Blume, J. (1975). Forever. Richard Jackson Book: New York.
Awards: ALA 1996 Margaret A. Edwards Award
Annotation: Judy Blume tackles a highly controversial issue of relationships, love, and sex in her coming of age novel Forever. The novel appears on the American Library Association list of 100 most frequently challenged or banned books list because of its content geared toward young adults.
Review: Forever is a coming of age novel about a girl named Katherine and her friend’s first sexual encounters. The novel discusses the loss of virginity and the desire for the first time to have special meaning. Katherine tries to explain and make sense of her emotions and falls short and becomes more confused and lost. When Katherine and her boyfriend Michael are forced to spend time apart she becomes more confused about her feeling of love when she comes attached to another boy at camp. She learns that her forever love for Michael doesn’t mean that the love is everlasting.
The novel address the issues of depression, suicide, handling peer pressure, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and unwanted pregnancy faced by young adults. The controversial issues in the book make it more likely to being challenged and banned.
Jacket photograph copyright 1999 by Ian Londin
Jacket design by Jennifer Reyes
