Today on The Gist, Mike is joined by Mark Oppenheimer to discuss his new book, Judy Blume, A Life. They dive into how Blume essentially invented middle-grade realism, her astronomical dominance of the book market in the '70s and '80s, and how she served as the perfect proxy for parents who were just too uncomfortable to have "the talk" with their kids. Plus, they explore the one messy topic the famously open author absolutely refused to discuss with her biographer. In the Spiel, Mike analyzes former Surgeon General Jerome Adams's recent comments on Face the Nation, pulling the latest CDC and AMA stats to see if the U.S. is still technically in an opioid epidemic. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.