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While �Forever� centers on their relationship and the young couple�s experiences in their newfound love, �Tiger Eyes� revolves around the main character�s coping with the loss of her father. Both stories are being told throughout the main character�s point of view. �Tiger Eyes� touches topics such as losing a loved one and slightly on alcoholism. Davey Wexler, the main character, has lost her father tragically in a convenience store holdup. In order to more easily cope with the changes in their lives, the family moves to New Mexico with some relatives and it is here that Davey meets Wolf, a young man going through a similar experience. It is an emotional and engaging story which may help aid teenagers going through a similar situation. The story flows smoothly and the characters are well-defined through their dialogue. Judy Blume creates strong characters who show that despite how rough life seems, they are able to �pick up the pieces and keep moving ahead�. This is in fact something the author was forced to do during the creation of this book. When she presented it to her editor, the response was that some lines needed to be removed. The author was devastated, but had no choice but to remove them. It was then that she realized just how much censorship was beginning to affect her works.
This book has been called, �Judy Blume�s best literary effort to date� by Catholic Library World, and has received close to ten awards. Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) has expressed that although the story is �intense and complicated,� it �flows smoothly and easily.� The author spent some of her time in New Mexico and the settings she describes are the ones she saw herself during her stay. The character of Davey find comfort and freedom in a nearby canyon and this helps her come to terms with her new reality.
Click here to learn about the challenge she faced during the creation of Tiger Eyes.
Blume, Judy. 1981. Tiger eyes. New York: Dell Publishing Co., Inc. ISBN: 0-440
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