1975 from Pan Childrens
It's official - I'm literally the last librarian on earth to read this book. I've meant to, I really have! When the new covers were reissued, I knew I needed to finally jump on board. I decided to read the original 1975 version and was surprised that there weren't that many dated sayings and lingo. I didn't even hear the word groovy one time!
Katherine and Michael fall for each other pretty fast - they hold hands just minutes after he asks her to go for a car ride - and when Michael is ready to have sex, Katherine just isn't ready. Eventually, the two have quite an affair and they pledge their love for each other, for life. Teenage pregnancy and even homosexuality is touched on and by the end of the story, I can see why it has stood the test of time. Love is universal. I can see why this story twisted people's panties (pun intended). I really do think Katherine was pressured into sex even though we are led to believe she wasn't. Snide remarks, always bringing up the subject of sex is pressuring. Period. I also thought the ending was really super rushed. All of a sudden we were moving on. Regardless, glad I read and I wonder if in 100 years teens will still be picking up this book.
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You can find Blume at her website
I love this interview about how Forever came to be.
