Banned in My Hometown: What's a Kid to Do
So my hometown (or at least my home region, since Orlando is not so much a place as a series of interconnected geographical ideas) is dealing with a challenge to many books, including Looking for Alaska.
The challengers involved say that my book would meet Florida's legal definition of obscenity, and that it shouldn't be available to teen readers in the public library of Leesburg. First, just let me note that I am not a pornographer:
Let me make this clear: An individual scene from a novel cannot be read out of context. It won't make sense. It will seem other from what it is. You cannot know whether a novel is obscene from a screenshot of a single page on television news.
Alaska is a novel about radical hope and the power of forgiveness, not about oral sex. The scene between Lara and Pudge--that humorous, massively unerotic scene--exists to argue against casual sexual encounters.
Readers get this. If a parent doesn't think his or her children have the intellectual sophistication to read critically, that's fine. Don't let your kids read the book. But a well-organized minority shouldn't be allowed to make collection decisions in our public libraries. As a community, we hire well-educated and highly qualified librarians to make those decisions. Those librarians serve the public, not just the shouting activists, and librarians should not be made to fear their collection decisions by cowardly city commissions.
As always, any parents with questions or concerns about any of my books are welcome to email me at me --at-- sparksflyup.com. This includes the parents in Leesburg.
posted by John Green @ Tuesday, September 29, 2009
78 Comments
78 Comments:
WHAT?!
Ugh. I hate it when they ban books. Unless it glorifies pedophilia or something, let people read whatever they want to read.
Wait, you're anti-censorship, anti-casual sex, and pro-intellectually-reasoned-judgement?
You just lost a reader, Mr. Green. Put that in your Orlando and smoke it.
saying Alaska is about oral sex is like saying Katherines is about factories that produce tampon strings...you're right, it makes no sense.
That scene wasn't sexy--it was hilarious! I actually liked it BECAUSE it wasn't sexy. It was awkward, it was uncomfortable, it was weird, it was... well, about like the first time I gave a blowjob. *TMI* Kids aren't gonna read this book and go OMG I AM GONNA GO HAVE SO MUCH SEX NOW. THANK YOU JOHN GREEN. They're gonna read it and go, "Uh... well then. Are we uh... are we gonna have to talk about the blowjob scene IN CLASS? In front of OUR TEACHER? Oh man, gross."
And there's so much MORE to that book than just the sex scene, and it kills me that these crazy "moral" people are wanting to ban it based on that part alone. Did they even READ the rest of it? (No.)
On the bright side, now that huge signs have been put up telling people not to read this book, you can be guaranteed that they're gonna. Because they want to see what's so terrible about it and what The Man is trying to hide from them. Nothing says "Go Read This Book" like censorship! 8D
Every time someone tries to ban a book, I recommend it to a few extra people at my library to make up for it. Fear not! Librarians are compensating.
I think if I was the library director at that public library, I'd just catalog the book as a regular fiction novel to shut the parents up, and then direct every kid that came through the doors to that book.
What I want to know is why the 4th book in the Twilight series hasn't been brought up in this context. There is a lot more "graphic" content in that book than LfA and Burmudez Triangle combined.
It's a shame that people go to such great lengths to ban books that they haven't even read.
Amen, sir. Last night, I asked you (and all my followers by extension) on Twitter how you felt about segregating books by age groups. I'd still be curious to hear what you think about it in some detail. Obviously you think the idea was a cowardly way out for the council. Keeping in mind that bookstores and libraries have always created separate sections for children's books, under what parameters do you feel that creating a Young Adult (or in this case I think they called it "High School") section within a library is ok?
Yes, Wallstreet Journal, censorship still exists in America
I think the book can cause immoral activities after reading it. I myself killed 9 people after reading it.
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I despise this perception that children or teens are not capable of critical thinking. If you don't think they have it, perhaps you should consider the fact that our school systems (should) be trying to teach it to them as a skill.
Hiding your problems in a section and deluding yourself to think that "that isn't for me" teaches them nothing but cowardice, ignorance and entitlement. As you illustrate in the very books they're trying to ban, life isn't easy for anyone of any age. Throwing them in without critical thought results in them becoming crazy moms trying to ban--- ooh... I see what they did there.
Incidentally (or perhaps not so incidentally) don't you think that reading something in defiance of someone telling you not to inherently changes your relationship to it? For better or worse is not for me to say, but the number of responses that say "It'll just make more people want to read it" makes me wonder how books are re-cast by those who want them banned and how those images replicate in the minds of readers until we can't see past Holden's chat with the maybe-prostitute... I wonder if there's any data on that.
gaaaahhh. John, you and I share the same hometown. I, unfortunately, still live near by.
