Banned Book Review #13
Written by Poison_Ivy.
After reading Forever by Judy Blume, I was reminded of my own high school days; believing that I was in love and that it would last forever. The book is about Katherine, a senior in high school who meets a boy at a New Year’s Eve party. The story takes place in the first person as Katherine tells the story of her senior year romance and her loss of virginity. This short book demonstrates how the short time span of five months can seem like a lifetime in the eyes of a young couple in love.
Throughout the book, the issue of virginity is a central theme in the book. Three girls in the book easily represent the types of girls bound to be found in every high school throughout America. Sybil, the slutty type, is said to have slept with several boys. Katherine is the girl caught up with one boy, who responsibly deals with sex by visiting Planned Parenthood to keep her safe from pregnancy by having sex in a monogamous relationship. Erica, the virgin, proves that sex can wait until the right person comes along.
I believe that this is a great book for high school girls, especially now in the 21st century. Girls are having sex as young as 12 and very few of them view sex in a responsible manner. Even Katherine in the book “falls in love” very quickly and jumps into a sexual relationship. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that they had only been dating a few months when they began their sexual relationship. Once sex was involved, the young couple seemed to block out the rest of the world and focus only on each other.
The book also demonstrates how quickly these feelings of undying love can fade away as a person grows. Adolescents need to keep in mind while they are in a relationship that there is life after their first loves. Many kids jumping into relationships do not think about the long run. Hopefully, this book can help readers think about their own lives and loves and be able to relate the book to their own lives, enabling them to look at sex seriously and responsibly. I would rate this book a 4 on a 1 to 5 scale.
Forever . . .
