Paper Towns Questionstacular
A video in which I answer readers' questions about Paper Towns.
posted by John Green @ Wednesday, February 11, 2009
24 Comments
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24 Comments:
So I haven't read Paper Towns yet (not sure my library even has it) but I will most definitely after watching this! I thorough enjoyed your first two books and I gotta say, the fact that you incorporated my favorite poet, Walt Whitman into a book is pretty fricken amazing. Love reading the blog!
-grace b
That was a wonderful and excruciatingly fast video. I hope you will one day answer the past-tense present-tense question in more detail, like why those specific passages? What made those more worthy than other passages to be in present tense?
Awesome Blossom video. I must say watching that video has given me the urge to re-read the novel.I feel like I did not give the book the importance it demanded. Shame on me. My favorite part of the novel which has stuck with me has been the cracks portion. More and more I realise (I am not British but let us pretend I am) that the only way I can figure out who I really am is with adversary. So bring it on universe.
Paper Towns is awesome! I like the video explaining your thoughts behind the story. I am constantly urging my teens at the library to read your books. I have gotten many adults to cross over to YA because of you and other fantastic YA authors!
I am deeply excited to watch this video (which, sadly, will have to wait until I am not in my school's computer lab).
Question, although I won't be offended if you're not answering random questions on your blog, what with need time to write and all:
Did you/your publisher worry at all that having the cover be Margo's* face would turn boys off from picking up the book? ...If not, why not?
* by the way, I consider it a compliment to your book that it feels odd to me to call her just plain Margo rather than Margo Ruth Spiegelman. It's like how Jordan will always and forever be Jordan Catalano, you know?
But, but, but...
You state how it's not an intelligent thing to fail to see the flaws behind the person and you give examples of Jay Gatsby and Margo and then you mention Edward Cullen? The conclusion of the first two mentioned characters illuminate your theory, the conclusion of the third mentioned character -- Edward Cullen -- doesn't. He starts the book and ends it viewed as an idol and unflawed.
Did I miss something? Or was it an artful, almost missed, slam of the Twilight saga? Now I'm lost, I guess I'll go watch it again.
Such an interesting point about the other titles you considered!
Random connection to Paper Towns (ideologically and more literally): This past Christmas season when I visited my in-laws in Charleston, SC, there was quite a scandal that one of the elementary principals had brought in two Santa Clause representatives for the children. One was white and the other black. The community was not sure if they should take the principal at his word, that he just wanted the students to see someone they could relate to, or whether it was more similar to the white/ black fountains of an earlier generation. The children were just all very upset because they all thought that Santa was white and were distraught that not only were there two of them in their cafetorium, but also that one of them was in no way related to they way that they envisioned Santa Clause.
You've mentioned in a few videos (despite evidence to the contrary), that you don't consider your books to be "great". While I would agree that Paper Towns isn't the next Great Gatsby, I don't think its so far from it that its laughable. What do you feel your books are lacking that keeps them from being classics? And there are certainly books I've read in English class that aren't as good as some of your novels. And that is not just on an entertainment level, but on a stylistic and analytical level as well (Dicey's Song, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Lord of the Flies are some examples). So again, what makes you think you aren't on the same bar as Fitzgerald? Do you think you can ever get to a point in your writing where you can write the next great American novel?
Okay, I don't actually have a comment to make pertaining to this blog, but I just had to post something because my captcha is "table" and I am confounded because last I checked, that's a real word. I suppose it's not a real word anymore...
BEARD!
I just wanted to thank you for this video. I am a school librarian and I have reviewed your book on my blog, I've had it up on display, I've recommended it to several students, but NONE of them would take it. At least until yesterday. I had two classes and I booktalked Paper Towns and then showed them this video. By the end of your video, every hand was in the air with each person asking if they could borrow the book. Amazing. Thank you for this!
Awesome video! I must confess, I've been a little out of the loop in all things Nerdfighterly lately, so it felt nice to get back into it. :]
Paper Towns: The Movie is a very exciting prospect. I was curious, do you have a dream cast for it?
I loved this book and loved this video. I know that you're supposed to be promoting Paper Towns right now, but I'd love to be a part of the same conversation with "Looking for Alaska" and (although I'll admit to a lesser extent" "Katherines"... maybe a future project?
Captcha code Foilly- a mistake that is made because a person is unable to accept common sense.