Few things anger me more than people trying to take good, well-written, and unique books out of the hands of kids who really need to be reading. Books help students see the world from different perspectives and help them think, plus they are just so much more fun than tv. If people keep on limiting what pieces of the world kids can see, then how is anything ever going to change. Yeah. teenagers give/get blowjobs. it's pretty awkward the first time around. How is that at all racy or pornographic? The scene is humorous, against the whole random blowjob business, and most of all, it's real.
None of those book banning parents will contact you, they are much too cowardly.
Dante really should have included a circle of hell for book banners in Inferno.
I recommend your books to teenagers all the time! I just don't understand how people can miss the point of that scene.
Don't let the decepticons get you down. You've got a bunch of librarians rooting for you.
You might as well accept it John, the world is determined to make you into a pornographer.
who the hell are theese bookbanners? I've never met anyone who didn't agree that bookbanning is bad, the same way that rascism and crime is. Why is it still an issue, when it's so obviously an ISSUE?
Zoh ma gawd! John Green is not a pornographer. He is an excellent writer who deserves to be recognized for his talent. He understands his audience and addresses teens in an intelligent manner. He does not deserve to be deemed obscene.
I would say that I was shocked. But I'm not. This happens all too often in our libraries.
I am really angry, though. It shouldn't happen, it's absurd, and I hate that, for some reason, people seem to think that it's not a problem.
I wonder if the people who find this stuff offensive and insist on preventing the general public from having access to it are not also the parents and grandparents who bring their five year-olds to R rated movies...
Indiana is happy to claim you as our own, if Florida is being too mean.
"[the book in question] will cause immoral thoughts and actions in children"... just like guns kill people.
Words and guns are powerful things... but in the end, it's the people who set their own standards.
(Besides, real life and butter-knives can do just as much harm...)
This is, of course, absolutely ridiculous in innumerable ways. It goes completely against our ideals of free speech and only serves to re-emphasize the treatment of minors as mindless impressionable children with absolutely no ability to make decisions or even begin to comprehend the complicated world of "grown-ups" (which may very well become true if we shelter them enough).
I just hope that these things don't influence authors' decisions on what to include in their books. Those decisions should be made based on what's good for the story, not what will please a minority of parents with a disproportianate amount of control.
Sorry to hear your book is getting challenged during Banned Books Week.
I'm totally down with the system that the NY school has. It really ought to satisfy protective parents.
Is it true that Roman Polanski read Alaska in his youth?
It must be extremely annoying to be continually banned for ridiculous reasons, and I’d like to offer my condolences. However, this preoccupation with book banning is a problem, not only for authors and teachers, but for every citizen of this country. Every state (read: including Florida) has content based educational standards, basically these are lists of everything a student is supposed to know by the end of a given grade, and critical thinking is mentioned by every state for every grade as a required skill starting in about first grade. How are teachers supposed to teach students to think critically if we are never allowed to give them opportunities to do it? Societies that are/claim to be democratic in nature depend on their citizen’s ability to think critically. If we lose all the resources that we use to ask our students to think critically, America loses out. We’d become a society where people are told by the media/leaders what to think, instead of actually thinking about it ourselves. Some would argue (some days I am among them) that this decay has already started to occur. People go about willy-nilly banning books; they need to consider the implications of a generation who has never been able to think critically about real issues.
Listen up John Green. You might say that scene was humorous, but when I read it I was like OGKLJFLKDJFLKJD WHAT DOES HE MEAN SHOULD I GO FUCK EVERYONE I SEE JADKLJOFKJD. Corrupting me ain't no laughing matter.
In other news, I'm glad I read your blog post, because I was going to recommend this book for book club at school, but it's run by a really old nun and it would be awkward to discuss this with her.
Think about it, most people (especially kids) don't think about what they're reading about (and we wonder why books like twilight are so popular.) And it’s sad that it has to be this way because while I might understand the point you were trying to get across in your book, many, many teenagers won’t.
So what’s the point?
