'Forever' gives modern refresh to Judy Blume novel: Biggest changes in Netflix series
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Exclusive clip from 'Judy Blume Forever'
Author Mary H.K. Choi reflects on the complex theme of Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" in the documentary "Judy Blume Forever."
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Spoiler alert! We're discussing major plot details from the new series adaptation of 'Forever' (all episodes on Netflix now).
'Forever...' was controversial when Judy Blume published it in 1975. The young adult novel follows a high school girl navigating her first love and first time. 'Forever' talks candidly about sex, consent, mental health and depression. When it came out 50 years ago, the book was deemed too sexually explicit and faced criticism and bans.
Now, as a series streaming on Netflix, the latest 'Forever' adaptation meets a culture that's more prepared to openly talk about sex in modern media.
Mara Brock Akil's adaptation reimagines Blume's classic with a contemporary Black cast, dealing with identity, expectations, race and class as much as it does with losing one's virginity.
'Forever' adapts Judy Blume novel with all-Black cast
Brock Akil's 'Forever' is loosely adapted from the Blume book, so many of its key plot points have been changed or given a modern refresh. The characters' names are no longer Katherine and Michael but Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.). The story takes place in Los Angeles, not in New Jersey. Both characters are Black and their place in predominantly white schools – especially Justin – is a major theme.
'Other shows have tried to showcase this nuanced experience of growing up Black in a white environment, but none have succeeded as pitch-perfectly as Forever does,' Nadira Goffe, a culture writer from Slate who is Black, wrote in a review.
With eight episodes, 'Forever' has time to sink into much more than Blume's book could at less than 230 pages. The series is also told from both Justin and Keisha's perspectives (the book is just Katherine), and we get a more full view of their family life, friends and communities. Class plays a bigger role in this adaptation than it did in the book – Justin's family is well-off and summers on Martha's Vineyard while Keisha's single mom struggles to make ends meet.
Some aspects are the same, including awkward sexual experiences, the thrill of first love and a brief mention of the couple's friends seeing each other. In the book, Katherine and Michael's friends Erica and Artie try their hand at dating but Artie's struggles with his sexuality and eventual suicide attempt prevent it from going further.
The series skips that, but still has candid conversations about mental health. Keisha tells Justin about her depression before she switched schools. Later, she and her mom have a breakthrough after therapy.
'Forever' gets a modern refresh with technology, social media pitfalls
Gone are the letter-writing chapters from Blume's 1975 novel, replaced with the agony of waiting for a text reply and the will-they-won't-they blocking and unblocking of modern young love. Justin even gets his friends to post #UnblockJustin to campaign for Keisha's attention after they have a falling out. When they rekindle it's in the form of Daft Punk and Tyler, The Creator lyrics.
And in a world all too familiar with revenge porn and sextortion, the new adaptation shows Keisha in crisis after her ex-boyfriend shares a sex tape they made. Keisha is humiliated and forced to leave her current school, transferring to another, more expensive one. Her reputation among former peers, Justin's missteps to understand what she's going through and her reappearing ex add major strife to the relationship.
Ralph is still, well, Ralph
If you've read the Blume book, you might remember that Michael affectionately referred to his genitals as 'Ralph.' It's only mentioned once in the adaptation (unlike the book, where the moniker appears frequently), but Brock Akil told The New York Times she kept Ralph to thank Blume 'for her blessing to translate the book.'
Jokes aside, the new Netflix adaptation is faithful to Blume's book in that it portrays the complications of coming into sexuality without condemning it as bad, unnatural or dangerous. Keisha and Justin work through hovering parents and technical difficulties before they get to their first time. It's awkward at times, but it's human.
Blume originally wrote the book for her daughter, she writes on her website, to present a story where two teenagers fall in love and have sex without anyone's life being ruined. In the book, Katherine goes to Planned Parenthood to get birth control. In the series, Justin has an important conversation (and cucumber demonstration) with his father about contraception.
'Forever' ending stays broadly faithful to Blume book
Blume's novel ends, despite their planning and wishing, with Katherine and Michael breaking up. After a summer apart (in the book, Katherine kisses another guy at camp in the wake of her grief after losing her grandfather), the two decide maybe they weren't each others' forevers after all.
The same happens in Brock Akil's adaptation. While his mom expects him to go to a prestigious college to play basketball and study a profitable major, Keisha helps Justin realize that what he really wants to do is pursue music. The pair part on amicable, albeit heartbreaking, terms. By the last scene, they understand that there are bigger things in store for each of them as Keisha goes to Howard University and Justin saves up on his gap year.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, check out her recent articles or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
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