It was such a please to speak with author, Rachelle Bergstein for this episode of SHLTMM. Hearing her tell stories of her mother, Pauline was such a vivid experience. Rachelle is a wonderful storyteller and her writing is fluid and colorful. Growing up in New Jersey, as did her mother and as did author, Judy Bloom was coincidental. But as Rachelle was relaying memories of her mother after the divorce and the attempts Pauline made to become engaged with her daughter, her own personal interests, society and a future career, it was clear that she and Judy Bloom had had very similar experiences. Adjusting to life after marriage was full of wonderful surprises and challenges. Lucky for us and for Rachelle that she inherited a number of hand me down clothes and Judy Blume books from family friends. That was the beginning of my guest's passion for reading and writing. Thanks Rachelle, Pauline and Judy Bloom for all this inspiration and insight.
"I am my mother's only daughter," explains Bergstein. Both of Rachelle's parents eventually remarried. Her father has two daughters from a subsequent marriage. And Rachelle's mom, has remarried twice. Rachelle's parents were very much in love and married right out of college. At around the age of five years old, her parent's split up and Rachelle lived with her mother though there was joint custody between her parents. Rachelle admits that they did a pretty good job of not pushing and pulling her into their disagreements up until just prior to her wedding!
Pauline eventually went to graduate school and became a psychologist and Rachelle says "she'll work into her eighties, she loves it so much." "She had a lot of drive and intelligence that was sort of sitting somewhere and not used. Eventually she learned how to use it." says my guest. There were humble beginning after the divorce, but Pauline eventually found her calling and nothing can stop her now.
Getting support from her mom regarding her writing and being able to have honest open conversations was always helpful, yet Pauline didn't like it "when I dressed sexy. I could pierce my ears, dye my hair, no tattoos till 18. My mother also has a really loud laugh" recalls Rachelle. So loud that Rachelle will sometimes ask her mother to not laugh so loud if they're out in a restaurant.
Some of Rachelle's favorite Judy Blume books include, "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret," "Blubber," "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and so many more. But it was Ms. Blume's natural writing style that enthralled not only Rachelle but teens and young adults around the world, even today. There was a period in the 1980's that Judy Blume was one of the most banned author in America. She wrote about somewhat sensitive topics that her audience was looking to learn more about, but not from their parents. Topics such as menstruation, puberty, parental divorce, sexuality, women's lib/feminism and so much more.
One of many things that Rachelle is grateful for is that her mother was very open about speaking with her about a woman's body and sexuality.
Again, it was reflective for Rachelle to write this latest book "The Genius of Judy Blume-How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us." She clearly saw many similarities in both her mother and Ms. Blume's life. Though the transition of being a young divorcee with children was challenging, once these women hit their stride, they found themselves unstoppable.
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