We have such low expectations for teenagers, we think that all of them are just interested in sex. (I’m a teenager, and that’s not all I’m interested in, at least not right now, because, quite frankly, there are more important things to be interested in and more important things to do.) But we have to look at this seriously underestimated generation (which I have the pleasure of being a part of) as the future. You, Mr. Green, are their role model, every word that they read of yours is going to affect them on some level (and, to be honest, if it has anything to do with sex, they’re not going to be thinking about how it can be harmful and, dare I say, shallow.) These teenagers that you have the chance to speak to, that you have the chance to change, are falling to the wayside—because we don’t have high enough expectations for them. As a society, we’ve turned the word ‘teenager’ into a bad word. Why? Why do we have such low expectations even for ourselves? Why does sex have to be in nearly everything we read, watch, or hear about? Because that’s what teen agers like. But why? Why can’t we focus on our future—why are people condemned because they want to be different? Sex isn’t what life’s about. Life is about so much more! There are so many things that can be accomplished and there’s a whole world waiting to be made better. I want to change the world. Do you?
I’m not going to say that I don’t like your books, to be honest, I really do enjoy them. I just don’t see the point in the crude jokes and the language. I will still read the books, but I just don’t think that they’re necessary. Now that’s just my conviction, I’m not saying that you need to change these things, I’m just saying that I think that you’re books are brilliant enough without those things. People have different convictions than you, Mr. Green, please don’t condemn them for it. No, they’re not right for condemning you (because, of course, you can write about whatever you want.) but you should respect their opinion and they should respect yours. You put these controversial things in your books in the first place, didn’t you? You need to expect people to have problems with it.
I would really recommend reading Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. This book changed my life and the way I live it.
Please know, Mr. Green, that I respect you very, very much and I absolutely love your books. But some people don’t. We’re all different. And isn’t that supposed to be a good thing? :)
That was one of the most hilarious scenes ever.
I hate it when people decide that a book is inappropriate for teens. They're in the 11th grade, I think they can handle it.
Lyssa, of course people are different and some like some types of books and some like other. But does that mean that those of us who love John's books should have to see them banned?
Also, the only way to interpret that scene to mean anything other than what John intended it to mean would be to actually make an effort to do so.
It's part of the dumbing-down of America. Right behind spanking kids as just another form of homogenizing our countries youth.
If I lived closer to O-Town, I'd be staging a "sit in" and inviting every media outlet and college student (the newly-minted voting populace) to contest the banning of any and all books.
I get so angry and frustrated whenever this topic is brought up that all words fail me.
What these people who are trying to ban books don't realize is that all it does is make people want to read the books even MORE.
When I found out the children's book "And Tango Makes Three" is the most banned book in the country right now, what do you think the first thing I did was? Checked it out from the library to read what all the fuss was about.
It's the same for kids and teens. You tell them of forbidden fruit and they're going to want to eat it.
Whatever happened to TALKING to your kids? Sitting them down and having a discussion with them about what you find so objectionable and what lessons you as a parent hope they will learn from the book rather than sheltering them from the world. As a parent, you be the person they hear these things from rather than their friends. That's what these people should be doing. Not trying to pull them from the shelves.
I feel so lucky that I went to a Catholic high school that didn't have to deal with the politics of book challenges. Ironic that a Catholic high school would be more lenient about books read in the classroom but it's true. We read all the banned books of the time and we did so in the context of a faith based education.
Let me just say that every time i read LfA that scene where they go ask alaska about how to have oral sex makes me laugh out loud every time. well i laugh out loud in most of all your books but you know, just saying, that's the funniest part.
And it's so depressing to hear that people aren't reading the book right, there is so much more to it! Just the thought of them trying to ban my favorite book is slightly painful.
And teenagers will not be eternally traumatized from this scene, nor would they think they should go and do it just because it was in the book. Plus, it was an awkward and unattractive scene anyway. Funny, nonetheless.
Do they think that we don't have minds of our own? We aren't going to literally copy everything we read without even reading it right.
I wish my 11th grade class read YA books, that would be awesome.
By the way, I wrote this post on my English class forum on The Iliad, about how everyone had to stop complaining about Achilles' childish behavior and start imagining him complexly, and then explained why his anger could be understandable. My english teacher was pretty impressed. I have to give you credit, because my mind wouldn't work that way (for the most part) if it weren't for your books. There is no one person in my english class who doesn't hate Achilles.
Lyssa, you are awesome. fyi.
I kind of agree with you, Lyssa, but mostly I don't. I decided to read John Green's books because a) I'm a Nerdfighter, b)I love reading in general, and c) after Looking for Alaska I knew they would be amazing. Frankly, if any of these reasons weren't true, I probably wouldn't have read them. The type of people who would read Looking for Alaska and think "Oh, this talks about sex, I should go have sex," frankly, aren't going to be reading this book, let alone any book. Those teenagers are the ones on whom the insanely low expectations for teenagers are built.It's sad, but true.
