This is my first year participating in Book Journey's Banned Book Week and I'm very exited about it. I am the parent of three boys and I believe in them reading age appropriate books, but other than that I'm very open (and realistic!) on what they read.
For this stop of Banned Books Week I'm review Forever by Judy Blume and there is also a giveaway.
Title: Forever by Judy Blume
Published:
1975 by Pan Childrens
Source:
Purchased
Format:
Paperback
Challenge(s):none
Grade rate: C
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.It was a book ahead of its time - and remains, after thirty years in print, a teenage best-seller. America's No. 1 children's author has written some of the best books of our time about real-life issues - family stress and pressures, what happens when your parents divorce, the problems of growing up and sexual awakening, bereavement - with insight, sensitivity and honesty.The response of readers all around the world continues to make her one of the best-loved writers ever published.
My Review
Forever was first
published in 1975 and I can understand why it achieved its status as a ‘banned
book’. Let me start by saying that this
book is not for younger readers as it is very sexually explicit.
I was curious to read Forever
because of it is still in many ‘banned’ lists.
It’s hard to imagine how a book written so many years ago can still be
awarded that label. Literature has
changed a lot in all that time and many things are more explicit now and not a
taboo.
Katherine has been raised in an open environment in which no
topic is forbidden. Her parents and
grandparents are probably the exception.
She is a senior in high school and when she meets Michael, they just
click. The book is about their emotional
and physical relationship; about their ups and downs, and their families’ views
on what seems to become very serious, very fast. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been married
for 20 years to my high school sweetheart, so I will be the last person to say
that you can’t find true love when you are that
young. BUT, I did go to college; I kept
in touch with my friends, traveled, and did other things other than date.
The plot of the book is simple. Forever is not only about
first love, but about first sexual encounters and experimentation. It is also about family dynamics, social
pressure and even about how drugs are used recreationally. I really admire that Ms. Blume was brave
enough to portrait these topics in a way that it becomes very useful to young
readers. Safe sex and preventing pregnancy are things that everyone that is
sexually active needs to be aware of. As
expected, the writing is a bit outdated. It was fun to see that Michael and
Katherine write letters to each other (as opposed to email or text), and that
phones had a cord. It was surprising to
me how open Katherine’s family was with her about sexuality and how little
boundaries they had for Katherine. I
mean, I didn’t have permissive parents at all (then again, I’m from a very
conservative Hispanic family :).
Overall, Forever is a well written book with a plot that is
not that novel these days, but that was relevant to the time that it was
written on.
For Wikipedia:
Judy Blume's novel Forever... has been subjected to greater
censorship than any other book she has written. Forever... was banned from many
schools due to its detailed depictions of sexual intercourse and because the
protagonist, Katherine, uses the birth control pill. Criticism of the novel
often comes from religious groups and pro-abstinence groups who consider the use
of 'the pill' unsuitable. Forever... has been called "a manufactured sex
manual thinly disguised as a novel" that "demoralizes marital sex"
and "titillates and stimulates children to the point they could be prematurely
awakened sexually."
Now for the giveaway! It is International provided that: 1) TBD delivers to you, 2) You can find the book selected in TBD, and 3) that the book is not over $15.
The prize: There are two links below from Goodreads with banned books and one with ALA's banned books. You can select any of them. **Please be aware that these lists do not contain only YA appropriate books** Here is a taste of what's for grabs:
Banned & Challenged YA Novels
Best Banned &/Or Censored Books
Banned / Challenged Books 200-2009
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for the giveaway! :) My favourite banned books are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Harry Potter series.
ReplyDeleteLolita by Vladimir Nabokov is my favorite banned book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I also reviewed a Judy Blume book for BBW :) (Are You There God? It's me, Margaret) Wonderful author, wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite banned book is To Kill a Mockingbird.
My favorite banned books are Hunger Games and The Perks of being a Wallflower. Thanks for the chance! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! This book was probably my least favorite of the Blume books but I read it so long ago I can not recall why... :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite all time banned books are the Harry Potter Books.
Thank you do much for being a part of banned books week!
Looking at those lists, there are so many I love, so many I want to read! I am not sure how I missed reading Forever as a teen; my mom was pretty protective but when it came to reading material it was a different story. I could read anything. I am definitely going to read this book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteoooohhhh definitely The Perks Of Being A Wallflower!!! And of course, the Harry Potter series!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading this book for the first time when I was like 15--I had never read anything like it. I still love this book, it's just so realistic and perfect. I love banned books. :)
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Thoughts At One In The Morning
~The Book Love Giveaway Hop Sign Ups~
My favorite banned book is The Hunger Games! I love the who series. Thanks for the giveaway!!!
ReplyDeleteI love reading Judy Blume's books when I was younger, but I've not read this one. Thank you for the review and for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteI remember wanting to read Forever by Judy Blume so much when I was younger. My favourite book is The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Thank you for the giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite banned books would have to be Perks of Being a Wallflower! I've still got to read Forever, thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteI remember discovering this book in the middle school library (I'm surprised it was there actually) and reading it furtively. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite banned books are the Harry Potter series and The Lord of the Rings.
I have quite a few favorites: GONE WITH THE WIND, HARRY POTTER, LOTR, THE HUNGER GAMES ....
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Crank by Ellen Hopkins is by far my favorite banned book.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of great ones there but my favorite is Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is Lauren Myracle's series:)
ReplyDeleteThank you:)
It would be interesting to read Forever again as an adult.
ReplyDeleteThough it may not be very unique now, among all the teen/YA romances out there, in 1975 it sure was!! Wow, that book was a sizzling hot hit among teen girls! We read it, passed it around, and hid it behind more "acceptable" books while we devoured every word.
Just like with Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret?, another Blume classic, Forever was the FIRST book that was open and honest and completely realistic about what was really going on in girls' lives at that age.
Thanks for the review - interesting to read an adult perspective on the book all these years later.
I reviewed a couple of banned books on my blogs, too -
Sue
Great Books for Kids and Teens
Book By Book
The Kite Runner, The Color Purple are great ones! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe Harry Potter series.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is The Giver or Brave New World : )
ReplyDeletedon't have a fav but been wanting to read hunger games! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteI loved Forever as a teenager and thought it did the opposite of promote teenage sex, in fact it encourages girls to think seriously about it - without the scaremongering that was so common then
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your Banned Book review
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
I love the Harry Potter series :)
ReplyDeletei love the hunger games :)
ReplyDeleteI love Harry Potter
ReplyDeleteJolene A
There're so many awesome books on a banned books list and it's really hard to choose just one. My favorites definitely are Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1984 by George Orwell and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Thanks for an awesome giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteMy fav is Harry Potter and hunger games.
ReplyDeletethank you for the giveaway