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Iggie's House
Iggie's house just wasn't the same. Iggie was gone, moved to Tokyo. And there was Winnie, cracking her gum on Grove Street, where she'd always lived, with no more best friend and two weeks left of summer.
Then the Garber family moved into Iggie's house—two boys, Glenn and Herbie, and Tina, their little sister. The Garbers were black and Grove Street was white and always had been. Winnie, a welcoming committee of one, set out to make a good impression and be a good neighbor. That's why the trouble started.
Glenn and Herbie and Tina didn't want a "good neighbor." They wanted a friend.
Then the Garber family moved into Iggie's house—two boys, Glenn and Herbie, and Tina, their little sister. The Garbers were black and Grove Street was white and always had been. Winnie, a welcoming committee of one, set out to make a good impression and be a good neighbor. That's why the trouble started.
Glenn and Herbie and Tina didn't want a "good neighbor." They wanted a friend.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
193 people are currently reading
1608 people want to read
About the author
Judy Blume
137 books11.8k followersJudy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 80 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.
Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.
Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.
Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.
Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
September 29, 2022
Leave it to Judy Blume to tackle the subject of racism in her debut novel.
Ms. Blume was 32-years-old when this, her “first long book” was published, though she'd already worked through the publication process with several works of short fiction.
Despite Ms. Blume's young age and the incredible racial tensions at the time, she jumped right in and took on the topic of what happens when one Black family moves into an upper middle class white neighborhood.
Though the author has described starring sally j. freedman as herself her "most autobiographical novel,” my experience, as a reader, was that this particular protagonist, Winnie Barringer, comes the closest to matching what I'd imagine Ms. Blume to have been, as a child. Winnie's a small, plucky girl who's a natural crusader for justice, and she's a young person who feels misunderstood by her more conservative parents who just wish she'd learn to love her long hair and their particular viewpoints.
I thought Ms. Blume did an excellent job of staying authentic throughout this whole story—Winnie isn't perfect, but she's never had Black neighbors before, and Herbie's not perfect, but he's never lived outside of his all-Black neighborhood in Detroit before this move.
She also did a savvy job of conveying visceral racism to middle grades readers. Meaning: Winnie's parents weren't members of the KKK and they'd certainly never use racial slurs, but they are just as uncomfortable as their white neighbors, the Landons, when a Black family moves into their neighborhood. They wonder the same things the outspoken Landons wonder: will they have anything in common with these neighbors who seem so different from them? Will their house values go down?
Also—per 1970 standards, it's quite brilliant that Ms. Blume understood as much as she did about our delicate nervous systems. Winnie's reaction to Mrs. Landon's overt racism was stunning, and brought tears to both my daughter's eyes and mine.
Yes, when there is hatred in our environment, it's hard to regulate our systems, isn't it?
Score another meaningful, inspiring story by Badass Blume.
Ms. Blume was 32-years-old when this, her “first long book” was published, though she'd already worked through the publication process with several works of short fiction.
Despite Ms. Blume's young age and the incredible racial tensions at the time, she jumped right in and took on the topic of what happens when one Black family moves into an upper middle class white neighborhood.
Though the author has described starring sally j. freedman as herself her "most autobiographical novel,” my experience, as a reader, was that this particular protagonist, Winnie Barringer, comes the closest to matching what I'd imagine Ms. Blume to have been, as a child. Winnie's a small, plucky girl who's a natural crusader for justice, and she's a young person who feels misunderstood by her more conservative parents who just wish she'd learn to love her long hair and their particular viewpoints.
I thought Ms. Blume did an excellent job of staying authentic throughout this whole story—Winnie isn't perfect, but she's never had Black neighbors before, and Herbie's not perfect, but he's never lived outside of his all-Black neighborhood in Detroit before this move.
She also did a savvy job of conveying visceral racism to middle grades readers. Meaning: Winnie's parents weren't members of the KKK and they'd certainly never use racial slurs, but they are just as uncomfortable as their white neighbors, the Landons, when a Black family moves into their neighborhood. They wonder the same things the outspoken Landons wonder: will they have anything in common with these neighbors who seem so different from them? Will their house values go down?
Also—per 1970 standards, it's quite brilliant that Ms. Blume understood as much as she did about our delicate nervous systems. Winnie's reaction to Mrs. Landon's overt racism was stunning, and brought tears to both my daughter's eyes and mine.
Yes, when there is hatred in our environment, it's hard to regulate our systems, isn't it?
Score another meaningful, inspiring story by Badass Blume.
November 19, 2015
The second book in my project to read or re-read all the Judy Blume. I never read this one as a kid. It's a little dated, and the capital-M Message definitely overrides the story, but I feel like this would be a really good way into talking with your kid about racism. Because it's narrated by a little while girl, the focus is obviously on her as she tries to befriend a black family (the first and only in her neighborhood). It walks us through the process by which she learns to untangle her own racism, and it even tackles the White Savior Complex, when Winnie is more concerned with helping the Garners be accepted by the neighborhood than just being their friends and treating them like people. It doesn't do all of this perfectly, but even the stuff that doesn't quite work out would be interesting to talk about with a young kid.
The saddest part about reading this was that it was published forty-five years ago, and it's still almost as relevant now as it was then.