I do agree that I don't love all of the profanity, and yes, John should realize that not everyone agrees with him. However, I think he does realize that. He's not saying, "These people are evil because they don't agree with me," he's saying "These people are effectively trying to ruin our society by telling people to abolish something that they personally don't agree with." He's not condemning other people for having different opinions than himself, he's condemning them for acting on those opinions in such a way that is clearly harmful to everyone involved. (And he's sucking up to librarians, because that's what he does.)
One Sunday when I was 11 or 12, the library was closed, so I rooted through boxes in the basement and found an old romance book. I was sitting in the living room reading it, and one of my mom’s ‘friends’ was over and she saw me reading a smut book, gasped like she’d just seen a ghost, and whispered to my mom “You’re not actually letting her READ that are you? What if she... y’know... DOES something?”
My mom shrugged and said “She’s a smart girl. I’m sure she can figure out the difference between fiction and reality.”
Her ‘friend’ then proceeded to tell everyone else in the entire town that my mother was letting me read books with sex in them, and there was a bunch of gossip going around that once I hit puberty I was going to be some sort of sex-crazed lunatic because I was being exposed to things way above my comprehension.
I have to say I felt a little insulted. Yeah, sure, the characters had rough and rowdy sex in the shower, but it wasn’t like I read it and went “OH HELLS YEAH, IMMA TRY THAT!” I read it and thought to myself “Wow. How crap does this woman’s self-esteem have to be that she spends every waking moment trying to seduce some guy who, for all she goes on about his ‘rock hard love shaft’ really doesn’t seem to have much substance? Why wouldn’t she find someone who she actually likes, rather than someone who’s just there for a shag? Isn’t she going to feel like a real dumbass later on when she realizes how utterly meaningless her relationship with this guy is? All they’re doing is screwing like bunnies!”
Needless to say it was the last romance book I read. Harry Potter was WAYYY more interesting.
And really for all that people were whispering that I was going to be an uber-slut, I wasn’t. Funnily enough, when I hit puberty the girls whose parents had essentially denied that sex existed and were adamant that their little darlings had to be protected from such trash, didn’t even know that every one of their daughters were giving blowjobs in the washrooms at break.
Honestly I have to say that reading that book was a good experience for me. I realized I didn’t want to be like that woman, looking for some meaningless, futile escape from reality. I didn’t want to have sex with random guys. And for all those people that say kids can’t read critically, I have to say they have NO IDEA what they’re talking about. I’m 19 and I’ve never had sex and half the coddled girls I went to school with had children as teenagers. Not because I didn’t have the opportunity, but because I remembered the message I saw in that book. I never found a guy who was worth it, and who wasn’t just trying to get under my clothes because he was horney.
Sex shouldn’t be taboo. We should be discussing the consequences. We should be reading books in school like LfA that show you that it is honestly a crappy idea in a lot of situations, both emotionally, and physically (yeah yeah, orgasm... but most girls I’ve talked to about sex don’t even know that the more guys you sleep with, the higher your chances for cervical cancer). I think a lot of teens decide to go out and have sex BECAUSE it’s taboo and because they want adults to... I don’t know... acknowledge their maturity? Why don’t we just throw it all out there and let people make their own decisions?
Tracey
Tamar, I definitely see your point and of course the people who are out "looking" for stuff about sex won't necessarily find a copy of Looking For Alaska and say to themselves, "Oh, I think I'm going to read that because it talks about sex." but even though nerdfighters are totally awesome, they can be just as vulnerable as anyone else. and while no one's going to finish reading Looking For Alaska and say that they're going to go have sex, it can still subconsciously be on their mind. Ideas have consequences--good and bad. and even if it only affects one person, isn't that enough?
and yes I personally think that John Green's books should not be banned (because they're awesome) but some people don't agree and we can't just tell them to suck it up and deal with it. We need to hear both sides of the story and remember the source. frankly, they can do whatever they want and so can John Green. Just like it wouldn't be fair if the school told John Green that he could no longer write these books with such controversial topics in them, it's wrong for John Green to say that the schools should not ban his books. But while I love the books, I honestly think that there could be less profanity. It's just not professional and in the end just makes you look ignorant. But still, he can do whatever he wants. Who am I to judge?
(and btw, Tracey, i totally agree with you!)
This is horrible! I wonder if the people against this banning have even read Alaska, because it is completely not pornographic! I know plenty of young people who have read your books, and none of them have been like, "YAY! Let's have sex!" after reading them.
Best of luck dealing with this, John. The nerdfighters will be backing you all the way. DFTBA.
Recently in Wisconsin there was a group of citizens that wanted to ban a young adult book and burn it in front of the school. They fortunately were told no.
