In her preface to this edition of Forever..., Blume, in addition to cautioning readers to take more precautions than her pre-HIV/AIDS characters do, expresses gratitude that “some things, like feelings, never change.” The timelessness of teenage drama and awkwardness at the dawn of adulthood contributes to the evergreen quality of a work which references such 1970s staples as fondue parties and vinyl records. The realistic treatment in both word and action of Katherine and her peers as they haltingly progress beyond adolescence appeals to modern readers at the same stage of life with its immediacy and matter-of-fact manner, while providing audiences who have passed through this baptism by fire with a familiar set of tropes which ring true even if the details differ from their own experiences. Temporal affairs and technologies have changed the venues, communications, and risks, but the character-driven interactions remain recognizable from generation to generation. Among the most controversial works of an author known almost as much for attracting controversy as for producing lasting fiction, culture warriors objecting to the clear language used in describing sexual explorations might miss other factors which would raise their eyebrows even if Blume cut away whenever Ralph was about to make an entrance. For example, Katherine’s grandmother is politically active with several feminist organizations, so when Katherine needs its services, Planned Parenthood is a resource she readily accesses, and the Danzingers, portrayed in a sympathetic light as loving and sensible, are the sort of progressive parents who wouldn’t object to Katherine having Forever... available to her in the library.
- Forever... by Judy Blume
- High School
- Simon & Schuster
- 199 pp.
- Published 2002
- ISBN 0-689-84-973-7
- $17.99
- Realistic Fiction
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