The saddest part about reading this was that it was published forty-five years ago, and it's still almost as relevant now as it was then.
January 7, 2015
I had to stop reading this book when the White girl slapped the Black boy for taking her to task for her White Savior Complex ("the first time she hit anyone ever!"--and it had to be a Black boy, how nice!) AND his brother didn't put a whoopin' on her for hitting his brother with no justification AND/OR tell his mom or dad that this White girl just hit his brother, at which point mom or dad would have told that White girl to get out of their house!
I really was a 1970s Black kid from Michigan, as the siblings in this book are supposed to be, and I can tell you that if some White kid would have hit any of us among my siblings, whether they were trying to be friends with us or not, that kid would have had another thing coming! We had distrust and fear of White people anyway, and a White kid who tried to befriend us while saying the expected stupid stuff White kids say to Black kids ("Are you from Africa? Did you or your parents loot in the riots?") and then turned around and hit one of us would have confirmed our beliefs that White people are mean to Black people and not to be trusted.
I was starting to like this book, too. It does honestly portray White liberal "benign" racist thinking and how it manifests in the minds of White kids especially, like the White girl in the story. This girl really expects these Black kids to go ga-ga because she's "one of the good ones," and when one of them lets her know that it's really not all about her and as a kid she doesn't have all the White privilege and power she thinks she has, the White girl slaps him like Scarlett slapped her slave! Ugh.
I really was a 1970s Black kid from Michigan, as the siblings in this book are supposed to be, and I can tell you that if some White kid would have hit any of us among my siblings, whether they were trying to be friends with us or not, that kid would have had another thing coming! We had distrust and fear of White people anyway, and a White kid who tried to befriend us while saying the expected stupid stuff White kids say to Black kids ("Are you from Africa? Did you or your parents loot in the riots?") and then turned around and hit one of us would have confirmed our beliefs that White people are mean to Black people and not to be trusted.
I was starting to like this book, too. It does honestly portray White liberal "benign" racist thinking and how it manifests in the minds of White kids especially, like the White girl in the story. This girl really expects these Black kids to go ga-ga because she's "one of the good ones," and when one of them lets her know that it's really not all about her and as a kid she doesn't have all the White privilege and power she thinks she has, the White girl slaps him like Scarlett slapped her slave! Ugh.
September 2, 2023
This was Judy Blume’s “first long book,” as she says on her website, after first trying her hand at picture books. She wrote it as a young mother in the late 1960s, about a suburb like her own, and it was published in 1970. I don’t think I ever came across it when I was growing up. For a first long book, it’s quite short - one bedtime reading’s worth, if you’re a grownup - and it’s interesting, too.
Winnie’s best friend Iggie has moved away, and Winnie is shocked when the new neighbours move in: they’re Black! She’s eager to make friends and show them around, but keeps putting her foot in her mouth in cringey ways (asking if they’re from Africa…). A neighbourhood mom her own mom admires tries to organize the neighbours to push the new family out with a petition, and Winnie struggles with how to respond to the adult behaviour around her and be a friend.
So many core Judy Blume elements were right there from the start, and some of them are still rarer than you’d think in children’s books. For example, she resists the temptation to ensure that actions a reader’s parents might want to discourage are met with an unambiguously negative consequence in literature (they certainly aren’t in life) . And while there is some comfort and resolution, . Her books are great vehicles for moral discussions about how and why people behave how they do, without being moralistic.
Winnie’s best friend Iggie has moved away, and Winnie is shocked when the new neighbours move in: they’re Black! She’s eager to make friends and show them around, but keeps putting her foot in her mouth in cringey ways (asking if they’re from Africa…). A neighbourhood mom her own mom admires tries to organize the neighbours to push the new family out with a petition, and Winnie struggles with how to respond to the adult behaviour around her and be a friend.
So many core Judy Blume elements were right there from the start, and some of them are still rarer than you’d think in children’s books. For example, she resists the temptation to ensure that actions a reader’s parents might want to discourage are met with an unambiguously negative consequence in literature (they certainly aren’t in life) . And while there is some comfort and resolution, . Her books are great vehicles for moral discussions about how and why people behave how they do, without being moralistic.
September 16, 2012
I was always a big fan of Judy Blume when I was younger, and I recently decided to reread some of her books. Iggie's House wasn't one that I read as a child, so I was pleased to get it from the library and settle down with it.
Iggie's House tells the story of Winnie, a girl whose best friend moves away to Japan in the middle of the summer. This in itself could be enough of a story for a Judy Blume novel, but instead she decides to introduce a typically American story, making the family that move into Iggie's house a black family. Winnie quickly makes friends with the three children, but comes up against the racist views of her neighbours. Even her parents don't seem to be too happy that there are African Americans in the neighbourhood.
This book was first published in 1970. Its message was important then, at a time of huge racial discordance, and coming hot on the heels of the 1960s, an important time in the fight for civil rights. I don't think that time dilutes the message; throughout the book I felt so frustrated on behalf of Winnie, who is trying to make the adults on her street understand that the Garbers are a normal family, and deserve to live there as much as anyone. Winnie doesn't always do the right thing, but she always does it with the best conscience; she is a child whose opinion is dismissed because of her age.