However, you can watch some of the debates on youtube and one library science professor makes an excellent point of labeling those books as "mature content" will only made them get checked out more. But I think these cases are indicative of a few cultural shifts namely the fact that there is an influx of young adult books written for GLBT youth, books with darker existential tones like Looking For Alaska, and the fact that libraries are paid for by taxpayer money and easy targets for people with a political agenda-unfortunately. I think there is a pretty big "anti-government" shift in some circles and libraries are probably the next "pushing an agenda on our children" scary thing for the kinds of people who like to yell at town hall meetings to get upset about.
I think it is interesting they are doing this during ALA's banned book week and to such a well regarded young adult author. That's asking for a national backlash. It does not make any sense at all.
Regardless, this future young adult librarian has your back and will recommend this book to anyone who needs it.
Tracey - Banned Books Week is using a poem by Ellen Hopkins as part of its promotion, but it's so bitter and caustic it's only going to alienate those they're trying to reach.
Your post, though, is just what their cause needs. It speaks from the front lines, from your own experience, and shows the consequences of both learning through reading and being held back from such learning.
I wish it could be read at every school board and PTA meeting.
Laurie Halse Anderson’s books have been challenged recently as well, and there’s this good post and discussion at
her blog.
And by the way, John, being banned in your hometown is an honor you share with Steinbeck. “The Grapes of Wrath” not only got him charged with obscenity, but was burned in the city square.
When he was told, many years later, that the Salinas library would be named after him, Steinbeck said, "I wouldn't have been surprised if they had named the local house of ill repute after me.”
I hate this whole book banning phenominon that seems to be so big in America.
I might just be being ignorant, but I swear that in the UK where I live we have no problem. I have been reading books in school that deal with lets say "mature issues" since I was eleven.
I as a 12th grade student read the book and LOVED it! I think you are 100% right and, when I become an English teacher, I would use your book if my curriculum allowed for it! I commend you for standing up for your novel in a respectable and rational way.
"I personally think that John Green's books should not be banned (because they're awesome)"
Lyssa, I think what people are disagreeing with about your post is that it's not that John's books shouldn't be banned "because they're awesome" (though they are.) They shouldn't be banned because you shouldn't ban books. John is absolutely upholding people's right to not read his books if they don't want to. He is upholding their right to not like his books. He is upholding their right to not let their children read his books. What he has a problem with is people trying to prevent other people, people who *want to read his books*, from reading them. Can you see the distinction?
"frankly, they can do whatever they want"
No, they can't. We actually have First Amendment laws about this sort of thing. And you should be really glad we have them.
Years ago an Ontario school board wanted to keep Stephen King’s “Different Seasons” out of their high school classes because one of the stories was, yep, “pornographic.”
King said, “Book banning is never about what’s pornographic or what’s not. It’s always about who’s got the power to try and impose their view of the way the world should be on the minds of the young ones in their charge.”
Around the same time he wrote an essay for the Bangor Daily News on his own “Adventures in Censorship.”
Oh man John that sucks.
Censorship = fail.
What crappy news to get during Banned Books week.
I'm not a parent so maybe my perspective is different than those who are parents, but it's ultimately the parent's job to supervise what their child reads and to TALK ABOUT IT. Hiding things from kids doesn't do anyone any favors.
Gah. Laura Mallory syndrome strikes again.
The way I see it, if your book is challenged by these people, you're doing something right. Seriously, going through that list that's being challenged in the Orlando area - they're all brilliant novels, from brilliant, well-educated people.
Banned Book Week is my favourite, it basically summarizes my reading list for the upcoming year.
As I always say,"Don't tell ME what my son and daughter can read. That's MY job, as their parent, to tell them what they can read!"
What are those Florida parents even thinking? If they don't trust their childrens' maturity level (to leave them alone at the public library), then why aren't they accompanying their children to the library? It's THEIR job to supervise their children's reading--and television viewing--and Internet useage--NOT the library's, nor anyone else's!
Trying to get these books--or any other books--censored is simply a way for lazy parents to pass off their responsibility to supervise their own children. They should teach their values to their own children, and let other parents do the same!
I always try to read at least one "banned book" during Banned Books Week, so I've just requested Mr. Green's book from my local library.
Maryland Mama
Lyssa-
You said it yourself--teenagers act like that. John doesn't use crude jokes and bad language just because he feels like it; he does it because he's writing about people who talk that way. It's actually more professional to write that way, because instead of pretending that everyone is all pure and sweet, he is being true to the characters he created. And it's so much easier to relate to realistic characters.
