Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Author	Judy Blume
Language	English
Genre	Young adult
Publisher	Bradbury Press
Publication date	1971
Publication place	USA
Media type	Print Paperback
Pages	176
ISBN	ISBN 0-87888-035-6

Then Again, Maybe I Won't is a 1971 young adult novel written by Judy Blume. Intended for pre-teens and teenagers, the novel deals with puberty from a male perspective as well as the other trials of growing up. Judy Blume claimed that she was inspired to write the story following the success of her preceding novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.. Given her earlier novel was about a girl entering puberty making the transition to womanhood, she decided to write one about a boy going through puberty and making a transition to manhood.

Plot

After Tony Miglione's father strikes it rich on a new invention, their working-class family is supplanted from Jersey City, New Jersey to Rosemont, New York where Tony has to deal with sudden changes coinciding with his growing into adolescence -- his mother is becoming a social climbing phony, his brother quits teaching and ends up going into the family business, and his grandmother (unable to speak since the removal of her larynx) isn't permitted to cook anymore. Add to this, along with the emotional upheaval that comes with puberty (and the fact that his new friend has a tendency to shoplift), and you have enough to put young Tony into psychotherapy.

While this novel is similar to the puberty aspects of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., it differs mainly in the secondary themes. While Margaret struggled with her issues of religion and being raised in an interfaith family, Tony Miglionie struggled with the issues of his family social climbing and to a lesser extent, American society. A similarity to both stories, aside from the physical maturity of both characters, is that Tony develops a crush on the eldest daughter of his next door neighbors, just as Margaret had feelings for the eldest son of her next door neighbors. Both stories also dealt with moving, but the reason behind the move for Tony's family is his father's success with his invention and desire to move to a wealthier community. Themes are at are dealt with are the effects for Tony of losing the middle-class life he had become accustomed to in Jersey City in an Italian-American neighborhood and being ill at ease in this upper class community. The timeframe of this story was written around the late 1960s or early 1970s, as Tony's eldest brother, Vinnie, has been killed in action in the Vietnam War. Other themes touched upon are how Tony's family seems to be knowingly and willingly are distancing themselves from their Italian heritage as not many Italian-Americans are in Rosemont. Another theme is how Tony's family is "keeping up with the Joneses" by emulating their next door neighbors, the Hoobers. Mr. Hoober is vice president of a pharmaceutical company, which gives his wife the chance to spend her days playing golf and socializing. The Hoobers are representative of the "high-powered American family", but seem to believe the "American way" is about money, luxorious living, and social status and nothing else. As a result, they do not seem to give much attention to the troublemaking son Joel, who seems to get the idea he can get away with anything as nobody is watching out for him.

Editions

• ISBN 0-87888-035-6
• ISBN 0-8161-4417-6