Earlier this year we learned that legendary novelist Judy Blume—bard of bra, prophet of period—would be releasing her first book for adults since her 1998 bestseller, Summer Sisters. Carole Baron, Blume’s editor at Knopf, was elusive in her description of the book, coyly promising readers “writing about family and about friendships, about love, about betrayal… quintessential Judy,” but offering no details of the plot.

Now, happily, the press machine is swinging into motion, and we can officially GET EXCITED. In the Unlikely Event is based on three real-life plane crashes which occurred in the author’s hometown of Elizabeth, N.J. in 1951. Blume was 13 years old at the time, and—not surprisingly—freaked out and mystified by the tragic events.

“It was a crazy time,” Blume said in a press release issued by her publisher. “We were witnessing things that were incomprehensible to us as teenagers. Was it sabotage? An alien invasion? No one knew, and people were understandably terrified.”

Knopf elaborates: “… Blume uses this background to weave together a story with an unforgettable ensemble of families and friends across three generations. The hallmark traits of Blume—a deep concern for her characters and the authentic capture of an era—are evident on every page as we see her protagonists grow up, fall in love, marry, cope with loss, deal with estranged parents and difficult friendships and familial obligations, remember the good times, and finally, wonder at the joy that keeps them going.”

Quintessential Judy, indeed.

The book will be released on June 2, 2015.

Started researching this novel in 2009. Now it is almost ready for you to read. Excited! #InTheUnlikelyEvent pic.twitter.com/4pWMO8mybn

— Judy Blume (@judyblume) December 15, 2014

Related: Judy Blume on Censorship, Death Threats, Divorce, and Not Retiring Like Philip Roth

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Judy Blume is click-bait catnip to me. I love her books, sure, but more than that I love her wisdom, her seventy-something joie de vivre, her I’m-too-old-to-give-a-fuck-what-anyone-thinks attitude. In this excellent profile by Alison Flood in The Guardian, Blume talks at length about all sorts of controversial things, like why it’s a bad idea to get married young, what it’s like to tour with a bodyguard (she’s received death threats for speaking out in support of Planned Parenthood and, you know, women’s bodily autonomy), and what it’s like to be censored (according to the American Library Association, she’s one of the most challenged authors of the 21st century):

Deenie, Forever…, every year, somewhere, they’re challenged. When I started, in the 70s, it was a good time for children’s book writers. Children’s reading was much freer than in the 80s, when censorship started; when we elected Ronald Reagan and the conservatives decided that they would decide not just what their children would read but what all children would read, it went crazy. My feeling in the beginning was wait, this is America: we don’t have censorship, we have, you know, freedom to read, freedom to write, freedom of the press, we don’t do this, we don’t ban books. But then they did.

Other notable facts: Blume wrote Forever… for her daughter Randy, who wanted to read a novel where a girl enjoyed sex and didn’t die or get pregnant (has there ever been a more poignant writer request?!); Amanda Palmer has written a song about her; and the eponymous protagonist of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is based on Blume’s adolescent experiences. The best part of the piece, though, is the kicker—a sly dig at Philip Roth’s very public announcement(s) that he’s going into retirement:

Teasingly, Blume says right at the end of the interview that she’s now planning, sort of, a memoir up until the age of 12; she’s not, she ends by chuckling, “going to do a Philip Roth” and announce her retirement.

“George just read me a really funny one [a blog in the New Yorker], it was, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Philip Roth has announced he has eaten his last sandwich.'” She laughs. George is waiting. She heads off to enjoy London.

Judy Blume, biz hundert un tvansik! (And keep your eyes peeled for her new novel for adults, due to hit the shelves next summer.)

http://youtu.be/qsGb-X1sj8c

Image: Judy Blume with Sofia Coppola and Sarah Flack on November 13, 2003 in New York City. (Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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That distant cheering noise you’re hearing is the sound of scores of Judy Blume fans the world over reacting to the news that the beloved YA author will be publishing her first novel for adults in 16 years.