I completely agree with you. The sad fact is, however, that most of the people who ban these things do not read them.
I taught English at a Catholic school in the South for a few years, and they had adopted Junior Great Books as their reading program. At the time, I was teaching 5th and 6th graders, and the first short story in the book was Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron."
Being new to the school and assuming I was allowed to teach from the books--the brand-new books, mind you--I'd been provided, I taught it, much to the horror of parents galore.
Several people complained, and the administration actually asked me if I could go through every copy of the book and blacken out all the "inappropriate parts" with a Sharpe.
For realz?
"Did anyone even read these books?" I asked my principal.
Silence.
Exactly.
I politely declined the Sharpe project, counter-offering to write a letter, welcoming all parents to do that (even though I thought it was stupid), since what is inappropriate to one parent may not be to another. They didn't want me to write the letter, and I had to instead pick and choose the rest of the stories more carefully. Blah.
None of the stories were inherently evil, when read in context, but it seems that the powers that be in schools never bother to actually read these things for themselves. Sadly, most I've worked with don't even seem to read those snippets taken out of context.
Between this and Lauren Myracle's post today, I'm so fired up, I think I need to write my own post about the suck that is banning books.
Anyway, good luck!
Best,
Ricki Schultz
www.rickischultz.com
www.rickischultz.wordpress.com
WHAT THE HELL. This makes me sad to be from Orlando. Sorry, John =/
But on the bright side, the "banned books" usually turn out to be the best books. Not because they're banned and that makes those who read it a rebel of sorts, but because they obviously bring something to the table that should be talked about more, but for some reason isn't.
Plus, when I think of Looking for Alaska, that scene doesn't even come into my head! I mean, it was brillant, but that's not what the book is about.
Maybe they should focus less on banning books and more on stopping their 10 years olds from talking to creeps on facebook, where REAL damage could be done.
Banning books is just ridiculous in my opinion. These parents are over protective which in my experience hurts more than helps. Teens are fully capable of hiding things from parents.
And besides, what right do those parents have to chose what other parents children read? This is exactly why my mom decided to homeschool me because she didn't think it was anyone else's business in how she raised me.
Thank goodness my mom never really tried to censor my reading. I'm sure she would have tried except that I read so fast there was no possible way for her to keep up with me. Instead, she just told me that if anything made me uncomfortable I could stop reading and talk to her about it.
Today in English, our librarians presented Looking For Alaska in a book talk for books dealing with contemporary issues. Amidst my frantic flailing I was proud that they were recommending the book while others schools try to ban it. And they called you one of their favorite up-and-coming authors and mentioned vlogbrothers. It was a good day :)
This seems to be a much bigger problem in the US than the UK. Over here, your books would definitely be allowed in school libraries - indeed, there are much more explicit books in our school library than anyone can borrow, and I'm sure that's not an exception. P)arents here seem to be a lot more trusting about letting their kids read more mature material - you could take that as not caring, I suppose, but I agree with you - people shoudl respect their children, and trust them to be able to deal with scenes like that in a mature way.
Banning books like yours is ABSURD!!! BTW: Stop over to my place today if you get a chance. LFA is listed as a TOP 10 MUST READ.
http://debralschubert.blogspot.com/
did anybody else read the article and notice that one of the mothers in Leesburg's name is venetta? which is only one letter off of vendetta? ironic.
Banning books because of certain scenes will only give kids less encouragement to read. I just read Frank McCourt's 'Tis a few months ago, and in one scene, McCourt tells his students who are completely uninterested in reading to read Catcher in the Rye. While their parents complain and send letters to the school because of a few inappropriate scenes, these kids are interested in reading for the first time ever in their lives. Given that Looking For Alaska is often compared to Catcher in the Rye, I think this shows that it is ridiculous to ban a book that can stimulate a child's interest in reading.
This is the consequence of public schools and public libraries- the public makes the decisions rather than customers or experts. If we want customers to make decisions for themselves instead of busybodies making decisions for everybody, we need to get rid of this social model that the majority or a loud minority can overrule individual rights and choices.
if John's characters didn't talk the way real teenagers talk, or do things real teenagers do, they wouldn't be young adult novels. They'd be Sweet Valley High.
So, I don't know if the people trying to ban LfA (and others) remember this, but being a teenager is really, really hard. And painful. And awkward. And when you're in that awful stage between childhood and adulthood, when it feels like pretty much everyone is against you, books and music are your lifelines. Books like LfA, Catcher in the Rye, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, make teenagers feel connected. I don't think the book-banners realize the detrimental effect their actions will have on teenagers.
