Fresh Air Weekend: Judy Blume; How diet culture can hurt kids

Writer Judy Blume poses for a portrait at Books and Books, her non-profit bookstore in Key West, Fla., on March 26.

Mary Martin/AP

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Mary Martin/AP

Writer Judy Blume poses for a portrait at Books and Books, her non-profit bookstore in Key West, Fla., on March 26.

Mary Martin/AP

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Judy Blume was banned from the beginning, but says ‘It never stopped me from writing’: Known for her books about adolescence and all that comes with it, Judy Blume is widely beloved and widely banned. Her 1970 novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. has been adapted for the screen.

‘Are You There God?’ adaptation retains the warmth and wit of Judy Blume’s classic: Kelly Fremon Craig’s terrific adaptation of Blume’s 1970 novel doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. But by the end, the awkward preteen at its center has achieved her own state of grace.

Diet culture can hurt kids. This author advises parents to reclaim the word ‘fat’: Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith says efforts to fight childhood obesity have caused kids to absorb an onslaught of body-shaming messages. Her new book is Fat Talk.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

Judy Blume was banned from the beginning, but says ‘It never stopped me from writing’

‘Are You There God?’ adaptation retains the warmth and wit of Judy Blume’s classic

Diet culture can hurt kids. This author advises parents to reclaim the word ‘fat’