Forever...

How does this novel promote healthy sexual relationships, and where is there opportunity for growth? How might this novel read differently in 2023, especially when it comes to conversations about consent?

Why is Sybil an important character in the text? How does the text use her as an example to show the outcomes of teen pregnancy without shame, blame, or demonization of her sexual habits?

Katherine comes to believe that there are “so many ways to love a person” (175). Where in the text are there examples of this belief? How does Katherine’s perspective on love change as she grows up?

What is the significance of Erica and Artie’s relationship? How might Artie’s life have played out differently at a different cultural moment in time, and how are his struggles still relevant today?

This book has been challenged and censored since its publication. What possible ramifications are there for young adults if they do not have positive literary depictions of difficult or challenging topics?

Katherine decides that she is not ready for forever, and she and Michael break up. What is the significance of their last time seeing each other before leaving college, and Katherine’s reaction to it? What does the text believe about the significance and challenges of first love?

How does Katherine explore and formulate her sexual identity throughout the text? Why is she able to do this in a positive and healthy way without significant feelings of shame or insecurity?

How does the symbol of The (birth control) Pill function within the text? What does birth control represent to Katherine, and why is this important to her evolving sexual identity?