It's not my favourite Judy Blume book, but it's a good one, and I can't wait to read the rest of them.
Iggie's House tells the story of Winnie, a girl whose best friend moves away to Japan in the middle of the summer. This in itself could be enough of a story for a Judy Blume novel, but instead she decides to introduce a typically American story, making the family that move into Iggie's house a black family. Winnie quickly makes friends with the three children, but comes up against the racist views of her neighbours. Even her parents don't seem to be too happy that there are African Americans in the neighbourhood.
This book was first published in 1970. Its message was important then, at a time of huge racial discordance, and coming hot on the heels of the 1960s, an important time in the fight for civil rights. I don't think that time dilutes the message; throughout the book I felt so frustrated on behalf of Winnie, who is trying to make the adults on her street understand that the Garbers are a normal family, and deserve to live there as much as anyone. Winnie doesn't always do the right thing, but she always does it with the best conscience; she is a child whose opinion is dismissed because of her age.
It's not my favourite Judy Blume book, but it's a good one, and I can't wait to read the rest of them.
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April 6, 2020*contains spoilers*
published in 1970 - and it shows. a story about a white girl whose best friend goes to live abroad, and the black family who move into the house.
i don't remember how i felt reading this in the 90s, especially as a black kid. as a fan of judy's work then and now, it feels bittersweet that there was such a lack of representation for poc when i was growing up, and this was yet another story about 'race' and racism, from a white point of view (this still happens constantly of course). i wish i could remember how this story affected me back then. in context though, i can understand why she wrote it, and i'm glad that she did: most of her readers were white; this book is a message to them. today i identify the most with herbie - i feel his anger and frustration at whiteness, and winnie treating his family like a project. i hope that the clashes between winnie and herbie were meant to show herbie as the voice of reason, but i'm not sure...especially since he literally gets slapped in the face for calling out white saviourism.
the most poignant bit for me was when the little sister tina asks where all the black people are in the (all white) neighbourhood, and when winnie says "what's the difference?" - the classic white response, usually accompanied by 'i don't see colour' or 'i don't care if you're black, green, or purple!' - and herbie says "how would you like it if you lived in a place where everybody was black?"
i'm glad the judy wrote this book in 1970 - i wouldn't recommend it to my niece and nephew now though; it doesn't exactly promote black pride...but then we weren't the target audience.
published in 1970 - and it shows. a story about a white girl whose best friend goes to live abroad, and the black family who move into the house.
i don't remember how i felt reading this in the 90s, especially as a black kid. as a fan of judy's work then and now, it feels bittersweet that there was such a lack of representation for poc when i was growing up, and this was yet another story about 'race' and racism, from a white point of view (this still happens constantly of course). i wish i could remember how this story affected me back then. in context though, i can understand why she wrote it, and i'm glad that she did: most of her readers were white; this book is a message to them. today i identify the most with herbie - i feel his anger and frustration at whiteness, and winnie treating his family like a project. i hope that the clashes between winnie and herbie were meant to show herbie as the voice of reason, but i'm not sure...especially since he literally gets slapped in the face for calling out white saviourism.
the most poignant bit for me was when the little sister tina asks where all the black people are in the (all white) neighbourhood, and when winnie says "what's the difference?" - the classic white response, usually accompanied by 'i don't see colour' or 'i don't care if you're black, green, or purple!' - and herbie says "how would you like it if you lived in a place where everybody was black?"
i'm glad the judy wrote this book in 1970 - i wouldn't recommend it to my niece and nephew now though; it doesn't exactly promote black pride...but then we weren't the target audience.
April 29, 2015
I first read this when I was eight or nine and thought Judy Blume was the best thing since sliced bread. I remember liking it a whole lot, but now I'm at a loss to explain just why I liked it. Surely not SOLELY because it was Judy Blume? There must have been something that grabbed me and kept me reading.
Winnie is eleven years old and lives in a white neighborhood. Her best friend Iggie has moved to Japan and Winnie is heartbroken; she seems to have no other friends. But she is excited to find out who is moving into Iggie's house; Iggie has told her it will be a big surprise. She's right about that.
The Garbers are a black family from Detroit, the first black people in the neighborhood, and not everybody is as excited as Winnie is. Mrs. Landon, a grown-up Mean Girl who appears to run the block like it's her own personal country club, is fit to be tied and right away starts trying to drive the Garbers away.
The book is heavy-handed, and I think the Message overpowers character development, something Blume is ordinarily pretty good at. The end result is a collection of fairly one-dimensional characters. Winnie wants to do the right thing, but she is so eager to take up the Garbers' cause that she loses sight of the fact that they are people first and not black first. She does too much talking and not enough listening and has a hard time grasping that the Garbers don't want her pity or her advocacy; they would like her to treat them as she would treat any other friends. When Herbie Garber angrily confronts Winnie with her supposed savior complex, she becomes upset and slaps him.
This wasn't a nice thing to do, but it is believable; Winnie is a generally nice kid who is used to getting along with her friends, and she was so sure she was doing the right thing that Herbie's anger must have really upset her.
I am a bit disbelieving of Herbie's perceptiveness of Winnie's motivations and actions. He's a bit younger than she is and I find his withering sarcasm to be more like an older teenager than a kid his age.