According to The New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog, details about the book, which is due out in the summer of 2015, are “sparse”—no title or synopsis just yet—but Carole Baron, Blume’s editor at Knopf, describes the novel as “pure Judy Blume, writing about family and about friendships, about love, about betrayal. It’s quintessential Judy.” Apparently it’s been in the works for a number of years.

Blume’s last book for adults, Summer Sisters (1998), depicted the long-standing friendship between Caitlin Somers and Victoria “Vix” Leonard over the course of many summers at Martha’s Vineyard, and was an instant bestseller. (Think Beaches meets Girls, with a touch of lesbian intrigue. As the title suggests, it’s a great beach read.)

We’ll report back when we learn more. Hurrah, Judy!

Related: Judy Blume’s Amazing Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’
Lena Dunham Interviews Judy Blume and All is Right With the World

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

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Ladies and gentleman, stars have collided. Lena Dunham has interviewed Judy Blume, and it’s being published as an 80-page mini-book in The Believer. Two of the greatest women in the world sat down together, admiring each other’s work, and chatting about “writing, celebrity, sex, censorship, and favorite breakfasts,” according to McSweeney’s. I wonder what their favorite breakfasts are? Mine is the one where I’ll have that interview in my hands, and I read it as I devour my muesli.

The generation gap doesn’t stand a chance—perhaps because Dunham and Blume have reading in common. “When we, as young women, are given the space to read, the act becomes a happy, private corner we can return to for the rest of our lives,” Dunham explains in her introduction. “We develop this love of reading by turning to stories that speak to the most special, secret parts of us. And here comes Judy Blume.”

Here she comes! McSweeney’s offered us a little preview at what we would be getting, and it’s pretty amazing stuff.

JB: My first favorite books were the ones in the Betsy-Tacy series. But they weren’t popular in school. I didn’t know anyone else who was reading them. I liked Nancy Drew, used my allowance to buy one every week at the Ritz Bookstore. In sixth grade I made up books to give book reports on.
LD: You invented them?
JB: I did.
LD: You would report on a book that had never existed?
JB: I did.
LD: Were you ever caught?
JB: Nope. I always got an A on those.
LD: That’s incredible.

Oh, LD and JB. You guys are the best. Who said Friday the 13th was bad luck?

(Photo by Janette Beckman/Getty)

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The inimitable Judy Blume, who’s currently promoting the film adaptation of her 1981 book, Tiger Eyes (which her son directed, aw), sat down for a Reddit AMA (‘Ask Me Anything,’ olds), and it was nothing short of brilliant. Here are the highlights:

She may be to blame for a wave of children swallowing turtles:

Where did you get the idea of fudge eating a turtle?

Read it in a newspaper. No kidding — a real toddler swallowed a tiny pet turtle. Wrote a picture book about it and got back great rejection letters. “Very funny but this would teach small children to swallow turtles.” Great editor suggested writing a longer book (chapter book) and using that story as the last chapter.

She’s a total fangirl:

Are you and Beverly Cleary friends? Please say yes.

I wish! Beverly Cleary was my inspiration. I adore her books and so did my kids. We were supposed to meet last year but then I got a sinus infection and couldn’t fly.

She’s humble—and funny!

How often do you get recognized, or do you ever get recognized at all?

Well, my family usually recognizes me.

She will make you do your homework:

Im procrastinating my science project for you Judy. What made you realize you wanted to write books?

Do your science project!

Sadly, Blume finally had to sign off and go to dinner:

Loved chatting with you. Thanks for all the love and the questions.
Hope you get to see Tiger Eyes. Making it was the highlight of my professional life.
Going to get that pasta dinner now. Husb is starving!

We love you, Judy.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

Related: Judy Blume, Still Awesome

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A sach mentshen zehen, nor vainik fun zai farshtai’en: Many people see things but few understand them.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 21—FEBRUARY 20):

Ruled by wild and erratic Uranus, Aquarians are associated with inspiration and originality. Your symbol, the water-bearer, is a bit misleading—you’re not, in fact, a water sign, but rather an air sign. But unlike fellow air signs Libra and Gemini, Aquarius is a fixed sign, meaning you possess the intellectual acumen and curiosity of the others but aren’t nearly as mercurial.

