Forever

Forever by Judy Blume
 224 pages
Publisher:  Bradbury Press (1975)
ISBN: 0878880798
Reading Level/Lexile:  9th grade and up/NA
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Annotation/Teaser:  Katherine, a senior in high school, meets Michael at a New Year's party.  Is Michael "the one"?  Will their love last forever or is there more in her future than Michael?

Plot Summary:  Michael and Katherine meet at  New Year's party and are immediately attracted to each other.  As they go on dates and start to take trips together, the topic of sex comes up more and more often.  Katherine is a virgin while Michael is not.  When the couple finally has sex in Michael's sister's bedroom floor, they decide that their love is forever.  After Katherine graduates and summer work separates the two, she realizes she may have made a mistake.  She is starting to fall for a tennis instructor, Theo.  When Michael comes for a surprise visit and almost catches Theo and Katherine, she tells Michael she wants to break up.  While this is quite painful at first, Katherine realizes that this decision is a good one for a new start.


About the Author:  Judy Blume 
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 82 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-two languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.

Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.

Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.

Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild. 

Judy Blume Bio (n.d.) Retrieved from www.judyblume.com

Critical Evaluation:  Forever is not one of my favorite Judy Blume books but I included it because of its honest look at teenage sex.  The writing in this book is simple and a little shallow.  I felt Michael just wanted Katherine for sex and that all their dates revolved around sex.  The most important plot development is when it becomes clear that while the two think that their relationship will last forever, it is not going to.  The two seem to be very much in love but it also the first serious relationship for both of them.  The strongest literary elements in this book are the internal and external conflict.  The internal conflict is within Katherine because she is a virgin and Michael is  pressuring her to have sex.  She knows that once she has sex with him she can't do it over.  So there is a lot of things to think about before she can make the decision to have sex with him.  The external conflict comes when she realizes that she is attracted to someone else and it may not be forever with Michael.  This causes a conflict between her and Michael.  Michael accuses her of forgetting the promise they made to be together forever.  She says, "I didn't forget, not about you and not about forever."  But she does decide they need to take a break and Michael is furious.  The conflicts make the plot more interesting.  The conflicts are very real in the life of teenagers when sex is involved.  

Curriculum Ties:  Health, Sex Education

Book Talk Ideas:  What important decisions did Katherine have to make as she was progressing to adulthood?  What important decisions do you find you have to make?

Controversial Issues:  Sex, drug use, underage drinking, suicide, and language

Defense: 

*I will keep the library's selection policy on hand and memorized with a good understanding  of the standards and policies to show that the selection meets the standards. 

*I will keep good and bad reviews (both electronic and print) and make sure they are from reliable and respected sources such as School of Library Journal, Booklist, and YALSA. I will have copies of these reviews to give away. 

*I will confirm the library's position to provide intellectual freedom as stated in the Library Bill of Rights and keep a copy of this.

*I will keep a written rationale to justify the reasons this material is included in the collection, such as educational significance and curriculum ties.

*I will be respectful and calm and practice "active listening".

*I will make sure I read the material and are very familiar with it.

* I will keep a reconsideration form on file in the event that my other strategies don't work. 

Why I Chose The Book:  Judy Blume was my favorite author when I was a young adult.  I have read all of her books and would include every one of them if I could.  I chose this one because while it is not my favorite, it is an honest look at teenage sex and the issues that teens deal with.