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Even though it was written in 1975, the teen protagonists in Judy Blume’s FOREVER…are undergoing the same issues that adolescents experience today --- first love, first sexual encounters, fidelity and grappling with sexual preference.

While FOREVER... has a huge fan base --- it was a runner-up for the Best Book of the Year Award by the National Council of Teachers of English and has been praised for candidly portraying teen life --- it has been repeatedly challenged by parents, teachers and abstinence groups across the country.

Below, author Hilary Badger (STATE OF GRACE) and Teen Board member Aliza M. talk about why they enjoyed FOREVER..., and exactly how they’d respond to those pesky book-banners.

Do you remember when you read this book for the first time? How old were you? Did you read it for school or for pleasure?

Hilary Badger: I would have been 12 years old when I first actually read FOREVER. I say “actually” because, of course, I’d already heard all the best bits described in minute detail --- Katherine’s first meeting with Ralph, the poster with the alphabet soup that spelled “Fuck”. I knew all about them, already.

I read the book at school, where it was passed from girl to girl, and I finished it in less than a few hours --- such was the pressure to read it and pass it on. I read it for information, the trace of scandal and for the feeling of being part of a group discovering the same things at the same time.

Aliza M.: While I was in high school, I read FOREVER by Judy Blume for pleasure. I had never heard of it before and I didn't have any friends who had read the book, either. Despite the fact that my daily life looks quite different than the lives of the main characters in the novel, I am of similar age to them, so it was somewhat easy to empathize with them.

What do you like about this book, and how would you persuade somebody else to read it?

HB: On rereading it as an adult, FOREVER struck me as very authentic, tender and charming. The tenderness alone would make me recommend it to teenagers and nostalgic adults. The book really captures the aching highs and lows of first love as well as the thrill and fear of setting out on adult life.

Also, it’s a quiet book. Although its canvas covers the biggies --- sex, sexuality, death, birth --- it handles everything so subtly. It’s quite the contrast to the dystopian series that are so popular now.

AM: I really liked how this book was real and true to the lives and thoughts of young adults. I felt like Judy Blume understands what it is like to be a teenager and that she was not afraid to hide some of the messy details of life. I would persuade someone to read this book by explaining that it is the best way to gain a realistic view of young adult life.

A parent in Iowa wanted to ban FOREVER…because it "does not promote abstinence and monogamous relationships [and] lacks any aesthetic, literary, or social value." If you had the chance to respond to that quote, what would you say? 

HB: Well, I guess this is my opportunity to respond to that quote and I’m glad to seize it. Firstly, I’d say that the parent in Iowa needs to question what makes his/her judgment about matters aesthetic, literary and social so beyond reproach that merely on his/her say-so a book should be banned. Surely Western civilization is all about allowing people to make their own choices? I’d also say, if the parent’s particular agenda is so flimsy that a novel’s point of view can threaten it, then really, what’s its merit to begin with?

But I also take issue with the parent’s assessment. I don’t find the book lacking in literary merit. The voice is really readable and very convincingly teenage to me, even 40 years after it was written. As far as social value, well, it’s concerned with sexually active teenagers and it represents an incredibly responsible view of that behavior. For example, Katherine visits Planned Parenthood and researches contraception. The Kindle version of the book I read also included an author note about the importance of condoms. Seems chock-full of social value to me. Further, Katherine has very loving and mutually respectful relationships with her parents, siblings and grandparents that were just so joyful to read. I found those scenes full of social value. Way more social value than I see on the average Instagram feed, for example.

AM: I believe that it is imperative that young adults are exposed to all the possibilities that life may throw at them. It is important that they understand that not all teenagers remain abstinent and that there are ways to be mature and responsible about young adult relationships. FOREVER by Judy Blume has huge social value in that it allows teenagers to confront these common issues before they are faced with them in their everyday lives.

You need to give the protagonist of this book a book recommendation. What would you recommend, and why?

HB: Katherine experiences love very deeply so she might enjoy some magical realism, like 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE [by Gabriel García Márquez]. She also needs an ellipsis overuse intervention! Maybe she could dip into Strunk & White’s THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE.

AM: I would recommend that Kath reads FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell because it depicts an innocent yet strong young adult relationship. I think it is important that Kath understands that there are many important aspects to relationships. I think she focuses too much on her physical relationship with Michael and not enough on their emotional connection. FANGIRL might inspire her to strengthen that emotional relationship as they progress in their physical relationship.