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.

Creator Mara Brock Akil's take on the 1975 YA classic moves the action to 2018 Los Angeles, following two Black teens as they navigate the ups and downs of first love.

For 50 years, Judy Blume's Forever... has served as a rite of passage for young readers everywhere thanks to its honest, stigma-less approach to mature subject matters like sex and birth control. Now this long-celebrated tale of first love comes to the screen in Netflix's Forever, created by Mara Brock Akil ( Girlfriends ).