Mrs. Landon is a nasty piece of work, but she was so overdrawn. I guess since the book is pretty short Blume had to pack in as much wickedness as possible into Landon's actions so we'd all understand she was the enemy. It worked for me when I was eight, but when I read it as an adult she just seems like a stereotype.
In short, I think the message of the book was important, and for the time period when it was written it was probably much-talked-about and maybe even controversial. But it seems dated now; I can't picture this book being written today in the same way it was back then. I think if it had been written today, the whole story would have been much more complex and so would the characters.
Winnie is eleven years old and lives in a white neighborhood. Her best friend Iggie has moved to Japan and Winnie is heartbroken; she seems to have no other friends. But she is excited to find out who is moving into Iggie's house; Iggie has told her it will be a big surprise. She's right about that.
The Garbers are a black family from Detroit, the first black people in the neighborhood, and not everybody is as excited as Winnie is. Mrs. Landon, a grown-up Mean Girl who appears to run the block like it's her own personal country club, is fit to be tied and right away starts trying to drive the Garbers away.
The book is heavy-handed, and I think the Message overpowers character development, something Blume is ordinarily pretty good at. The end result is a collection of fairly one-dimensional characters. Winnie wants to do the right thing, but she is so eager to take up the Garbers' cause that she loses sight of the fact that they are people first and not black first. She does too much talking and not enough listening and has a hard time grasping that the Garbers don't want her pity or her advocacy; they would like her to treat them as she would treat any other friends. When Herbie Garber angrily confronts Winnie with her supposed savior complex, she becomes upset and slaps him.
This wasn't a nice thing to do, but it is believable; Winnie is a generally nice kid who is used to getting along with her friends, and she was so sure she was doing the right thing that Herbie's anger must have really upset her.
I am a bit disbelieving of Herbie's perceptiveness of Winnie's motivations and actions. He's a bit younger than she is and I find his withering sarcasm to be more like an older teenager than a kid his age.
Mrs. Landon is a nasty piece of work, but she was so overdrawn. I guess since the book is pretty short Blume had to pack in as much wickedness as possible into Landon's actions so we'd all understand she was the enemy. It worked for me when I was eight, but when I read it as an adult she just seems like a stereotype.
In short, I think the message of the book was important, and for the time period when it was written it was probably much-talked-about and maybe even controversial. But it seems dated now; I can't picture this book being written today in the same way it was back then. I think if it had been written today, the whole story would have been much more complex and so would the characters.
November 17, 2020
Lots of mixed feelings on this one. It somehow manages to be both ridiculously dated and embarrassingly still relevant. I was a typical Judy Blume reader as a kid - I'm guessing her audience was made up of a whole bunch of middle-class white girls who looked an awful lot like me. I get why she wrote it. But it's a tale of racism from the outside. I like that Winnie sees herself as so open-minded and not racist, and yet makes clueless microaggressive statements about race all the time. I get her new neighbors' frustration with her lack of understanding and Winnie's complete lack of exposure to anyone who doesn't look like her. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to kids today since I think there are better books out there that explain these issues through the actual experiences of people who go through racism, but for when it was written, it does recognize more unconscious racism that I probably would have recognized in myself if I hadn't read it as a kid. Naive, well-meaning Winnie and her utter lack of awareness of her unthinking racism probably looked more like me than I would have liked to admit.
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August 29, 2022I had never heard of this particular Judy Blume book before and decided to pick it up after hearing author Jason Reynolds say he was reading it for the umpteenth time. It made me curious and I downloaded the audiobook. This quick listen packs a punch and I would recommend it to everyone. It reminded me of the impact of those in my community growing up (both positively and negatively) and how you can make an impression in someone's life and perhaps widen their scope of the world gradually with something as simple as a meal and conversation around a table, much like Iggie's family did for Winnie.
June 21, 2019
Goodreads 2019 Summer Reading Challenge
11. Past love: Reread a book you loved when you were younger
I have the distinct memory of this being my least favorite of all of Judy Blume's books, back when I was a kid in the 1970s, and a re-read this week at the age of 50 pretty conclusively proves why. To begin with, it's based around a subject that I didn't have the slightest bit of experience with myself, and in fact didn't even understand the context of why this would make a good subject for a book to begin with -- namely, it's about the first black family to move into a previously all-white subdivision in an unnamed location (but that we can presume is one of the suburbs of the New York metropolitan area, where most of Blume's other books are set), upon which all hell breaks loose from all the quietly racist (or at least racist-through-apathy) middle-classers who all suddenly get NIMBY fever. I'm from a rural town in Missouri where I grew up in a subdivision with 100 percent white families, and went to a school with 100 percent white kids, so I could neither connect with this story back then nor even understand why people would get upset about a black family moving there in the first place.
Then second, this actually turns out to be the first novel Blume ever wrote, and it shows -- featuring none of the clever, smart wit that made her later books so beloved, she spends most of her time here taking her social-justice bat and bludgeoning you over the head with it, painting a pollyannish portrait of the children involved that betrays the complex, realistic characterization of her later novels. This very much feels like one of the Mid-Century-Modernist children's books that Blume then spent the rest of her career expressly fighting against; and I suspect that this was because she was an unknown author at this point, so had to turn in a syrupy sweet tale to gain the favor of all the old 1940s executives who were still running the publishing industry at the time.
