Forever... (novel) - Criticism and Controversy

Criticism and Controversy

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."

Forever... is commonly considered the first YA book to deal with teen love and teen pregnancy. Blume was upset by the decision of Bradbury Press to advertise the book as an adult book; Forever... is a Young Adult novel.

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