The book Blubber by Judy Blume has been either praised for its message, or criticized. Some critics found the use of "the b word' offensive, and some said the book offered no resolution.
As a pre-teen, I read all of Judy Blume's books and loved them. When I read Blubber, I had hoped all the "mean girls" would read it and see how wrong they were to be so awful to other people. I did not even notice the few "bad words" used in the book because, lets face it, the use of foul language is an accurate portrayal of life in junior high school.
When I wrote my book, The Cat That Went To Homecoming, I allowed the antagonist to use "the b word". My decision was based on two things: the reality of it is that teens DO use foul language and when they start to, the words damn, shit and bitch are usually the first ones used. Also, having the antagonist talk that way showed the reader just how bad she really was.
I agree that Blubber really did not offer any solutions for a bullied person. But again, as a pre-teen, I didn't see it that way. I wanted others to see how it felt to be the bullied girl. Looking back, I can see why some critics felt the book offered fuel for bullies-in-the-making.
I wrote my book to show how it feels to be bullied, and to make the reader sit in the shoes of the victim. It is my hope that the reader will actually feel like they are Ellen because once a person feels that pain, you would hope they would avoid ever making someone else feel it.
I also wanted to give a solution, to show the victim that you CAN rise above the bullying without stooping to the bullies level.
I don't know if my decision to use "the B word' will be considered a poor decision in the long run by critics of YA, but i sincerely hope not. We live in an era where violence on tv and in video games is the norm, and 12 year old girls are having babies. Certainly one foul word shouldn't make a book a candidate for a book-burning.