And then third -- and this is the aspect I can only now appreciate as an adult veteran of literary fiction, and especially after reading seven of Blume's later novels immediately preceding this read -- Blume is simply very "unBlumian" here in her story structure, giving us a protagonist with almost no inner transformation and who divulges almost no secrets from her inner life, but who instead spends the entire book reacting to circumstances external to her own experience. This is one of the things that's really struck me about Blume's work, as I re-read this summer all nine of the books from her "classic" period of 1970 to 1979; in almost all of them, we crawl right up inside the dark, secret part of our narrator's heads, which as a kid gives us a deep sense of intimate connection because of never having heard someone before say out loud the things we were thinking in our own brains. This is why she was so intensely beloved by my generation, back when these books were first coming out, because she opened the doors for the first time to Young Adult fiction being confessional, daring, and controversially truthful, paving the way for the John Greens and Sarah Dessens who now dominate the YA bestseller lists.
Here, though, our narrator Winnie is not much more than a blank slate, existing for not much other of a purpose than to react indignantly to the polite but firm racism taking place around her. That makes this a flat story, with none of the verve or energy that we usually associate with Blume; and so that makes Iggie's House the one Blume book from these years that I actively recommend skipping altogether, not least of which is because of all the trouble you'll have explaining to your current children why the anti-racist liberals here proudly use terms like "Negros" and "coloreds" to show how progressive they are, a book that by its very definition is the one Blume novel that has aged the worst. Do yourself a favor and just start straight with the book she published right after this, the indelible classic Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret., which not by coincidence will be my last Blume re-read and review of this summer, coming next week.
11. Past love: Reread a book you loved when you were younger
I have the distinct memory of this being my least favorite of all of Judy Blume's books, back when I was a kid in the 1970s, and a re-read this week at the age of 50 pretty conclusively proves why. To begin with, it's based around a subject that I didn't have the slightest bit of experience with myself, and in fact didn't even understand the context of why this would make a good subject for a book to begin with -- namely, it's about the first black family to move into a previously all-white subdivision in an unnamed location (but that we can presume is one of the suburbs of the New York metropolitan area, where most of Blume's other books are set), upon which all hell breaks loose from all the quietly racist (or at least racist-through-apathy) middle-classers who all suddenly get NIMBY fever. I'm from a rural town in Missouri where I grew up in a subdivision with 100 percent white families, and went to a school with 100 percent white kids, so I could neither connect with this story back then nor even understand why people would get upset about a black family moving there in the first place.
Then second, this actually turns out to be the first novel Blume ever wrote, and it shows -- featuring none of the clever, smart wit that made her later books so beloved, she spends most of her time here taking her social-justice bat and bludgeoning you over the head with it, painting a pollyannish portrait of the children involved that betrays the complex, realistic characterization of her later novels. This very much feels like one of the Mid-Century-Modernist children's books that Blume then spent the rest of her career expressly fighting against; and I suspect that this was because she was an unknown author at this point, so had to turn in a syrupy sweet tale to gain the favor of all the old 1940s executives who were still running the publishing industry at the time.
And then third -- and this is the aspect I can only now appreciate as an adult veteran of literary fiction, and especially after reading seven of Blume's later novels immediately preceding this read -- Blume is simply very "unBlumian" here in her story structure, giving us a protagonist with almost no inner transformation and who divulges almost no secrets from her inner life, but who instead spends the entire book reacting to circumstances external to her own experience. This is one of the things that's really struck me about Blume's work, as I re-read this summer all nine of the books from her "classic" period of 1970 to 1979; in almost all of them, we crawl right up inside the dark, secret part of our narrator's heads, which as a kid gives us a deep sense of intimate connection because of never having heard someone before say out loud the things we were thinking in our own brains. This is why she was so intensely beloved by my generation, back when these books were first coming out, because she opened the doors for the first time to Young Adult fiction being confessional, daring, and controversially truthful, paving the way for the John Greens and Sarah Dessens who now dominate the YA bestseller lists.
Here, though, our narrator Winnie is not much more than a blank slate, existing for not much other of a purpose than to react indignantly to the polite but firm racism taking place around her. That makes this a flat story, with none of the verve or energy that we usually associate with Blume; and so that makes Iggie's House the one Blume book from these years that I actively recommend skipping altogether, not least of which is because of all the trouble you'll have explaining to your current children why the anti-racist liberals here proudly use terms like "Negros" and "coloreds" to show how progressive they are, a book that by its very definition is the one Blume novel that has aged the worst. Do yourself a favor and just start straight with the book she published right after this, the indelible classic Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret., which not by coincidence will be my last Blume re-read and review of this summer, coming next week.
July 15, 2023
3.5 this was a good book... Just didn't hold my attention well.
February 3, 2022
This is probably my favorite Judy Blume book (from childhood).
April 7, 2019
I devoured this book in one sitting of 90 minutes and loved it.
The sad part of this book is that it was written 50 years ago and it feels like not much has changed in terms of racism 😳
The sad part of this book is that it was written 50 years ago and it feels like not much has changed in terms of racism 😳
June 3, 2022
* This story was about Race.
