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Forever… A Booktalk. Amy Conroy LSIS 5525-OL1. A teenage love story. Judy Blume wrote this book for her daughter Randy who asked for a story about 2 kids who have sex without either of them having to die. http://judyblume.com/books/ya/forever.php. Recommended age level.
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Forever…A Booktalk Amy Conroy LSIS 5525-OL1
Judy Blume wrote this book for her daughter Randy who asked for a story about 2 kids who have sex without either of them having to die. http://judyblume.com/books/ya/forever.php
Recommended age level Blume suggests there is no set age for this book, that young adults will know when they are ready. For some it may be 12, for others much later. http://judyblume.com/books/ya/forever.php
Critical Assessment Katherine and Michael are high school seniors who fall in love and make a responsible decision to have sex. Blume writes openly about the subject of sex, pregnancy, birth control, and teenage relationships. She shows how different individuals handle events in their lives in very different ways. Katherine is very naïve about love and experiences in the beginning of the book. She grows throughout each of her experiences with Michael in the book . She is also influenced by her friends’ personal experiences. By the end of the book she has changed quite a bit and has to determine the difference between loving someone and being in love.
My Reaction… I found myself engrossed in this book, as if I was Katherine, experiencing love for the first time. Blume has a way of writing that draws the reader in from the very first sentence. I can understand the reason why parents may be concerned about this book as sexuality is discussed in great detail. I think it is a great book though for teenagers to read to see that relationships can be very positive and loving.
A Frequently Challenged Book • 1982: Midvalley Junior-Senior High School, Scranton, PA. Challenged due to “four-letter words and talked about masturbation, birth control, and disobedience to parents.” • 1982: Park Hill, MO. South Junior High School Library. Kept on restrictive shelves because book promotes “the stranglehold of humanism on life in America.” In 1982 it was also challenged by the Orlando, FL schools. Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books. 1st. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007. 27-28. Print.
More Challenges… • 1983: Howard-Suamico, WS High School. Challenged because “it demoralizes marital sex.” • 1983: Challenged by Akron, OH School District libraries. • 1984: Holdrege, NE Public Library. Challenged and moved to the adult section because the “book is pornographic and does not promote the sanctity of life, family life.” • 1984: Cedar Rapids, IA Public Library. Challenged because it is “pornography and explores areas God didn’t intend to explore outside of marriage.” Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books. 1st. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007. 27-28. Print.
The Challenges Continue… • 1986: Patrick County, VA School Board. Placed on restricted shelf. • 1986: Campbell County, WY school libraries. Challenged because book is “pornographic” and would encourage young readers to “experiment with sexual encounters.” • 1987: Moreno Valley, CA Unified School District libraries. Challenged because book “contains profanity, sexual situations, and themes that allegedly encourage disrespectful behavior.” • 1987: Marshwood Junior High School, Eliot, ME. Challenged because the “book does not paint a responsible role of parents.” Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books. 1st. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007. 27-28. Print.
Between the years 1982 and 1986, Forever was removed from school and public libraries in over 10 states. http://smallswordsmagazine.com/articles/text/judyblumeforever.html
From 1990-1999 Forever was the 7th most frequently challenged book. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_1999/index.cfm
This book SHOULD be included in my library collection!!! • Teenagers want and need books with positive messages about relationships. • This is a well-known, highly debated book. It can be a great way to teach students about controversial books. • Is a timeless piece that appeals as much to teens now as it did in 1975.
If this book is challenged in my school library, I will… • Listen to the individual who has concerns. • Have the individual write out their challenge. • Follow the procedure that is in place for challenged materials and discuss the challenge with the school administrator.
Blume, Judy. Forever.... Scarsdale: Bradbury Press, 1975. Print.