Forever

Blume, Judy. Forever. ISBN-10: 054512367, ISBN-13: 9780545123266. Scholastic Press. 2009.

Summary
Forever is one of Judy Blume's most challenged books for its sexual content. More importantly, Forever is a book about true love that feels like it will last forever, and unfortunately it doesn't always happen that way. Katherine and Michael fall in love during their senior year of high school, and over a short period of time—and much discussion—they become intimate. They are sure that their love is true and will last forever. Change is on the way as high school ends and they have other big decisions to make.

Critical Evaluation
Forever is one of those books that is often challenged for its sexual content without taking into consideration the context and the responsibility taken into thought. It's also one of the books that isn't always read all of the way through, either because most young people skim its pages looking for the "good stuff", or the adults challenging it are also just looking for the "bad stuff.". The book is about Michael and Katherine who meet in their senior year and build this intense and passionate relationship. That passion for each other brings them to talking and experimenting with their sexual urges. Judy Blume writes about sex in a positive and upfront manner. The beauty of young adults reading this book is that even though all of the feelings that flood in so strongly during these heady times of first love sometimes have a tendency to quench themselves out. It isn't a how-to-have-sex book, it's more of a book about the realities of relationships.

Reader's Annotation
Katherine and Michael are in their senior year of high school, they are in love and they are on the verge of many decisions about the "firsts" in their lives.

About the Author
Judy Blume was born in New Jersey, and has said that she was always making up stories in her head. It wasn't until her own kids were in school did she start putting them on paper. She has written more than 20 books over the years. In the last four decades, she has written for children (The Fudge and Pain and the Great One series), for young adults (Are You There Go? It's Me Margaret, Then Again, Maybe I Won't, and Forever) and for adults. (Smart Women and Summer Sisters).

To no one's surprise, her adult books all spent time on the New York Times bestseller's list, while her books for children and young adults are often challenged and/or banned. Five of her books (Forever, Blubber, Deanie, Tiger Eyes and Are You There God? It's Me Margaret) were on the American Library Association's list of Top Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-09. Because of that scrutiny, she became an advocate for intellectual freedom working with writers, teachers and librarians to protect the freedom to read.

Genre
Girls/ Women
Romance
Banned/Challenged

Curriculum Ties
n/a

Booktalking Ideas
Even if you said you'd love someone forever, do you think that's an honest reality…
Does sex cement a relationship…

Challenges
Sexual Content
Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I read just the "good parts" in high school, but was happy to read the whole thing again for my part of the Banned/Challenged presentation.