* Winnie's best friend Iggie has moved to Tokyo, and when a new family moves into Iggie's house, it turns out they're black.
- I got why this was so confusing for Winnie, she was treating the new family like they were special-good, but the neighbour was treating them like they were special-bad. The neighbour really was awful though!
- You could really tell that this book was written 50 years ago though, she got a hotdog, fries, and a coke for less than $1.
* Winnie's best friend Iggie has moved to Tokyo, and when a new family moves into Iggie's house, it turns out they're black.
- I got why this was so confusing for Winnie, she was treating the new family like they were special-good, but the neighbour was treating them like they were special-bad. The neighbour really was awful though!
- You could really tell that this book was written 50 years ago though, she got a hotdog, fries, and a coke for less than $1.
March 29, 2024
Revisited one from childhood as a means of avoiding a book I haven’t yet decided if I’m finishing or not.
I remembered so little from this book. I remembered a horrible neighbor and softball at the park, and I think that was it. I remember thinking it wasn’t a great book when I was a kid, but I wonder now if that was because I just didn’t understand the Garbers’ difficulties moving to an all-white neighborhood where people were actively hostile towards them.
I remembered so little from this book. I remembered a horrible neighbor and softball at the park, and I think that was it. I remember thinking it wasn’t a great book when I was a kid, but I wonder now if that was because I just didn’t understand the Garbers’ difficulties moving to an all-white neighborhood where people were actively hostile towards them.
August 19, 2023
It ‘would have been’ satisfying to read this book and think racism was a thing of the past 😔
March 25, 2024
Judy Blume can express the mind of a child like no other author I know of. This book was pretty bold in frankly addressing racial topics and I can definitely see how controversial this author is.
December 28, 2009
Winnie betul-betul merasa mendapat kejutan saat melihat penghuni baru rumah Iggie, yang bersebelahan dengan rumahnya, tiba. Iggie adalah sahabat karibnya, yang sayangnya harus pindah mengikuti ayahnya yang mendapat tugas keluar negeri. “Pantas saja kau bilang kejutan, Iggie,” tulis Winnie dalam suratnya. “They are coloured people!”
Itulah kali pertama Winnie melihat dan – pada akhirnya – menjalin persahabatan dengan keluarga berkulit hitam. Tina, Herbie, dan Glenn adalah anak-anak keluarga Garber, keluarga negro pertama yang menjadi sahabat Winnie.
Namun, bukan Winnie saja yang merasa mendapat kejutan. Penghuni jalan di mana rumah Winnie dan keluarga Garber berada pun merasa demikian. Inilah kali pertama ada keluarga negro bermukim di jalan rumah mereka. Sayangnya, tidak semua merasa excited seperti Winnie. Ada penghuni yang begitu antipati dengan keberadaan keluarga negro di wilayah tempat tinggal mereka. Begitu antipatinya, sampai-sampai mereka membuat petisi untuk memaksa keluarga Garber pindah ke wilayah lain, yang banyak orang negronya.
Menjadi minoritas memang tidak menyenangkan. Entah dari warna kulit, asal suku, agama yang dianut, sampai status sosial ekonomi bisa jadi alasan diskriminasi yang dilakukan terhadap orang lain. “Saya tidak terbiasa melihat negro bermukim di wilayah ini,” alasan si pembuat petisi. Hanya karena tidak terbiasa. Padahal, jika kita tidak membiasakan diri bergaul dengan orang yang “berbeda” dengan kita, bagaimana kita bisa jadi terbiasa? Sungguh menyakitkan rasanya, dianggap tidak layak menjadi teman hanya karena kita “berbeda”.
Iggie’s House adalah buku kedua dari Judy Blume yang menceritakan konflik mengenai perbedaan yang dialami seorang anak perempuan di awal usia remaja yang telah saya baca. Bila Iggie’s House menceritakan konflik yang timbul akibat perbedaan ras, Aren’t You There, God? It’s Me, Margareth! menceritakan konflik yang timbul akibat perbedaan agama.
Buku-buku itu memang terkategori sebagai teenlit. Tapi menurut saya, orang dewasa pun perlu membacanya untuk merenungkan arti “perbedaan” itu. Adakalanya orang dewasa perlu mempelajari pola pikir anak-anak, yang jarang sekali menempatkan “perbedaan” sebagai satu masalah krusial dalam memperlakukan orang-orang yang ada di lingkungan mereka. (lits)
Itulah kali pertama Winnie melihat dan – pada akhirnya – menjalin persahabatan dengan keluarga berkulit hitam. Tina, Herbie, dan Glenn adalah anak-anak keluarga Garber, keluarga negro pertama yang menjadi sahabat Winnie.
Namun, bukan Winnie saja yang merasa mendapat kejutan. Penghuni jalan di mana rumah Winnie dan keluarga Garber berada pun merasa demikian. Inilah kali pertama ada keluarga negro bermukim di jalan rumah mereka. Sayangnya, tidak semua merasa excited seperti Winnie. Ada penghuni yang begitu antipati dengan keberadaan keluarga negro di wilayah tempat tinggal mereka. Begitu antipatinya, sampai-sampai mereka membuat petisi untuk memaksa keluarga Garber pindah ke wilayah lain, yang banyak orang negronya.
