Blume, Judy. Forever. Scarsdale, N.Y: Bradbury Press, 1975. Print. 978-1-4169-3400-4; paperback; $8.99.
Annotation:
Katherine falls in love with Michael and he wants them to be together forever, but she isn't so sure.
Book Review:
Annotation:
Katherine falls in love with Michael and he wants them to be together forever, but she isn't so sure.
Book Review:
Written and set in the mid-1970s, Forever follows the life of suburban high school senior Katherine
as she navigates the choppy waters of first love, losing her virginity, family
illness, drinking and drug use and friends in emotional crisis. Katherine meets
Michael at a New Year’s Eve party and isn’t quite sure how she feels about him,
especially when she sees him kissing someone else, but Michael is definitely
sure how he feels about Katherine. He
wants her. He wants to be her
boyfriend. He wants to tell her
everything. He wants to teach her about
sex and intimacy. He wants them to be
together forever. When they are
separated by their parents and their jobs over the summer holidays, Katherine
meets a sexy, older tennis instructor named Theo and she begins wondering if
maybe forever isn’t what she wants
after all.
While it was refreshing to see a female
protagonist grappling with questions concerning fidelity, birth control,
attachment, and desire in the mid-70s, today’s teens may be looking for
something a little edgier or more culturally diverse. Katherine is an alarmingly thin, white,
heterosexual teen whose father is a pharmacist and business owner and her
grandparents and uncle are accomplished lawyers in New York City. She plays tennis and skis in Vermont. Going to university
is a given. The narrow confines of
Katherine’s world may alienate many young adult readers and I would be quick to
recommend something like Maryjane Satrapi’s Persepolis,
Heather O’Neill’s Lullabies for Little Criminals or Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell in its place.
Available in paperback, hardcover, braille book, and e-book.
Did you know this book has been banned so many times and has sparked such controversy that Judy Blume has to travel with a security guard? All the more reason to read it and keep it in your library!
Award:Available in paperback, hardcover, braille book, and e-book.
Did you know this book has been banned so many times and has sparked such controversy that Judy Blume has to travel with a security guard? All the more reason to read it and keep it in your library!
Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner, 1996
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