On the brightside of things that get banned only get more popular because people are curious creatures. The only other thing I can say to make you feel better is thousands of people around the world love your books mostly cause they're not the same old story told time and time again and if those people think looking for alaska is only about oral sex well then clearly they have very small unimaginative minds.
And the immortal struggle between literature and the idiots who don't get it commences, though I am sorry you had to get chucked into the un-jokes end of the swimming pool.
At least in Florida, it's still not too cold to swim. Too bad you're considerably farther north.
I'm glad it all worked out though--the unanimous vote had to be at least a little bit soothing. I think I'd still be mad, though, were it me.
Really? With all the crap on TV and in movies today, they are gonna try to ban a book for mentioning sex? Have you looked at the average chick lit??
P.S.
John Green, you're my hero. Your books have changed my life. Now write another, please :)
Mr. Green, thank you for writing in a way that does not condescend to your audience. It is a refreshing contrast to many of today's authors. Don't let the crazies get you down, and thanks, again.
I actually don't even remember the oral scene, and I read this book about 4 weeks ago. Probably because it was awkward I kind of just skimmed through the scene.
I live in Orlando, so I keep hearing about this around my library.
It's like these women are trying not only to parent their children, but other parent's children as well. They only focus on the sex scenes, the profanity, the drug use in order to explain why it's "bad" for it's targeted audience.
They overlook the themes and meanings the stories are trying to convey.
First of all, I would just like to say that I am 14 years old and enjoyed that scene very much, not because they were having oral sex, but because of how terribly awkward it was. I laughed my head off. So thank you for pointing out that even teenagers can read crtically.
I agree, not all people my age, or even older, are capable of doing so, but even taking that into consideration, I cannot imagine anyone stupid enough to read that scene and think 'Holy shit, time to go see what this is all about!'.
My generation is coddled too much, and if people keep trying to do such idiotic things as ban amaing, beautifully written books, by 2100 there will be approximately 30 people left with the ability to think for themeselves. -rant over-
So, thank you for writing the way you do, and keep on keeping on.
this has actually given me more incentive to lend my worn-in-with-love copy of alaska to my 14 year old sister. i was hesitant at first because i was afraid of her reaction to the beej scene, but not because i thought that it would automatically turn her into a slut the second she closed the book. i figured she should read it when she's a junior like alaska and pudge. so i bet that parents are prolly hesitant to let their kids read this book because let's face it: a conversation between parents and kids about suckin the cock is awkward city. but that doesn't mean they should ban this excellent book. it means they should man up and be honest with their kids and quit hiding behind the highschool musical facade that they think real highschool is. i'm giving this book to my sister right now, so that she can read about what really happens in highschool. and that way she won't be an idiot when it's her turn to drink booze and make mischief.
Lord Byron ought to have a talk with Orlando....
"Confess, confess you dog,...it may be bawdy, but is it not good English? It may be profligate but is it not life, is it not the thing?"
looking for alaska is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and children (under age 18) should not be allowed to read it under ANY circumstances.
it is well known that a group of six 15 year olds in the suburbs of Portland Oregon died after drinking ambrosia last year. look it up on snopes, its true. when they were found, there were tattered copies of looking for alaska all over the place.
^ re. SaveTheChildren
1. Are you being serious? It has happened before that I have missed the sarcasm, and I don't want to misunderstand you.
2. I could not find that on snopes. Granted I had little time, so if you wanna link that, I'd take a look.
3. One detail that individuals take from a book and act in a unsafe way on their own accord does not constitute a dangerous book. Just about every book in existence would be considered dangerous if people decided to find a minute detail and imitate it in an extreme way.
Sam said this banning garbage is the fault of "moral" people, which, to some respect is true. But I read Alaska, loved it, and consider myself a "moral" personal. In fact I think our country could do with a few more people who try to do what's right now and again.
I don't think the problem is a abundance of morality; I think the problem is a lack of thoughtfulness and time taken to truly and honestly investigate things, particularly books. But then again, if I was a parent, I don't know that I would want my son or daughter reading Alaska, at least until they were a little older than their pre-teens. I don't want to lump all junior highers, but I don't think I was a thoughtful enough or introspective enough person in 8th grade to read Alaska and not giggle like a fool at the discussion of sex. But I suppose young people today (of which, I am still one @ 20 years old) are more used to discussion of sex. Still, I don't think being "knowledgable" in this area has helped too many kids, and if I was a parent, I'd ask my children to wait (heaven knows if they'd actually listen) to read this book, not because (lord preserve us) it mentions oral sex, but because I think it adds to our culture's push to make discussion of sex casual and flippant, which I think cheapens something that shouldn't be cheapened. Then again, young teens hear and join in the sex discussion anyway so why do I care if they hear it from a source that, after thought, views sex far less flippantly than most sources in our time? I don't. I'd just like them to wait a few years.