Menjadi minoritas memang tidak menyenangkan. Entah dari warna kulit, asal suku, agama yang dianut, sampai status sosial ekonomi bisa jadi alasan diskriminasi yang dilakukan terhadap orang lain. “Saya tidak terbiasa melihat negro bermukim di wilayah ini,” alasan si pembuat petisi. Hanya karena tidak terbiasa. Padahal, jika kita tidak membiasakan diri bergaul dengan orang yang “berbeda” dengan kita, bagaimana kita bisa jadi terbiasa? Sungguh menyakitkan rasanya, dianggap tidak layak menjadi teman hanya karena kita “berbeda”.
Iggie’s House adalah buku kedua dari Judy Blume yang menceritakan konflik mengenai perbedaan yang dialami seorang anak perempuan di awal usia remaja yang telah saya baca. Bila Iggie’s House menceritakan konflik yang timbul akibat perbedaan ras, Aren’t You There, God? It’s Me, Margareth! menceritakan konflik yang timbul akibat perbedaan agama.
Buku-buku itu memang terkategori sebagai teenlit. Tapi menurut saya, orang dewasa pun perlu membacanya untuk merenungkan arti “perbedaan” itu. Adakalanya orang dewasa perlu mempelajari pola pikir anak-anak, yang jarang sekali menempatkan “perbedaan” sebagai satu masalah krusial dalam memperlakukan orang-orang yang ada di lingkungan mereka. (lits)
July 11, 2012
I've been a fan of Judy Blume, ever since my fourth grade teacher read 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing' which was summed up as hilarious and enjoyable.
I picked up a more serious novel of Blume's. 'Iggie's house'. Iggie's house focuses on the friendships between two racial groups at a time of political racial and racism issues.
The protagonist, Winnie Barringer's best friend Iggie moves to Tokyo. When a black family: the Garbers, move into her old house, Winnie is fascinated as they are the first African-Americans in the neighbourhood. She quickly befriend's the three children of the family.
But with the arrival of the Garbers comes conflict. A well-known resident in the neighbourhood tries to force the Garbers to move and tries to get support from other residents.
Winnie is especially distressed when her parents are ambivalent on the issue.
'Iggie's House' is a poignant story of friendship, it focuses on racism, and the attitudes and views of people of a certain racial group towards another ethnic background.
The writer writes in the form of a children's chapter book, easy to read and even though it is classified as Young Adult, it can be extended to younger readers.
I picked up a more serious novel of Blume's. 'Iggie's house'. Iggie's house focuses on the friendships between two racial groups at a time of political racial and racism issues.
The protagonist, Winnie Barringer's best friend Iggie moves to Tokyo. When a black family: the Garbers, move into her old house, Winnie is fascinated as they are the first African-Americans in the neighbourhood. She quickly befriend's the three children of the family.
But with the arrival of the Garbers comes conflict. A well-known resident in the neighbourhood tries to force the Garbers to move and tries to get support from other residents.
Winnie is especially distressed when her parents are ambivalent on the issue.
'Iggie's House' is a poignant story of friendship, it focuses on racism, and the attitudes and views of people of a certain racial group towards another ethnic background.
The writer writes in the form of a children's chapter book, easy to read and even though it is classified as Young Adult, it can be extended to younger readers.
August 27, 2008
I really enjoyed this as a kid. Writing about race issues this candidly was much more controversial back when this was a new book, and I think some of the language in it might be interpreted as insensitive or racist today, but at the time this was written, having black neighbors in a white neighborhood could be seen as a big deal, and the main character has to figure out that her new neighbors are people, not just a cause for her to fight for.
May 9, 2016
I like the story because it was easy to understand and interesting, but I felt like something was missing after I read this book. This book isn't long, so you can read it in a couple of days if you like to read it.
July 26, 2017
This felt like such genuine book, especially the naïveté of the main character and the emotions/thoughts of 11-year-olds. Judy Blume books even have a hard time feeling dated (this was originally published in 1970).
November 26, 2019
Over the last few years, there is a definite trend in books dealing with racism and discrimination, but they FEEL like a trend... They feel FORCED. This book, written in 1970, felt open, honest, and completely from a kids point of view. Very well done.
September 9, 2018
Another reread to see if it stood the test of time. This story about racism is a as relevant now as it was when it was first published in 1970.
February 16, 2022
Jason Reynolds is one of my favorite authors for kids and young adults. I was reading his “By the Book” from February 3, 2022. It’s where the NYT asks authors book questions.
They asked him, “What’s the last great book you read?” His response:
“You know, if I’m being honest, the last book that I really loved (which makes it great to me) was probably 𝘐𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 by Judy Blume. I’d read it long ago, but I recently reread it and suddenly it feels even more … alive. It’s not one of her most popular books, but when I think about the fact that it was published in 1970 and addresses white flight, I’m enamored by Blume’s courage and decision-making in the work.”
I grew up on Judy Blume, and I thought I had read all of her books, but 𝘐𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 didn’t ring a bell. I was able to find one copy in Iowa City, and I finished it in about an hour. It’s very dated (so bad) but parts of it are still completely relevant. I am 100% positive that if I had read this when I was younger, I would have had so many questions for my parents. Read it with your kid! It’s filled with teachable moments, including conversations about the complacency of the parents.