Aquarius is also the sign of contradictions. Before the discovery of Uranus in 1781, Saturn was your ruler, representing order and conformity. Uranus, with its unusual rotation and orbit, rules rebellion, risk, and individuality. The planet is associated with invention and innovation, as well as a latent ability to perceive the future—which is what it means to be at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

Aquarians are patient, intuitive, devoted, and dependable, yet drawn to the unconventional. Your clear-headed determination and knack for reason make you an excellent reformer. But your detachment from your emotions and dispassionate approach to relationships—as well as your keen memory for detail—often cause you to hold grudges. Your understanding of human nature runs the risk of being purely intellectual. Feh!

The new moon in your sign on February 9 favors innovation, exploration of the unknown, and experimentation. With Saturn in retrograde from February 18 until July 8, consider reexamining any outmoded ways of thinking and dealing with unfinished business—you can do so much more than you thought possible. The love planet Venus is in your sign until February 25th, so expect the thrills of freedom and independence. You might not find your beshert in time for Valentine’s Day, but some trial and error may be enough to awaken those dormant romantic impulses.

Famous Aquarius Jews: Gertrude Stein, Martin Buber, Michael Bloomberg, Neil Diamond, Paul Newman, Seth Green, Louis Zukofsky, Carole King, Philip Glass, Felix Mendelssohn, Jack Benny, Stella Adler, Paul Auster, Jonathan Lethem, Art Spiegelman, Betty Friedan, Darren Aronofsky, Judy Blume, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jerry Springer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Pauly Shore, Regina Spektor, Zosia Mamet

PISCES (FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 20): Things may get worse before they get better—Aider es kumt di nechomeh, ken oisgaien di neshomeh. Mars and Mercury move into your sign in February, making compassion and dreaming the order of the day. Pisces can be gluttons for punishment, but if you stand up for yourself without equivocating, the people you need most will rush to your side in solidarity.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 20): It seems like the universe is conspiring to put all of your plans on the back burner. During February your ruling planet Mars will be transiting through Pisces, the planet of compassion and empathy, which doesn’t exactly jive well with your typical warrior stance. However, ven men darf hoben moiach, helft nit kain koiach—when brains are needed, brawn won’t help.

TAURUS (APRIL 21-MAY 20): You may be feeling cautious in romantic pursuits for fear of rejection, making your prospects appear stalled and limited. But reality is more of a give-and-take than you realized. Before you can experience mekheye, you’ll need do some serious assessment about what you really want out of love.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): While you’ve been trying to focus on your career, mental Mercury’s move into Pisces on February 5 ignites your fantasies and dreams. Practicality may seem boring—if not hazardous—but rather than voglen (wander around aimlessly), be honest with yourself and others about what’s going on in that head of yours.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 20): Cosmic energies are insisting that you broaden your horizons. So ease up and let yourself go—your sanctimonious tendencies often push others away. An epiphanic moment may be in store for you, transforming the way you view your place in the universe.  

LEO (JULY 21-AUGUST 20): Although it seems like everything is working against you right now, this trial by fire could be a blessing in disguise. While domestic matters may take center stage, you’ll be strengthened by the realization that you’re a light that won’t go out. You’re the richtiker chaifetz (the real McCoy), you feisty felines—just hang in there and the method to this madness will eventually reveal itself.

VIRGO (AUGUST 21-SEPTEMBER 20): As charming as you can be, you’re often guilty of haken a chainik (talking for the sake of talking). The only way to get close to people is to interact with mutual regard and empathy. Try listening for a change and the rest will follow.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 21-OCTOBER 20): A wise man once said, “the world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Since Libra is the sign of balance, you would do well to find a way to mediate between thinking and feeling. After all, heaven and hell can both be had in this world—ganaiden un gehenem ken men baideh hoben oif der velt.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 21-NOVEMBER 20): You’ve been oysgemutshet (worked to death, tired out) for far too long. Don’t hate the player, hate the game: examine the source of your frustration. The truth has many faces—der emess hot a sach ponimer—and admitting that the past just isn’t through with you will help you make the changes you need for a brighter future.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 21–DECEMBER 20): Freud interpreted the dual nature of Sagittarius as the ego’s way of navigating the warring id and superego. For fiery Sagittarians, it is often oder gor oder gornit (all or nothing). Rather than force something that just wasn’t meant to be, try to rise above the shtuss and learn to love the dueling sides of yourself.

