Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume

My parents never censored anything I read when I was growing up.  I never realized how unique that was until I’d spend the summers with my Oma & Opa in Kansas City. Not only was my reading censored, I wasn’t even allowed to go to the KC Public Library. It was Mid-Continent or nothing baby.  I loved Judy Blume growing up and purchased Then Again, Maybe I Won’t with my own money one summer. I made it two pages in before it was confiscated until I got home.  With all the banning of books flying around I decided to revisit an old friend.

At thirteen, Tony has an established life with his family and friends in Jersey City. They don’t have a lot of money but the community is a close-knit one and folks look out for each other. It is very easy to hear the Italian accents in characters voices. When one of his dad’s inventions hit the big time Tony finds out that money can really change people-even those the closest to you-in ways you never imagined. Not only does Tony have to deal with moving away from the community but also maneuvering new things such as girls and other embarrassing things that can happen to a guy going through puberty.   Blume writes with the voice of a teenager and the wonder of figuring out all this new stuff in life. The story is old enough to feel dated in some aspects but the emotions and situations ring true. 1971, 164 pages.