''In the Unlikely Event'' is a
2015 novel by
Judy Blume
Judith Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 25 novels. Among her best-known works are ''Are You There God? It's Me ...
. It follows fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman and her family and friends as they cope with three plane crashes from December 1951 to February 1952 in their home of
Elizabeth, New Jersey. This was Blume's first adult book in 17 years and one of only four adult books she has written in her career.
Plot introduction
''In the Unlikely Event'' takes place in the early 1950s when the United States is dealing with the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
along with changing social mores. Miri Ammerman is the daughter of a single mother whose father left before she was born. Miri learns to negotiate a difficult adolescence with her loving family as they, and everyone in her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, deal with the unexpected and unexplained rash of airplane crashes literally in their backyards.
The novel is based on three actual plane crashes that took place in Elizabeth, Blume's hometown, over the course of 58 days.
The
first accident occurred on December 16, 1951, with the plane crashing into the Elizabeth River. The
second crash happened on January 22, 1952, and nearly hit the
Battin High School
Battin High School was a public high school in Elizabeth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, which operated as part of the Elizabeth Public Schools. The school opened in 1889 as a coeducational institution.Staff''The City of Elizabeth, N ...
for girls. The
last crash was on February 11 of the same year and narrowly missed an orphanage.
Awards
* Nominated for GoodReads Choice Awards 2015 for Best Historical Fiction
References
External links
Judy Blume's website
2015 American novels
Novels by Judy Blume
Novels set in New Jersey
Alfred A. Knopf books
Novels set in the 1950s
Elizabeth, New Jersey
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