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 21–JANUARY 20): With your ruling planet Saturn in retrograde from February 18 to July 8 and planets moving out of your sign, you may feel a particular sense of loss and confusion. For now, focus on your health—mental, spiritual, physical—rather than gesunte tzores. Gather your strength, for soon you’ll regain equilibrium.

What’s Your Sign?
Capricorn, the Cardinal Earth Sign
Sagittarius, the Adventurous Archer
Stinging Scorpio
Lovely, Lawful Libra
Virgo, the Anxious Maiden
Leo, King of the Jungle

(Art by Margarita Korol)

***

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The post Jewcy Horoscopes: Aquarius, Sign of Contradictions (Jan. 21—Feb. 20) appeared first on Jewcy.

• Fresh off his Barclays Center concert (which a dad confirmed to us was great), Bob Dylan is headed uptown to unveil 30 piece of his “Revisionist Art.” Talk about a renaissance man. [NY Post]

• Culture Kvetch Jacob Silverman reintroduces the poetry of Samuel Greenberg, the cult writer who died of tuburculous in 1917, at the age of 23. [Poetry Foundation]

• Talking about Gary Shteyngart’s nipples (at his roast, so it’s okay). [NY Observer]

• Why Judy Blume is always right. [LA Review of Books]

• Jewcy’s own Miriam Krule shares the only kale recipe you’ll ever need. [Slate]

• Scarlett Johansson does the weather, obviously. [NBC]

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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In case you choose to investigate me like Jonah Lehrer—I’m that important—I should warn you that a few of these concepts and jokes have been recycled from a blog post I wrote last year for my own site, The Anti-Girlfriend. There are only so many rib jokes out there.

In this week’s Torah portion, which is the first of the year as the cycle of readings renews after Simchat Torah, we encounter the creation of the world, the animal kingdom, man and then finally woman from man’s rib.

As a young yeshiva student, I never learned the obvious feminist critiques of this particular allegory even if the narrative was at times subtly presented as a reason for the “natural” pecking order—men in dominion over women. According to this view, Adam is the earliest known venture capitalist with an eternal equity stake in women’s bodies. In other words, a very early forerunner of the Republican Party.

Rather, my teachers explained it from the matchmaking perspective. Adam was lonely and noticed that everyone else—all of the newly created animals—had a complement. Bulls had cows. Male monkeys had female monkeys. (I suppose he Adam could’ve been patient until some of those female chimps evolved into suitable partners, but he was solidly in the Creationist camp.) Like the lead female character in every romantic comedy for the last twenty years, he was tired of being stuck alone at the singles table. But there were no sassy gay best friends back in those days, so he took his grievances to the Ultimate Wingman—God.

“God,” Adam said shrilly, “all of my friends are married. It’s not fair.”

As most know, God then put Adam to sleep and created a wife, Chava, from his rib. And because of this, men are compelled to seek out their missing rib in the form of a wife, who was created from it. In Bereishit it is written: “On account of this a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his woman.”

Superficially, it’s actually very cute—the orthopedic equivalent of those “best friend” necklaces you used to wear in middle school, with each friend wearing one half heart until the inevitable falling out over a guy or a nasty text.

It’s also nice to read a narrative where the man is depicted as the needy one, desperate to meet a mate, the one made to feel that there are simply no suitable women out there for him to mate with. (“I’m sorry,” Adam’s simian best friend must’ve said. “I just don’t know of a girl for you. All the women I know are married and apes.”)