Winnie’s best friend moved to Tokyo, and Winnie’s missing the big important conversations she had with Iggie and her family, but is also hopeful that the new neighbors will have kids. And they do, but the family is Black. This isn’t a concern for Winnie, but it is with the other families on the block.
Have you ever read this particular Judy Blume book?
They asked him, “What’s the last great book you read?” His response:
“You know, if I’m being honest, the last book that I really loved (which makes it great to me) was probably 𝘐𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 by Judy Blume. I’d read it long ago, but I recently reread it and suddenly it feels even more … alive. It’s not one of her most popular books, but when I think about the fact that it was published in 1970 and addresses white flight, I’m enamored by Blume’s courage and decision-making in the work.”
I grew up on Judy Blume, and I thought I had read all of her books, but 𝘐𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 didn’t ring a bell. I was able to find one copy in Iowa City, and I finished it in about an hour. It’s very dated (so bad) but parts of it are still completely relevant. I am 100% positive that if I had read this when I was younger, I would have had so many questions for my parents. Read it with your kid! It’s filled with teachable moments, including conversations about the complacency of the parents.
Winnie’s best friend moved to Tokyo, and Winnie’s missing the big important conversations she had with Iggie and her family, but is also hopeful that the new neighbors will have kids. And they do, but the family is Black. This isn’t a concern for Winnie, but it is with the other families on the block.
Have you ever read this particular Judy Blume book?
September 21, 2022
Making it a point to read through Judy Blume's catalogue to find out why she's one of the most banned authors in the US. Iggie's House is her second novel, published in 1970 and is often banned for it's discussion of racism...which is like the entire point of the book? Iggie has moved and her BFF Winnie is devestated but makes friends with the Garber kids who move in. They're black and a few people on the block are not ok with "those people" taking over the neighborhood...Winnie's mom being one of them. This is very much the story of a child discovering prejudice and learning how to maneuver that uncomfortable reality.
Judy Blume is a great author and this, one of her first books was a delightful read.
Judy Blume is a great author and this, one of her first books was a delightful read.
March 21, 2018
It is crazy to think that this all occured in one weeks time. Winnie is a little girl missing her best friend who has just moved to Tokyo and new neighbors are moving into her friend Iggie's house. The Garbers are the first African-Americans to move into the neighborhood and it seems to cause a stir with the adults and Winnie can't understand why. This was a quick read with a good message for children. I loved the line when Winne said that they aren't different they eat the same peanut butter as us. Out of the mouth of babes. We are all the same if only everyone could see things that way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2022
Heard of Judy Blume but never heard of this book? It's probably on many banned book lists. Iggie was Winnie's best friend until she moved away, and now a "colored" family moved in. This book, written in 1970 may make some readers squirm, but the message is still appropriate today, and I think this would be a good book to read with an upper elementary or middle school student. It's a quick read, and covers; mean neighbors, not understanding racism, not understanding race, trying to be friends but not knowing how, trying to understand your own parents when their views seem different than your own. It's a great reminder that racism is learned and not inherent. Good on you Judy Blume!
February 4, 2025
Winnie is thrilled to see three children move into her friend Iggie’s house. She has been despondent since Iggie and her parents moved to Japan so she looks forward to making new friends. Winnie immediately goes to meet the new kids. A Black family has moved into the neighborhood. Winnie sees no problem with the family, but nosy, busybody Mrs. Landon takes it upon herself to ask neighbors to sign a petition asking the new neighbors to move. She even goes so far as to post a sign in their yard telling them they are not wanted in the neighborhood.
Iggie’s House by Judy Blume addresses hard topics for children and adults. Parents and children should read Iggie’s House together. The story takes place in the 60s in Philadelphia, but racism is prevalent today in a variety of forms. The conversation from reading this book would be invaluable.
Winnie wants to be friends with Glenn, Herbie, and Tina, but she doesn’t quite know what to say that won’t be offensive even though she means no offense. As the story progresses, the children all learn more about one another, and they do become friends.
Iggie’s House by Judy Blume addresses hard topics for children and adults. Parents and children should read Iggie’s House together. The story takes place in the 60s in Philadelphia, but racism is prevalent today in a variety of forms. The conversation from reading this book would be invaluable.
Winnie wants to be friends with Glenn, Herbie, and Tina, but she doesn’t quite know what to say that won’t be offensive even though she means no offense. As the story progresses, the children all learn more about one another, and they do become friends.
February 23, 2018
Iggie’s House by Judy Blume is about a girl named Winnie who’s best friend Iggie just moved to Tokyo. She will never see Iggie again. Iggie did tell her that someone special will be moving in to her house. When Winnie finds out that the new family(the Garbers) are African American, she sets out to make a good impression. After all, they are the only African American family on her street. But the Garbers don’t want a good neighbor, they want a friend.Mrs.Landon, a neighbor, is not so accepting however and tries to get the Garbers to flee from the neighborhood. I recommend this book to anyone (unless you get offended easily)because it teaches you to be open minded and accepting and what happens if you're not.
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