BEDA 16: More Q, More A
Q. I'm considering taking over a country. Do you know of one that would benefit from a somewhat egomaniacal YA Librarian?
A. Excellent question. I'd recommend Somalia. It has lots of beautiful coastline, warm weather, and no functioning government. Somalia could really stand to have a librarian in charge (particularly given that it currently has no public school system).
Q. Does your mom really make goat's milk soap?
A. Yes, she really does. My mom and dad own several goats with their friend Molly (whose adorable daughter is the titular "Farmer Jane"). In fact, they just had two kids on Easter. So they raise the goats, milk the goats, and then turn the goat milk into a variety of things, including soap, which you can buy. (It's excellent, and I'm not just saying that because it's my mom.)
Q. do you know of any other "paper towns" besides Agloe, NY?
A. Yeah, there are several, but they are (by definition) hard to find. The wikipedia entry on fictitious entries has some examples. (Also there you can learn why Myrna Mountweazel is called Myrna Mountweazel in Paper Towns.)
Q. How do I ease the anxiety of a 6 year old boy who has many questions about dying?
A. I don't know. Tough one. There are some good picture books on dying (I'd also recommend that you read the brilliant Adam Gopnik essay "Death of a Fish"), but my general advice would just be to answer the questions patiently and calmly, remembering that children are A. curious, and B. repetitive, and C. want to feel safe.
The bad news is that on some level, the boy in question is right to feel anxious about death--it is coming for him.
The good news is that statistically, having reached the age of 5 alive, he has a 99% chance of living to be 55. I realize that statistics aren't terribly comforting to six-year-olds, but still. He is likely to have more pressing worries, such as second grade, which--trust me--is a killer. (Not literally!)
Q. Just read An Abundance of Katherines for YA lit class and love it. What life lesson do you want readers to take away from it?
A. Thanks! (And none.)
Q. what was the first story you ever wrote (that wasn't a HS journal) and will you ever share it with us?
A.
Q. Auburn or Alabama?
A. Roll Tide.
Q. Is there ANYTHING you can say to convince us to drink the "YFN-is-a-real-person" Koolaid?
A. No. (I mean, her name--317--spells LIE when you turn it upside down. I don't think she's a real person. I've never said I thought she was a real person. I said I receive real emails.)
Q: Is there going to be any kind of Nerdfighter gathering in Philly on Saturday, since you are going to be there?
A. Well, you make the gathering a nerdfighter gathering, not me. I have to leave right after my talk and signing, because I have to go to my friend Mary Fran's wedding. So I can't do a nerdfighter gathering. But you still can.
Q. Does religion play a large part in your life and your work?
A. Yeah, depending on how you define "religion" and "large." This plays a large role in my life and work.
Q. What book are you currently reading?
A. I'm reading this amazingly good book called The Blood of the Lamb by Peter De Vries.
Q. I think this might be a wrong choice. If you really think this person may be ill, you probably should not have taken this public. Why did you?
A. (This question relates to TiNT.) I strongly think that YFN is not crazy--for a variety of reasons, all of which are contained in small ways inside the text of my story.
Q. You are making all the This is Not Tom stuff up.
A. I am very happy to acknowledge that you could be right.
posted by John Green @ Thursday, April 16, 2009
48 Comments
48 Comments:
Wow, I thought this said goat's milk soup.
Roll Tide? Boo.
I much prefer to say Geaux Tigers :)
Ever since your announcement, TiNT has consumed my life. Thank you.
Do you do the riddles, or not because you already know the story? I know you said you're not good at riddles-me either-but they're fun to do.
I love the DFW speech.
"4. No, I am not making this up."
"Q. You are making all the This is Not Tom stuff up.
A. I am very happy to acknowledge that you could be right."
..... I am so confused.
You said titular.
After that Alabama vs Auburn question, I have to wonder if you're a college football kind of guy.
I'm hoping you are, not because it'd make you cooler, but because I grew up in a college town, and "football season" is a bigger part of the year than Spring.
That being said, if you are a college football fan, I'm sure you have a preference:
Oklahoma or Texas?
I asked the Auburn or Alabama question, and I am sorry to say... you answered wrong. The correct answer would've been War Eagle, or Go Blazers, or honestly anything except what you said. Despite this, I think I still like you, which baffles me in a totally awesome way.
