Judy Blume expresses deep concern about the impact of censorship on literature and education. She highlights that it is not only the books currently facing censorship that are at risk, but also the countless potential books that may never be written because of the fear of backlash or restriction. This fear ultimately leads to a deprived reading experience for young readers, who lose the opportunity to engage with diverse ideas and perspectives.
Themes
CensorshipLiteratureEducationYoung ReadersFreedom Of Expression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a literary event to emphasize the importance of freedom in writing.
More from Judy Blume
All quotes →What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.
Judy BlumeRead
What can happen if a young reader picks up a book he/she isn't yet ready for? Questions, maybe. Usually, that child puts down the book and says, 'Boring.' Or, 'I'm not ready for this.' Kids are really good at knowing what they can handle.
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Concentrate on how good if feels to be alive. No matter what. Just to see the color of the sky, just to smell the air, and feel the wind in your face
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I wrote 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' right out of my own experiences and my own feelings when I was in sixth grade.
Judy BlumeRead
Nobody ever asks me why my characters don't text each other. Besides, as soon as you put something 'electronic' in a book, it's already out of date by the time it's published: everything will have changed. Human emotion, on the other hand, will never change.
Judy BlumeRead
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