Book Review of Forever by Judy Blume

 

1.      Bibliography

Blume, J.  1975. Forever. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781481414432

2.      Plot Summary

Katherine Danzinger is a senior in high school and meets a boy named Michael Wagner.  They start dating and with every teenage couple, sexual relationships are a big topic.  Katherine wants to take things slow and make sure she is in love before she commits to being intimate with Michael.  As their relationship grows, they eventually become intimate with each other and Katherine is glad her first time was with someone she truly loved.  As summer comes around, they both find summer jobs but will have to be long distance because they will be in different states.  They write letters back and forth to each other all summer, but Katherine starts to develop feelings for her head tennis instructor, Theo.  Katherine is torn by her feelings for Theo and eventually she and Michael break up.  They see each other one more time before leaving for college but the conversation ends with a “see you later”. 

3.      Critical Analysis

This story shows the feelings of a high school girl going through challenges facing sexual activity and personal dilemmas.  This story will relate to young adults and show them that they can hold their values strong, like waiting to have sex with someone they love rather than having sex to feel loved.  There were a lot of personal dilemmas that the main character went through that a lot of girls in high school are facing.  How to be strong in peer pressure and facing the realities of unprotected sex.  It shows girls that they are in control of their bodies, and they can be true to themselves.  We also explore the way that first love changes and how feelings get hurt when break ups happen.  The book features a section with other books by Blume and includes adult, young adult, fudge books, and picture books.  The book was edited in 2003 and features a note for readers about preventing unwanted pregnancy as well as protecting oneself from sexually transmitted diseases.  There is also a preview of another one of Blume’s books at the end of the book. 

4.      Review Excerpts

“Katherine and Michael meet at a New Year's Eve party. They're attracted to each other, they grow to love each other. And once they've decided their love is forever, they make love. It's the beginning of an intense and exclusive relationship, with a future all planned. Until Katherine's parents insist that she and Michael put their love to the test with a summer apart...Forever is written for an older age group than Judy Blume's other novels for children. It caused a storm of controversy when it was first published because of its explicit sexual content.” -Goodreads Review

5.      Connections

I only will recommend this book to students if they get parent approval because of the sexual content that is in the story, I think it is a great book for young adults because of the life lessons learned in this story.  I think if I noticed a student struggling with some of the same issues in this book, I would recommend them to read the novel.