Forever by Judy Blume

First impressions

This book wasn’t bad, but it is not the best book I’ve read. The problems Katherine has and her thoughts about that are so elaborately described it becomes a bit boring. She makes every issue ten times bigger than it actually is. I’m not a girl so I don’t know whether every girl of that age does the same, but that made it less interesting for me to read.

The climax at the end of the book was surprising which is a positive thing. It shows that a first love doesn’t have to be forever although the main characters had different thoughts.

Insights after the discussion in class

Do the books present a realistic view of love?

Yes, I think it does. Young adults like Katherine would probably recognize the problems she encounters when being in a relationship. Katherine and Michael are both away for a period of time, which they think is not fair, especially Katherine because she couldn’t decide for herself. Teenagers in love want to spend time with their partner, and  if somebody won’t let them, they despise them for a moment.

Role models?

In Forever, the role model for Katherine is her grandma. She’s the one who starts talking to Katherine about pregnancy and STD’s. Katherine respects her grandma and she doesn’t neglect what grandma said to her. Katherine’s grandma is the only role model in the book, I guess.

What will appeal to teenage readers?

Everything that Katherine is going through will appeal to teenage readers, especially teenage girls.  Teenage girls will probably think and react the same way Katherine does.  A lot of teenagers have a relationship themselves so they can relate to the situations in the book.  Katherine and Michael love each other and starting to consider having sex, which is a natural thing. At first, it’s a bit awkward, but eventually they figure it out. Teenagers struggle with this situation as well, so this appeals to them.

Is there anything controversial in the books?

When the book came out, there was a lot of controversy about the books. In the seventies there was a sexual revolution going on, where teenagers explored their sexuality and threw off limited social rules.  Some schools banned the book because it was too explicit, Katherine used the birth control pill, and a character that may be homosexual.

Relating the Theory to the Book

Katherine is a typical adolescence and that is obvious in the book. Multiple characteristic features can be related to her such as: Intensified sexuality and idealism that is often grandiose as well as naïve. These features can be found in The Reader as Thinker by Christine Appelyard.

Intensified sexuality is the main theme in the book, and that is logical due to the feelings Katherine has for Michael.  Katherine and Michael both think that their love will be forever, which is a bit naïve to think because they cannot predict the future. Eventually, they figure out their love is not forever. This is a thing that young adults may have gone through themselves, so they can identify with the main characters which is an important element of the reader as thinker(Appelyard, p. 96). The young adults are a participants and spectators at the same time.  They think how they would solve problems Katherine faces in the book.

Another element is ‘Realism’(Appelyard, p. 96). This book is written by an adult woman, but it could have been written by Katherine herself, like a diary. Young adults read what she is going through, but she is not the only young adult who faces problems with relationships. Katherine could reflect a reader’s experience which makes the book interesting for readers who have gone through the same struggles.

The last element of the reader as thinker is ‘Thinking’(Appelyard, p. 96).  A reader is aware of his/ her own thoughts while reading the book. They try to either remember how they solved the same problem, or they imagine how they would solve it if they face the problem.

Age suitability

Forever is a book that is suitable for young adults of 14-18 years old. In this period of time, they encounter the same things as the main character, which appeals to them. Looking at the theory the book definitely suits young adults. Younger readers would not recognize it which demotivates them to read along.

727 words 

Sources:
 Appelyard, The reader as Thinker
Blume, J., (1975), Forever