Then Again, Maybe I Won't
Then Again, Maybe I Won't, a young adult novel by Judy Blume, chronicles the life of thirteen-year-old Tony Miglione. The narrative unfolds as Tony's working-class Italian-American family experiences a significant financial uplift, leading to their relocation from Jersey City to an affluent Long Island suburb. This new environment presents a host of challenges for Tony and his family, including grappling with social climbing, evolving family relationships, and the pressures to conform to a new social stratum. The story candidly explores the complexities of male adolescence, focusing on Tony's journey through puberty, burgeoning sexual awareness, and intense anxiety. Beyond his personal struggles, Tony navigates the moral dilemmas posed by his new friends' questionable behaviors and the subtle shifts in his parents' values. Blume's work offers an authentic portrayal of growing up, adapting to profound changes, and developing a personal moral compass amidst a dynamic and often confusing world.
Concerns
Romance and Sexual Content
HighThe novel explicitly addresses male puberty, including wet dreams, and features a significant subplot involving voyeurism. The protagonist frequently engages in sexually curious thoughts and actions.
Thirteen-year-old Tony Miglione develops a crush on his sixteen-year-old neighbor, Lisa Hoober, and repeatedly watches her undress from his bedroom window, even contemplating asking for binoculars for Christmas for 'birdwatching' to facilitate this voyeurism. Tony experiences his first wet dreams, which are explicitly mentioned and are about Lisa. He also expresses curiosity about 'what you have to do to get someone pregnant' when his brother and sister-in-law announce their pregnancy.
Substance Use
HighThe book explicitly depicts underage drinking leading to intoxication and sickness, as well as regular smoking by both adult and teenage characters, with efforts to deceive parents.
Tony's friend Joel procures various alcoholic drinks (beer, vodka, scotch, rye, brandy) from his father's stash, and he, Tony, and another friend, Frankie, drink to the point of throwing up and experiencing hangovers. Tony's father smokes cigars, and his brother offers one to Tony, which Tony declines due to the smell. Lisa, Tony's crush, smokes cigarettes, and Tony attempts to make her quit by falsely claiming his grandmother's larynx cancer was due to heavy smoking.
Disrespect & Rebellion
HighThe novel features significant instances of rebellious and disrespectful behavior, including theft, lying, and prank calls, primarily by a peer, with the protagonist being a reluctant participant or witness. Parental figures also exhibit questionable behavior.
Joel, Tony's new friend, repeatedly engages in shoplifting from stores and the school cafeteria, and makes frequent prank phone calls. Tony and his friends demonstrate disrespect by hiding a waitress's tip in half-empty milkshake glasses until she confronts them. Tony lies to his neighbor, Mrs. Gorsky, to avoid putting her newspaper under her doormat, and he lies to Lisa about his grandmother's smoking to manipulate her into quitting cigarettes. Tony also covers for his father's fabricated illness. Tony's mother becomes a 'social-climbing phony' who disregards his grandmother's feelings by preventing her from cooking for the family.
Profanity
MediumThe book contains multiple instances of profanity, including the use of the Lord's name in vain and other crude language. It has been cited in challenges for inappropriate language.
The Lord's name is used in vain several times throughout the novel. Tony also refers to the nanny, Mrs. Buttfield, as 'the Butt'. The book has been historically challenged or removed from library shelves, with 'profanity/inappropriate language' being one of the reasons cited.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumThe protagonist experiences significant psychological distress, manifesting as severe anxiety and physical symptoms, including collapse and hospitalization. Themes of internal conflict, peer pressure, and parental hypocrisy create intense emotional situations.
Tony develops severe stomach pains and ultimately collapses, requiring hospitalization, due to the intense anxiety and stress he experiences over his friend Joel's shoplifting and other moral conflicts. The emotional turmoil resulting from his family's changes, his mother's social climbing, and his personal moral struggles contribute to a constantly intense internal narrative for Tony.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowNo explicit LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or representation were identified within the novel during comprehensive searches. The story focuses on heterosexual adolescent development.
Extensive searches for LGBTQ+ content specifically related to 'Then Again, Maybe I Won't' yielded no direct results or mentions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer characters or themes. The narrative centers on Tony Miglione's heterosexual puberty experiences and his crush on Lisa Hoober.
Violence
LowThe book contains no explicit depictions of physical violence, fight scenes, or gore. One background detail mentions a character's death from war, but this is not graphically portrayed.
Tony's older brother, Vinnie, is mentioned to have died in the Vietnam War, a somber background detail that is not depicted in violent scenes. Tony experiences severe anxiety-induced stomach pains, leading to collapse and hospitalization, which is an intense physical reaction to stress, rather than violence directed at him or by him.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowThere is no content related to witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, magic rituals, demons, spells, or any supernatural elements in the book.
No information or mentions of witchcraft, occult themes, or magic were found in any reviews, summaries, or content warnings for 'Then Again, Maybe I Won't'. The narrative remains grounded in realistic coming-of-age experiences.
Anti-Christian Themes
LowThe book does not contain any anti-Christian themes. It depicts a Catholic family, and the protagonist is involved in a church youth group and goes to confession, reflecting elements of Christian belief and practice.
Tony's grandmother is a practicing Catholic who attends church, and a priest visits her when she is depressed. Tony himself participates in a church youth group, goes to confession monthly, and plays on the church basketball team, indicating a presence of Christian faith without any critical or mocking portrayal. The author, Judy Blume, even references a biblical quote ('love of money might be the root of all evil') in an interview, showing an understanding rather than disrespect for Christian tenets.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
12+ (Grades 7 and up) is recommended due to the mature themes of puberty, sexual curiosity, underage drinking, shoplifting, and complex family dynamics. While some sources suggest ages 10-14, the explicit nature of Tony's voyeurism and the depiction of substance use warrant a slightly higher age guidance.
Additional Notes
Published in 1971, 'Then Again, Maybe I Won't' reflects social norms of its era, particularly regarding themes like voyeurism, which are viewed much more critically in contemporary society. Modern readers and parents may find certain behaviors of the protagonist, such as spying on his neighbor, concerning, as noted by some reviews suggesting such actions would be addressed differently today. The book's strength lies in its candid exploration of adolescent anxieties and navigating moral quandaries.
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