In the Unlikely Event Audiobook By Judy Blume cover art

In the Unlikely Event

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In the Unlikely Event

By: Judy Blume
Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
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About this listen

In her highly anticipated new novel, Judy Blume, the New York Times number-one best-selling author of Summer Sisters and of young adult classics such as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, creates a richly textured and moving story of three generations of families, friends and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed by unexpected events.

In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was 15, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place - Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable”, Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.

In the Unlikely Event is vintage Judy Blume, with all the hallmarks of Judy Blume’s unparalleled storytelling, and full of memorable characters who cope with loss, remember the good times and, finally, wonder at the joy that keeps them going.

“Like many family stories, this one is not without its life-changing secrets and surprises. There is no surprise that the book is smoothly written, and its story compelling. The setting - the early 1950s - is especially well realized through period references and incidents.” (Booklist)

“In Blume’s latest adult novel...young and old alike must learn to come to terms with technological disaster and social change. Her novel is characteristically accessible, frequently charming and always deeply human.” (Publishers Weekly)

©2015 Judy Blume (P)2015 Random House Audio
Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Transportation Aviation Tearjerking
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, June 2015 - What could be better than a Judy Bloom book to kick off the summer? In the Unlikely Event is accessible historical fiction for adults. At its center is a real-life event that occurred in Blume's hometown of Elizabeth NJ in the early 1950s, when not one, but three planes fell from the sky over a three-month period. This is the common thread that ties together a large cast of characters whose stories span generations - each helping to paint a picture of a distinct time and place and of the long-term effect this shared experience has on an entire community. Personal, informative, and heart-warming all at once - In the Unlikely Event is exactly what I hoped from the renowned Judy Bloom! (Tricia, Audible Editor)

Critic reviews

"Characteristically accessible, frequently charming, and always deeply human." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Narrator Kathleen McInerney creates a vibrant audio version of the interlocked lives, families, and generations in Judy Blume's arresting, sometimes harrowing, new novel.... McInerney's vocal technique is marvelously flexible..." ( AudioFile)

Featured Article: On the Enduring Legacy of Judy Blume


Judy Blume's middle grade and young adult novels have helped raise generations of kids, reshaping the literary landscape for young listeners. Since the 1970s, Blume's writing has contributed to destigmatizing taboo topics like puberty, teen sexuality, masturbation, menstruation, bullying, disability, and more. And now, rather than her books being deemed outdated or no longer relevant to today's kids, we're experiencing a "Blume-aissance."