For generations of readers who have loved Judy Blume’s books , Mark Oppenheimer’s new biography Judy Blume: A Life , is a fascinating read. With unparalleled access to her papers and to Blume herself, Oppenheimer writes about her childhood influences and marriages, her path to writing as a young mother struggling to find herself beyond housekeeping and parenting , the behind‑the‑scenes story of how her most famous books were published and much more. Newsweek spoke with Oppenheimer about Blume,