Groups that have banned the book and citation

The groups that have banned the novel and or places that the novel "Forever" has been banned could not be found :(

Works Cited

Buzzdock. "What is censorship?." Buzzdock. Buzzdock, n.d. [**Medium**]2-20-12. <http://www.buzzdock.com/Pages/Search.aspx?a=1#censorship+definition>.

"Five Alarm Book Reviews." Five Alarm Book Reviews ». Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/09/19/memorable-monday-forever-by-judy-blume/>.

Five Alarm Book Reviews. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/09/19/memorable-monday-forever-by-judy-blume/>.

"Forever." - Book Review. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/forever>.

"Forever ..." Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/forever>.

"The Story." Judy Blume on the Web: Forever. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.judyblume.com/books/ya/forever.php>.

Reflection Paragraph on Sources

                Throughout this project I have come across many sources.  I have had good success with my sources and have found a lot of useful information although I have come across trouble when it came to some questions.  The ones I found most useful were the one with facts that used quotes from the state and the author.  I found those more believable and factual.  Those were also the one that I found most trustworthy because so many sites had mixed information and a bunch of comments from other people that you could not really tell what they were trying to get across to the reader.  The websites that displayed obvious bias were those that said that it was a terrible book in one passage and then in another said it was great for parents to use to talk to their children about sensitive subjects such as sex. Sits such as that totally made me mad.

Reflection on Findings and Process

I discovered many things throughout my research. I discovered that although a book is banned that does not mean you can’t read it and that controversial books can have many good, positive messages for the readers. I learned that you should never judge a book by its cover and that before you claim something about a novel you should research it and take time to understand the author’s point of view and the reasons behind it. I also learned the process of challenging and banning a book. Most of all I learned that love doesn’t always last forever. Some of the things I learned did surprise me but others not so much. The one thing I found most interesting is how the process of banning a book works. I found that although it passes one part of the process it may not pass the other and become banned interesting.

                While researching this book I felt kind of mad because people were criticizing Judy Blume for writing this novel before taking the time to research and find the reasons behind the things they considered to be so horrible. I found researching this novel to be difficult not only because there was more bad then good, or because most of the information was the same on every site, but because I hate it when people talk down to someone over and over again and think its ok just because the person is famous. The part I enjoyed the most was actually reading the book. When I started I could not put it down; it was amazing and well written. I would recommend it to anyone. The part I disliked was trying to find some of the answers. Most of the websites for my novel were comments or book reviews and most of them were negative comments. If I could do this project all over again I would work harder and turn them in on time.

Finding Paragraph 3

Hundreds of books are banned or challenged every year, my questions is, how does the banning or challenging process work? I found my answer in an article called How Stuff Works.  According to my research before a book becomes banned, someone must first challenge it. The American Library Association defines a challenge as "an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group." A successful challenge results in a ban. Each year, libraries across the United States report hundreds of challenges. The leading causes for contesting a book are sexually explicit content, offensive language and inappropriate subjects for minors [source: American Library Association]. Only a minority of the requests actually make it through to banning the book from its respective library. Although many try not all get banned and even when banned it most certainly does not keep people from reading it. The novel “Forever” by Judy Blume made it through the process and yet many have read it and is considered a best seller. Some even say that although it does have some sensitive subjects it’s a great way to talk to your children about sensitive subjects. So weather it banned challenged, or not you should read all you can, whenever you can. Reading gets you far!

[Blume, Judy]. Forever. Vol. 1. Seattle, WA: Brandbury, 1975. Print. Forever.

"How Does Banning a Book Work?" HowStuffWorks. Web. 17 May 2012. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/book-banning.htm>.

Finding Paragraph 2

There are many things in this world considered “controversial” and my novel “Forever” by Judy Blume is one of them. Before actually reading this novel I asked myself why this book is considered controversial and after a few days of research I found my answer. Many people found this novel controversial because of its description of sex as a teen, drug use, and many other subjects that accrue in this book some readers also some find the book to be encouraging to young readers to have sex. There are many subjects in the book "Forever" that many readers find offensive. Subjects such as Katherine (one of the main characters) talking about her boyfriend’s penis. The book also describes there sexual acts such as sex. The subjects of suicide is brought up when there friend Artie kills himself.  Language is a big part that is found offensive because it has very much usage in the book. Other subjects that some readers found offensive were pregnancies, drinking, and the use of drugs such as marijuana. One reporter stated that this novel was “filth” and a librarian stated the book to be “obscene and immoral”. I am glad to say that although this novel has had much criticism it is still considered a best seller.

[Blume, Judy]. Forever. Vol. 1. Seattle, WA: Brandbury, 1975. Print. Forever.

"Books by and for Independent Women." Banned Books: Forever by Judy Blume. Web. 17 May 2012. <http://forbookssake.net/2010/04/27/banned-books-forever-by-judy-blume/>.

Finding Paragraph 1

        This project brought many questions to my mind such as what is the novel “Forever” is about? I took the time over the last few months to answer that question and I found the answer to be quite interesting. Common Sense Media in their article “Forever” states that the novel is about a girl named “Katherine who is a high school senior when she meets -- and quickly falls in love with -- Michael. Her parents grow concerned about how much time they're spending together -- and it's true that they're together whenever possible. Soon they even begin a sexual relationship. But with high school ending -- and grown-up problems just beginning -- will their young love be able to last?” Although theirs is a great summery, I like my summery a lot better.  The novel “Forever” is about two teens in high school named Michael and Kath. They meet at a party and quickly fall in love. He was here first and they both believed they would be each other’s last. When summer started everything changed. Her best friend Erica was introduced to Michael’s friend Artie. They grew closer and closer. Artie, Erica, Kath and Michael were always together. Then Artie began going through many things in his life and hung himself from his shower curtain. Erica blamed herself but soon they realized he was gone and there was nothing he could do. Michael and Kath received jobs. The only bad part is these jobs were in different places. Michael received a job at the lumber yard in North Carolina and Kath received a job as a camp consular at the camp her sister Jamie attended every summer. Although they wrote whenever they could, time and space were against them.  Slowly they began to grow apart.  Kath became friends with another consular named Theo. They talked and spent a lot of time together. While she was there her grandfather passed away and Theo was there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. Soon she stopped answer Michael’s letters. Then one day she was called to the office and there stood Michael. Theo was by her side. She took the night off and Michael and Kath went to a hotel. Although he tried to have sex with her, she would not budge. She had to tell Michael the truth; she no longer loved him completely. After she explained how she felt about him and Theo, Michael was angry and upset. He dropped her back off at camp and they never saw each other again until later that year at a coffee shop. Although she had feelings for Theo she knew that Michael would forever hold a place in her heart.

[Blume, Judy]. Forever. Vol. 1. Seattle, WA: Brandbury, 1975. Print. Forever.

"Forever." - Book Review. Web. 17 May 2012. <http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/forever>.