Miri and her friends are coming into their own as teens in Elizabeth, New Jersey. There’s school, parties, sleep overs, and adult topics like buying their first lingerie and dealing with the sins of their parents’ pasts. But what marks this time for the girls is not the standard coming of age activities, but the planes that commercial airplanes that keep falling from the sky and destroying their community.
The Fudge series and Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret are staples on the bookshelves of so many American children. But Judy Blume’s 2015 publication In the Unlikely Event brings her works back to the shelves of our generation, now adults. Based on a true story of three plane crashes in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Blume weaves an intimate look at the lasting effects of tragedy in a community where life continues as if nothing has changed. This is a book about moving forward after trauma and of remembering the importance of family and friendship on difficult days.
I give In the Unlikely Event 4 out of 5 stars. I really did grow up on Blume’s works. The Fudge series was one of my favorites as a child and I probably read each book a dozen times. This is a great transition back into her works as an adult. It did feel odd to read the juxtaposition of the plane crash trauma with the every day life of these families. I love the characters and the way they this reads almost like a diary of these girls. I liked this book, but it didn’t reach the point of love for me – there was just something missing.
I would recommend this book to readers who appreciate historical fiction and may be interested in what happened in this period with aviation. Given the theme of aviation disasters and death, this may be best directed to more mature audiences over 16. I really appreciate this latest release from the author and I think other readers who grew up on her earlier books will, too!
I chose In the Unlikely Event for the US States reading challenge prompt “New Jersey”. There were some great options for this prompt, but this particular book has been on my radar for some time. Have you read this one yet? Tell me your thoughts!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Night at the Fiestas, Kirstin Valdez Quade
- Current audio book: The Echo of Old Books, Barbara Davis
- Book I’m most looking forward to: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Fredrik Backman
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