Forever... (novel)

Forever...

1st edition
Author	Judy Blume
Language	English
Genre	Young adult
Publisher	Bradbury Press
Publication date	1975
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	224
ISBN	ISBN

Forever... is a 1975 novel by Judy Blume dealing with teenage sexuality. Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 at number seven.

Plot summary

Katherine, in the middle of her senior year in high school, finds herself strongly attracted to Michael, a boy she meets at a New Year's party. As their relationship unfolds, the issue of sex comes up early on, more as an emotional and health issue than as a moral one. Both of them are aware that physical intimacy is both common and complicated. Michael has been sexually active, while Katherine hasn't. Their relationship progresses slowly as they go on dates and trips together; they are accompanied on various meetings by her friend, Erica, a realist, who has known Katherine since 9th grade and believes that sex is a physical act and not a romantic act. They are also joined by Michael's friend, Artie, who, with Erica's help, explores and acknowledges some uncertainty about his own sexuality. Artie is a depressed teenager who feels life is over after high school. He shows his depression when he attempts to hang himself from his shower curtain rod but fails.

When Katherine and Michael do, by mutual consent, have sex on Michael's sister's bedroom floor, they are sure it seals a love that will be "forever." Michael buys Katherine a necklace for her birthday that says both of their names on it and also says "Forever". However, separated for the summer by work that takes them to two different states, Katherine finds herself aware of the limitations of the relationship and ultimately attracted to a tennis instructor, Theo, who is older and more experienced in life. She takes responsibility for breaking the news to Michael when he comes on a surprise visit, the summer she knew was over, and Katherine recognizes the loss as a stage in movement towards more complex, probably more satisfying relationships in the future. The book ends with Katherine's mother giving her a message that Theo called her.

Major Characters

• Katherine Danziger

Protagonist of the book, and who the story is told through the eyes of. She is a senior in high school getting ready for college. She meets Michael and over time falls in love and experiences her 'first time' with him.

• Michael Wagner

Boy who Katherine meets and falls in love with. He is a senior at another high school nearby.

• Sybil Davidson

Katherine's friend (and Erica's cousin) who later gets pregnant when having loveless intercourse.

• Erica Small

Katherine's realist best friend.

• Jamie Danziger

Katherine's little sister. She is proficient in music, art, and cooking. She is in the seventh grade and looks a lot like Kath.

• Roger Danziger

Katherine's father, a pharmacist who owns two drug stores.

• Diana Danziger (née Gross)

Katherine's mother, a librarian.

• Hallie Gross

Katherine's maternal grandmother, a lawyer and progressive liberal.

• Ivan Gross

Katherine's maternal grandfather, who had previously had a stroke, and would have another one later in the book which would claim his life.

• Artie

A boy who is friends with Katherine and Michael who has questions about his sexuality.

• Theo

An older boy who Katherine inadvertently falls for while working at a camp, which spells the end of her and Michael.

• David

A boy Jamie falls in love with.

Theme

Forever… is all about teenage sexuality. The sexual language of the book is graphic, and the scenes are a little more vague. “The book was written in the midst of the so-called sexual revolution of the 1970s, when young people were attempting to throw off limiting social rules that, on the surface, demanded that girls remain virgins, while they gave boys permission to act out sexually.” [3] Forever really shows what teenagers are capable of and what some of them go through in relationships. Katherine and Michael fall in love and explore their sexuality. Forever is a book which “…fits best into the Valentine theme of a real white lace and red hearts love story.” [10] Teenagers, today, can read Forever and either relate to it or anticipate their future first love.

Criticism and controversy

Judy Blume’s Forever novel has caused controversy everywhere. What exactly is censorship and controversy? According to Nicholas Karolides, author of Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints, “The purported aim of censorship is always to preserve public morality but we ought not forget that for those who advocate censorship pornography is by no means necessarily the only kind of immoral communication. If it becomes established policy that blotting out certain sexual images in art is acceptable, then there is nothing in principle to stop the censoring of other “immoral” expression.” [1] Thus meaning that those who enforce censorship should realize there are other “immoral” ways of communication in the world. Many parents have complained about the book being too racy for young adults. The sexual references in the book were too strong and many parents believed it to be pornographic.. Although parents were upset with Judy Blume’s novel, students weren’t as affected by it. A survey on book censorship was given to an eighth grade class. The students were to give their opinion on banned books and to tell what they knew about it. Here are some of their responses:

• “If someone spends the time to write a book, then no one should have the right to ban it. It should be left up to the parents to decide what a child can and cannot read. “ [7]

• “There should be rules on letting people take out books according to their age.” [7]

• “I think people should not have books banned from a library because they dislike them. Other people can have different tastes from you, and if books are banned, people won’t have a chance to read them and make a decision of their own.” [7]

• “I think some books should be taken off our reading lists if they are racist or if they include bad words.” [7]

These examples show that the students are not exactly sure what censorship is or why book should be banned, but after a lengthy discussion during their class, they all finally came to a conclusion. The class of eighth graders agreed “It’s not the choice of concerned parents or school board members to decide; it’s up to the children. It’s their right as well as their choice as to what they want to read.” [7] Judy Blume’s book Forever has been banned from schools and children, but should it be? Forever portrays very graphic scenes throughout the book, but it is not really anything that young adults are not going to learn about at some point, if they haven’t already. The book is often cited as controversial because of Blume's use of suggestive language, the detailed depiction of sexual intercourse, and because her character Katherine goes on the pill. Criticism of the novel often comes from sexual abstinence groups, as well as religious groups who consider the use of 'the pill' unsuitable for Blume's teenage audience.

Katherine and Michael discuss their feelings carefully before deciding to have sex; when they finally have it, they talk about it thoroughly and obtain contraception from a family planning clinic.

Judy Blume, an author of books for young readers, caused a scandal in 1975 with Forever... (1975), which is commonly considered the first YA book to deal with teen love and teen pregnancy. Although Bradbury Press infuriated Blume by advertising the book as Blume's first adult book, Forever... is a Young Adult novel; it soon made its way into the teen audience, and is now being read by some preteens.

Judy Blume considers this book to have had one "odd and lasting side-effect of its popularity"; the decline in the popularity of the name Ralph. Throughout the book, Michael consistently refers to his penis as "Ralph", and the subsequent generation who grew up reading Forever seemed unwilling to consider it as a suitable name for their children. Blume responded to several concerned Ralphs with "I apologize to all of them. It's nothing personal."

See also

• List of most commonly challenged books in the United States

External links

• Judy Blume's website
• Guardian Interview with Judy Blume