Weird question: Why do you like questions so much? Do you have a need to fill the world with all your knowledge, or is it just easier than making up totally original content? Or do you just like answering questions? Am I filling this question with too many questions?
John, this is of the utmost importance.I'm writing an informative paper about YA novels that have been--for whatever reason--ban. I got the idea from reading the news article posted on Maureen's twitter a week or so ago about the library in FL fighting for the right to keep her book as well as the Gossip Girl book on the shelf.
I understand that you have faced some opposition with your book Looking for Alaska (which by the way I absolutely loved!) You have many fans who support the use of your book in the classroom. I'm actually taking a class next semester that will examen Paper Towns (Another great book!) but for those who don't have such strong backing in the education department, what do you think about them?
I guess my question is how do you feel about YA novels being ban from the YA section or the classroom? Should these books be taken off the shelve just because a select group feel they are inappropriate for the targeted age group? Should teachers discourage students from reading such novels?
I would be very thankful if you'd address these questions! I really admire you as a writer and look forward to your comments.
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I love the way you answered the TiNT related questions.
And I absolutely love TiNT.
Question for next Q&A blog:
How many websites do you have in your bookmarks or favorites, and how do you organize them?
I have a question for you.
I'm a senior in high school who has to make a decision about college within the next two weeks. I was accepted to Kenyon, and was wondering if you had any insight as to why I should or should not go there.
How is Daniel Biss doing?
Do you and Hank have a generation gap between you, in terms of the role the internet plays in your lives, and the roles you play in it?
You've referenced that David Foster Wallace speech a few times---what is it you like about it so much? I'm curious!
I'm a senior in high school and some friends and I have been trying to think of a good senior prank. Unfortunatly we've been pretty unsuccessful. Any ideas?
DFTBA
Tenley Nadine
I love the before and after format of Looking for Alaska...Have you had a moment in your life that sorts everything else into a before of after?
The one and only thing I have read by DFW is that speech, I was turned on to it after Patton Oswalt cited it as the speech he which he had given (though his is pretty good too), and I was wondering what else of DFW's canon of work you would recommend? Telling me where to start would be more helpful than saying all of it as a friend and ardent DFW fan has suggested.
To the commenter with the anxious six year old (I slip into bookseller mode), there are some brilliant and not at all patronising picture books about death.
Sweets by Sylvia Van Ommen is entirely in black and white and about two bunnies who meet in the park to eat sweets and speculate about what things are like after death. It's sweet, it's modern, it reminds me of the art of Edward Monkton - an illustrator big here in the UK - and above all there is a strange sense of tranquility when reading it.
Death in a Nut by Eric Maddern is somewhat more folksy, with lavish illustrations and the beautiful tale of a boy about to lose his mother decides to take on Old Man Death and squeezes him into a walnut (I think it's a walnut) shell, proceeding to throw it into the sea. The natural life cycle is turned upside down until the boy realises that death is necessary nor anything to be afraid of.
Michael Rosen's Sad Book is something for any and every age (I refer to a copy frequently) and I don't know how good it would be at calming a six-year-old's anxieties about death but it calms mine considerably. More than anything, it calms sadness, especially grief or depression and makes it seem more manageable. When I'm selling this, though, I take care, because each person takes such different things from a book and while the tone might inspire one, it also might increase the anxiety of another.
Angelo by David Macaulay is the story of an old man who has devoted his life to the restoration of buildings in Italy. Despite spending large parts of the day grumbling about pigeons and the mess they leave, when Angelo finds an injured pigeon, he invests time and energy into nursing it back to health. She helps him in return, flapping her wings to cool him as he works. Angelo passes away but leaves the pigeon a stoop where her family can live. Ultimately, the tone is optimistic and generational.
Books are just some of the more direct ways to address the topic, and I hope these are useful in some way.
To Do List:
1. Place book order
2. Catalogue latest batch of manga
3. Finish planning May event
4. Overtake Somalian government (with assistance of ninjas) & declare myself dictator.
5. Read Wintergirls.
In the Great Gatsby it is said that Gatsby "paid a high price for living too long with a single dream." Do you think it is possible for someone to live too long with one dream? Do you think that there is a point when someone should give up on a dream?
You (and Hank, as well) act quite differently than your early B2.0 selves. Would this be caused by natural change, growing more comfortable in front of the camera, or having more of a "camera-self"?
