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A review by lbarsk
Forever... by Judy Blume
3.0
WOW THE 70s WERE A WILD TIME HUH!!!
Anyway.
I fully respect Judy Blume for publishing a book that spoke so openly and forthcomingly about sex and women's sexual health in the year of our lord 1975. The fact that Katherine goes to Planned Parenthood and ASKS FOR BIRTH CONTROL, the fact that she and her friend both discuss how they'd be fine having abortions if unprotected sex led to pregnancy, and the fact that *IN 1975* a female teen protagonist was so boldly expressing desire are *all* huge milestones. Also, Blume is forever the master of realistically portraying the huge and sudden shifts of emotion that are teenagerdom's trademark.
The book was just really abrupt for me, I guess? That's the best way to describe it. Scenes just kind of ended and I was like, "Wait, what," and a lot of the dialogue would sort of wrap up in a way that felt really odd to me. And of course its politics are different than if a version of it were to be written today, because again, written in 1975. (E.g., there was SO much talk about body image and "fatness" by Katherine, her mother, and her close friend, but that... unfortunately... was the norm back then...) So for those reasons it's 3 stars.
BUT I can understand why the book is important, and I think Blume is groundbreaking for having written it!
Anyway.
I fully respect Judy Blume for publishing a book that spoke so openly and forthcomingly about sex and women's sexual health in the year of our lord 1975. The fact that Katherine goes to Planned Parenthood and ASKS FOR BIRTH CONTROL, the fact that she and her friend both discuss how they'd be fine having abortions if unprotected sex led to pregnancy, and the fact that *IN 1975* a female teen protagonist was so boldly expressing desire are *all* huge milestones. Also, Blume is forever the master of realistically portraying the huge and sudden shifts of emotion that are teenagerdom's trademark.
The book was just really abrupt for me, I guess? That's the best way to describe it. Scenes just kind of ended and I was like, "Wait, what," and a lot of the dialogue would sort of wrap up in a way that felt really odd to me. And of course its politics are different than if a version of it were to be written today, because again, written in 1975. (E.g., there was SO much talk about body image and "fatness" by Katherine, her mother, and her close friend, but that... unfortunately... was the norm back then...) So for those reasons it's 3 stars.
BUT I can understand why the book is important, and I think Blume is groundbreaking for having written it!