Book Review: In the Unlikely Event

Judy Blume, prolific award-winning young adult and adult author, brings to life the 1950s in Elizabeth, New Jersey with her novel, In the Unlikely Event.

Miri Ammerman, 15, is the only child of a single mother. They share a house with her widowed grandmother. A typical teen, Miri is totally absorbed in her best girlfriend, and has a crush on a boy she met at a house party. Miri’s life changes when she witnesses a commercial plane crash right in her hometown of Elizabeth. It’s a devastating sight with no survivors.

Eventually, there are three horrific plane crashes in 58 days, which is historically true. The author grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and can speak with authority on the people’s reaction, the horror, and the rumors generated as the result of the repeated tragedies.

The story is told through several characters in different sections of the novel. In front of the book, Blume has furnished a helpful list of principal characters.

I enjoyed this novel and could relate to the complexities and attitudes of the time period. Knowing that the plane crashes were true events made the story believable; otherwise, I would have thought the incidents far-fetched. I found it captivating to revisit the 1950’s through Judy Blume’s heartfelt and compassionate writing.

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