But as a modern woman, the orthopedic soul mate narrative is troubling, and not just for the popular domination/subjugation narrative it supports. The biblical origin story of Adam, his rib, and the male quest to find a “helpmate” also provides some scriptural basis to the “dating” rules—that the man should be in pursuit and that a woman is supposed to wait around until a guy comes around and identifies her as the possessor of his rib.

I know it might seem like I’m taking this whole “rib” allegory too seriously, but as a result of medical experience, I’ve been forced to give this body part a lot of thought. You see, one third of my bottommost floating rib on my left side was removed and placed in my spine to fuse my spine. “I’m creation, upended,” I joked with my friends.

When I was 14, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, but mine was not the Judy Blume version of the spinal abnormality. I was no Deenie. Hers was relatively moderate, correctible through a brace. Mine was quite severe. By the time it was diagnosed, it was already in the operable range—above 50 degrees. A few months later when I underwent the procedure, the curve had jumped to 72 degrees. I was getting pretty close to being contorted into a right angle.

Typically, the surgeon removes a bone chip from the patient’s hip and breaks it into even small chips, which are then inserted in between the vertebrae. Like the two parts of a broken arm knitting back together, the bone chips fuse to the vertebrae, creating one solid, immoveable mass, correcting and arresting the growth of curve. Then titanium rods and screws are then inserted to act as internal cast.

But since my surgeon elected to perform anterior and posterior fusion on me—mostly due to the fact that I resolutely refused to wear a brace after the surgery—he removed a third of my rib since he was already in the anatomical neighborhood. Instead of being created from someone else’s rib, I was mended by own.

In the immediate aftermath of the procedure, I didn’t give this much thought. I didn’t think about what lay underneath the scar that stretched from behind my rib cage to mere inches from my navel. Mostly, I was horrified by the sight of it, collapsing in hysterics when the bandages were first removed.

But as the years progressed, I changed my tune when it came to the scars. (The other one runs down two-thirds of my spine.) I came to regard them as badass—signs of my ability to overcome a major physical setback. A year after the fusion, I went back to my beloved sport of gymnastics. In my mid-twenties, I added break dancing to my athletic repertoire.

Still, I didn’t give my ribs much thought until a couple of years ago when I started feeling intense pain and tightening in the left side of my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack and went to my doctor in tears. I was 27, a quasi-vegetarian who worked out five times a week with no family history of heart disease or problems. I couldn’t understand how this could be happening to me.

Thankfully (and as my doctor expected), my heart was not the problem. My ribs were. Specifically the ones on my left side were not as mobile and flexible as they needed to be in order to expand and contract for breathing because the muscles around them had tightened up. “Why the left side only,” I asked “and not the right?”

“Because you’re missing a part of your rib on the left,” the scoliosis specialist answered. “The muscles there have less skeletal support.”

And for the first time in thirteen years, I really missed that little piece of my rib.

I guess this means I sort of understand guys a little better—the need to pursue that missing piece of you. Of course, I don’t have to look much further than my back for my missing piece, but that’s really difficult. It’s really tough for me to twist because of the titanium and screws in my spine.

Anyway, I guess I’ll have to pursue my missing rib the way the men have—by pursuing a mate. Can you really blame me? I’m rib deficient, just like the boys.

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• Seth Rogen wants to audition for the real-life role of Tom Cruise’s girlfriend.

• Nathan Englander’s eyebrows are highly mobile, and other news about his new play.

• Over at the Hairpin, Esther Werdiger illustrates what happens when they run out of kosher meals on flights and you have to starve.

• Judy Blume announced on her blog that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy over the summer. We wish her a full recovery.

• A new biography of Philip Roth is in the works, written by Blake Bailey.

• Move over Jerry Seinfeld, here’s Comedians Walking and Getting Mani-Pedis:

The post Daily Jewce: Seth Rogen Wants to Date Tom Cruise, New Philip Roth Bio appeared first on Jewcy.

• Real men use…Hitler-endorsed shampoo?

• Drake’s bar mitzvah, the music video.

• Happy first birthday, Skyler Morrison Berman—and congrats again on being the youngest Big Jewcy ever.

• RIP, Murray Lender, the man behind Lender’s Bagels.

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