This universal aspect of Blume’s storytelling is what appealed to television mogul Mara Brock Akil when she was 12 and read “Forever” for the first time.

I n 1975, Judy Blume released Forever, a YA novel about a young woman falling in love for the first time and losing her virginity. Almost immediately, it was deemed controversial by those who believed it was too sexually explicit for young readers, with some states going so far as to ban the book from schools.

Forever, one of beloved young adult author Judy Blume‘s most iconic books, started with a simple request: “My daughter Randy asked for a story about two nice kids who have sex without either of them having to die.