When Forever… was published in 1975, it generated immediate controversy over its explicit sexual content. Today is no different—in 2025, the book again made waves as one of 13 books banned from every Utah public school.
I was one of those kids whose parents forbid them from reading the likes of Twilight, so Forever… never even made it across my desk. But, reading it as an adult, I will say that if I ever had children, I would allow them to read it. (At the right time, of course.)
The story follows two high schoolers falling in love for the first time, and everything that comes with it. Though the material is explicit, it’s not, importantly, gratuitous, and deftly explores the concept of consent and safe sex in the bloom of first (and young) love. I’ve read many books, but couldn’t recall, before Forever…, one that talked about these foundations, or displayed respectful communication, in a way that felt authentic and not cringe-worthy. I have an inkling that if more high schoolers read Forever…, they’d have a better understanding of appropriate ways to explore sexuality.