Maybe I'm being naively optimistic in thinking that teens might want to think of sex thoughtfully and in sacred terms. In fact, I know I am. But just because something is unlikely to happen, doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to do what's right.
Alaska is not the problem for sure. I would probably cry if it was banned in my area. But the "moral" people trying to ban Alaska is, I think, a misguided attempt to pin down the problem I just described. It's like trying to cut down a tree by hacking at the branches or pulling at the leaves
...and to further extend my pathetic metaphor, the sexual content in Alaska is only a leaf so the banning people see that leaf and are deciding that they should cut down the whole Alaska tree. Dammit, Janet. Why are we so lazy?!
i myself am a tenager, and i recommended LFA formy schools bookclub.
after the librarian of my school [and the leader of my bookclub] discussed the book with my pricipal, he allowed it.
id also like to say i recommend it to anyone and everyone
Really? Really?
Because there's this little thing I once heard about it fifth grade American History quite a few years back.
I think it was called the Bill of Rights... or something to that effect.
Something called freedom of the press, or whatever.
Banning books shouldn't be allowed in a country with freedom of the press... just sayin'
I'm a library director and LOVE this book! There is a reason why this is to be cataloged in the YOUNG ADULT SECTION! I don't simply pasify my overly protective parents by moving books to the adult section as one suggested. I simply tell the parent that if they want to censor what their child reads, that's fine...but I don't practice censorship nor believe in it.
Let's face it, whether children read a blurb about oral sex in your book or not, they are still doing it! The blurb in your book only helps kids relate to the characters better!
I found this blog by accident and I know that it hasnt been posted on in a while but I would still like to add my input. I read all three books by John green before I even made it to high school, we had a good librarian at my middle school and she tried really hard to find good books that we would really want to read. I found Looking for Alaska IN MY MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY, ages ranged from 10 to 15. Needless to say most other students didnt find the summary of Looking for Alaska particualrly interesting so only a small percentage read it. Looking for Alaska is my favorite book, and when I read that part I SHOWED IT TO MY ENGLISH TEACHER! And she laughed, what should that tell you? I'm doing a report in my current english class and we are writing persausive essays, mine is on should books read by teens and youth be cencored in libraries? NO this book made me LESS willing to ever give oral sex. In fact my best friend and I vowed to NEVER give a blowjob to anyone. It blows my mind to think that people-adults none the less can't understand the value and morals of a good book better than I did in the 8th grade and better than I do now in 9th.
Wow. These comments are so interesting.
I found the book to be about the BIG questions––as well as the incidental ones so necessary to maneuvering in the teenage years, like how to cope with other teenagers and inadequacy.
This book's characters were, if anything, atypical in that they were sooooo smart. (I LOVED the basketball cheers - OMG!).
But what characters to-try-to-live- up-to, in that they were savvy, honest, raw, braver than most adults I know.
"What is the meaning of life and death?" Wow. Now that's some incredibly adult territory. If you don't get a glimpse at the power in that in this book, you miss it entirely.
That they are wise enough to enjoy being young along the way is an incredible tribute to their character and fortitude.
So much more instructive in character than if they were just street kids breaking and entering and carrying guns.
If sex–or awkward entrees into that–exist along a path with this much character building, I'd say, they will learn the way as they go and, like the Eagle, sometimes you have to look the other way.
Wow. These comments are so interesting.
I found the book to be about the BIG questions––as well as the incidental ones so necessary to maneuvering in the teenage years, like how to cope with other teenagers and inadequacy.
This book's characters were, if anything, atypical in that they were sooooo smart. (I LOVED the basketball cheers - OMG!).
But what characters to-try-to-live- up-to, in that they were savvy, honest, raw, braver than most adults I know.
"What is the meaning of life and death?" Wow. Now that's some incredibly adult territory. If you don't get a glimpse at the power in that in this book, you miss it entirely.
That they are wise enough to enjoy being young along the way is an incredible tribute to their character and fortitude.
So much more instructive in character than if they were just street kids breaking and entering and carrying guns.
If sex–or awkward entrees into that–exist along a path with this much character building, I'd say, they will learn the way as they go and, like the Eagle, sometimes you have to look the other way.
i like it lot woo it make my heart feel tingly sparkly with goodness gracious
i can read iu am 13
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