Oh my goodness, I completely agree with Diana. All of your books are great, but Looking For Alaska is my absolute favorite book ever.
I let my english teacher read my Papertowns book, and she absolutely loved it. She then told our school library to order the book, and they did. She just finished Alaska. Told the library to order that one too.
You're an amazing author, forreal.
speaking of gatsby, a couple of my students have compared looking for alaska to the great gatsby, citing the lovely ambivalence the male characters feel towards the female characters (that's the really really brief version of the discussion) yes, once again, teenagers reading critically. thanks john! (oh, and you too, mr. fitzgerald.)
I just finished reading Paper Towns on Valentine's Day. In my opinion, it completed my day. My question: Is there going to be a sequel to Paper Towns? Paper Towns made me laugh and almost made me want to cry at the end. Can I just say that I am deeply in love with Quentin Jacobsen? haha I am doing a disservice to myself by imagining that Quentin is a perfect ficticious boy to be in love with. But I keep a list of all my favorite ficticious characters I would date and Quentin is on there! I would marry him any day if I could. I hope you're not offended, but your style of writing reminds me of John Hughes' 80s films such as 16 Candles and The Breakfast Club. You're like Hughes' in a literature medium because you understand young adults so well with how we behave, speak and think. I am always drawn into your writing and I can't wait for Paper Towns on film and another one of your books! I faithfully watch your youtube channel. I don't know what I would do without you and Hank! Both of you are just made of awesome and make my world awesome. I finished Paper Towns in a week and I love it. I'll probably read it again before my own senior graduation from high school even though I'm already in college. haha And I can't seem to stop writing because there's so much I could say about Paper Towns. I'll just end this note here with you are one of the greatest writers. Thank you for writing all of your books! I have greatly enjoyed them all and you have an astounding talent for writing humor!
First of all Paper Towns was amazing. I've probably told you that a million times, here and on the ning and on youtube, but thats okay because its still true.
Oh and also have a random piece of info that I found kind of awesome.
I found out that my town as a resturant named after Walt Whitman! It's called, "The Drowsy Poet" so its not actually named after him, but the sign has a picture of him.
Anyways, I just thought I'd share that, and once again, Paper Towns is AWESOME!
DFTBA
Tenley Nadine
Love, love, love Paper Towns. Favorite book of all time. Seriously.
Do you have any idea when Paper Towns will be published in German and what the title will be? I've looked at amazon and on your German publisher's website and I don't seem to be able to find anything about it. I loved the book - I've read it twice this last week - and I really want my sister to read it, because I'm sure she'd love it too, but I'm afraid her English isn't good enough.
Loredan
I seriously love Paper Towns. I read it really quickly. (like in less than 24 hours, while simultainously attending school) Because of this i really want to read it again to really savor it. But, i let one of my friends borrow my copy and thus must wait. Anyway, i really enjoy all your books and this one especially. Paper Towns made me laugh and made me think. ALOT. I always feel a connection to the charcters in your books, and i suppose that helps me to really enjoy the story as well as analyze myself at the same time. These books have become part of who you are as a person but also i feel like after reading them they have become a part of myself as well. Often, i feel that after reading a book i love and relate to it's like i'm puting another peice into the puzzle that is my identity. Thank you so much for these wonderful works that I and many others love so much!
Dear Mr. Green,
My name is nick norris i live in geneseo illinois and im not a very big reader but me and my class who are freshman we decided to choose to read this book because we do a daily read aloud so we are about half way into the book when i really started to get into it. So i asked my teacher if i could take it home and read it. Like i said im not a very big reader but i really enjoyed your book and i got most of it done in a matter of three or four days. I told my teacher that i was going to read more of your books because you are my favorite author. thank you Mr. Green.
From,
Nick Norris
I loved Paper Towns so much. It was one of those books that is so good you have to read it quickly, but once you're done you feel like you should have slowed down some so it wouldn't be over so fast. And I just said the word "so" way too many times in one sentence, lol.
I noticed a lot of similarities between Margo and Alaska, and at first I thought the two books would be a little too similar, especially at the point when you think she's died. But then, as the plot branched off in completely new directions, I was so happy and I fell in love with the book. Thanks for writing it.
Why don't/won't you re-read Alaska? Do you think it sucks as a book, or your writing has so vastly improved that it's painful for you to read? or something else?
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