When a series of passenger airplanes crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within a t
hree-month period in 1951-1952, Judy Blume was a teenager. "These events have li
ngered in my mind ever since," says Blume. "It was a crazy time. We were witness
ing things that were incomprehensible to us as teenagers. Was it sabotage? An al
ien invasion? No one knew, and people were understandably terrified." Against th
is background, Blume uses her imagination to bring us the lives of three generat
ions of families, friends, and strangers, who will be profoundly affected by the
se events, either directly or indirectly. But life goes on and Blume digs deep i
nto her characters--we see them coping not only with grief but with first love,
estranged parents, difficult friendships, familial obligations, divorce, career
ambitions, a grandparent's love, a widower's hope, and everything in between. .
. . Most important, "In the Unlikely Event" is filled with the same warmth and a
uthenticity that have won Blume the hearts and minds of readers of all generatio
ns.
