We all read her around that age and I'm pleased that I did. That was way more years than I care to think about right now, but thankyou Judy - you helped a pubescent boy understand some things.
Anyway - what we have is an unsurprisingly frank documentary on one of the great authors, maybe not great in the sense of Nabokov, Dostoevsky or any of the "heavyweights", but someone that made information accessible and digestible to a whole bunch of kids that deserved that information in a way they could relate to.
We get quite a lot of insight into Judy, her life, family, self and some of her readers - this is the most interesting aspect of the documentary, how Judy engaged with her readers and their incredibly varied experiences in life. It may seem grandiose, but we need more Judy's in the world, people that engage honestly, frankly and with kindness.
Aside from actual people that I've known who effected me, there's maybe two cultural "phenomona" that have shaped my "adult-man". One, Buffy and two Judy, both taught me more about women than I'd have ever known otherwise and they're both treasures.
Judy's courage and honesty as an author are inspiring and this documents it well and shows (sadly) that the more things change, the more they stay the same, this doesn't flinch from some of the more challenging aspects of Judy's life, her continuing relevance and the terrifying aspect of "book banning".
America - you've given the world a treasure.
This film documents it very deservedly well and Judy's presence throughout exudes warmth kindness and an ability not to talk down to kids. If I do have a criticism, I'd have liked more talking heads, views from other writers, pyschologists and academics - I could easily have watched another 30 minutes or so of this if it was there. Not quite "essential" viewing, definitely essential reading.
Anyway - what we have is an unsurprisingly frank documentary on one of the great authors, maybe not great in the sense of Nabokov, Dostoevsky or any of the "heavyweights", but someone that made information accessible and digestible to a whole bunch of kids that deserved that information in a way they could relate to.
We get quite a lot of insight into Judy, her life, family, self and some of her readers - this is the most interesting aspect of the documentary, how Judy engaged with her readers and their incredibly varied experiences in life. It may seem grandiose, but we need more Judy's in the world, people that engage honestly, frankly and with kindness.
Aside from actual people that I've known who effected me, there's maybe two cultural "phenomona" that have shaped my "adult-man". One, Buffy and two Judy, both taught me more about women than I'd have ever known otherwise and they're both treasures.
Judy's courage and honesty as an author are inspiring and this documents it well and shows (sadly) that the more things change, the more they stay the same, this doesn't flinch from some of the more challenging aspects of Judy's life, her continuing relevance and the terrifying aspect of "book banning".
America - you've given the world a treasure.
This film documents it very deservedly well and Judy's presence throughout exudes warmth kindness and an ability not to talk down to kids. If I do have a criticism, I'd have liked more talking heads, views from other writers, pyschologists and academics - I could easily have watched another 30 minutes or so of this if it was there. Not quite "essential" viewing, definitely essential reading.