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| Image from Amazon |
by Judy Blume
One of the books I read this week was Judy Blume’s Forever. It tells the realistic story of Katherine and Michael, high school seniors who fall in love, go all the way, grow closer, and then drift apart. Their relationship is surrounded by a cast of friends and family: Jaime, Katherine’s younger sister; Erica, the best friend; Sharon and Ike, Michael’s sister and brother-in-law; and Artie, Erica’s love interest who want to be an actor.
I think this book would be appealing to a teenager who is confronted with the real issue of sex before marriage. Told from the perspective of a female teenage protagonist, it portrays a matter-of-fact series of events that unfold when the two main characters decide that they are ready for sex. The book is full of realistic (if somewhat dated) advice concerning birth control, sexually transmitted disease, and relationships. For a teenage audience, the frank discussion about desires, teenage sexuality, and the emotional repercussions of falling in love for the first time might be a breath of fresh air.
However, as an adult, I found the situations of the best friend who wants to get laid before going off to college, the acquaintance who gets pregnant, and the informational yet respectfully distanced grandmother all a bit contrived and somewhat didactic. I can’t quite describe it, but in many regards, I found the writing style to be very dated and not at all what I think teens expect from a YA book written this past decade. That said, the fears and doubts about your first mature relationship are just as relevant now as when this book was written 40 years ago.
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