Anonymous said...
"In the Great Gatsby it is said that Gatsby "paid a high price for living too long with a single dream." Do you think it is possible for someone to live too long with one dream? Do you think that there is a point when someone should give up on a dream?"
I think 'A Raisin in the Sun' portrays this well.
Hm, true or not, the YFN story is very intriguing. I'm choosing to see it as non-fiction because that makes it much more interesting. =D
And woot, Roll Tide! =D
Thanks for answering my question, John! ("YFN Koolaid") :)
Someone asked me to define YA literature today. I gave them the general definition but then they asked if this is the sole framework. I said no. This made me realize that YA literature has no definition. It does not need one. It speaks for itself. What do you think? Can you define YA literature? (because I can not)
By general I mean "age definition" like from 12-20 or something but I disagree with this. I would give a 12 Lubar but not say "Boy Toy"
Lourdes from the post above.
Will you post the full story somewhere for the people who don't follow thisisnottom.com? Or is it strictly for that?
-Jenea
AHA! We could be right!
That must mean... uh...
Absolutely nothing.
This is frustrating me so much, John. I just want to know what's true. I mean, I understand if you want us to think it's real so it's kind of like an LG15 thing, but... it's still frustrating.
For the past two days I can't stop going over and over it in my head. What if she's real? No, she can't be real... but what if she is? No, John's a liar. ...But what if he's not??
Can you define "believe," and "God" and then answer the question: Do you believe in God?
Have you read The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin? Or seen the nowherenearasgood movie? You should.
Questions for the next Q&A:
What do you think about the graphic novel genre? Do you ever read graphic novels?
If you were turned into a woman for a day, what would you do and who would you be?
Would you be willing to visit a really small private Lutheran college in the Shenendoah Valley in the next four years?
DFTBA
Have you read Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta?
If you have, what did you think of it?
And if you haven't, will you please do so?
You rock.
What sort of legal channels would one need to secure in order to make/sell products related to your books and nerdfighters?
Finished "Abundance of Katherines" and Colin's revelation about telling stories reminded me of the ending of "The Bridge Over San Luis Rey" - by Thorton Wilder.
The story ends with the passage "But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for awhile and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."
I though about it when reading Alaska, but had to pull it out after Katherines. Have you read it and did it have an impact on you?
If not answering that question, could you please state who accompanied you on the empty building break-in tour, other than your young tour guide? I can't remember the name and didn't write it down.
Thanks.
Living in a big city, how did you treat homeless people who approached you asking for money?
Thank you for answering my question about my 6 year old. I will check out the books mentioned and I loved the article you mentioned, John. The aricle made me think of a blog post I made when Aidan was 3 and his fish died. I tried to make it a deep, spiritual lesson as we flushed his pet and he just looked and me, smiled and said, "Fishy is with my poop now."
*sigh*
Life is easier when you are 3.
Thanks again for helping.
A few posts ago you said that you thought happiness was overrated. I thought about that, and then I wondered, what could possibly be more important than happiness? I'm curious to hear what you think.
Genny, I agree with you: happiness is one of the most important things in life.
But how you gain happiness and what you find happiness in can be overrated.
Alright, so my sister is getting married in May and wants me to read something during the ceremony. Do you have any poem suggestions?
Favorite children's book? And I mean the stage where we are past picture books, but not quite to the heavier YA category yet...
What do you think of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera, if you have read it?
hey john. do you still happen to watch the office?
John -
I'm a major science nerd (chemistry in particular) and it has really diminished my ability to read books. I know that sounds strange, but throughout secondary school I was your old fashioned all rounder, got prizes for Shakespeare essays and librarianship, but now all I read is non-fiction.
I'm gradually easing back into it, but I was wondering, do you think that learning to think in empirical, scientific terms could somehow block the ability to read in the same way?
For first drafts, are you an outline person or a no-outline person?
Question for the next Q&A.
I read your awesome book "Looking for Alaska" and loved the poem lines that Alaska quotes at one of the characters-"Love your crooked neighbor with your crooked heart."
However, upon reading the poem "As I Walked Out One Evening", the lines lost their original sweetness and became something much more depressing. What do you think the poem means and does Alaska quote them out of context?
What is you favorite color?
I would very much like to know.
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