Since Looking for Alaska has become the second-most banned book in America, let's talk about THAT scene. youtu.be/nuyaO-rFGjk - ThreadSky

johngreensbluesky.bsky.social • 68 days ago

Since Looking for Alaska has become the second-most banned book in America, let's talk about THAT scene.
https://youtu.be/nuyaO-rFGjk

Comments

toastielad.bsky.social•66 days ago

This book has single handedly changed my world view more than any other, and I find it really disappointing that my parents did not approve of my reading it in high school

butlertron.bsky.social•68 days ago

i'm surprised the pen america list doesn't have any explicitly queer books on it, but i suppose they have less reach and were caught up in the ban frenzies of previous years. (i also wonder about self-censorship of those books. looking for alaska's age and prominence probably protect it from that.)

maureenjohnsonbooks.com•68 days ago

lol LET'S GO

dkazuti.bsky.social•68 days ago

That is the book I gave my four (17-24) grandchildren two years ago in their canvas bag that read “I read banned books.” I read it first and it hit upon every emotion a human should have been born with. Thank you for your art.

daneenc.bsky.social•68 days ago

I love your books. I became a fan in my 40s, but would have loved to discover them sooner, like in high school.

amburjama.bsky.social•68 days ago

The people who want this book banned are the same people who have no problem with the “grab them by the p” recording of Trump.

delaneyr.bsky.social•68 days ago

Great job explaining and exposing the corrupt heart of book banning. I fear those who support the bans never read Animal Farm or Fahrenheit 451. We may be entering our Lord of the Flies era of the USA and I’m terrified at who is holding the conch.

stscs-ss.bsky.social•67 days ago

Spot on!! Exactly!

splort8.bsky.social•68 days ago

That’s a badge of honor to be able to say your book is the second most banned

wouldeye.bsky.social•68 days ago

What’s the most banned? We need to campaign to un-ban that one so John has the distinction of.. wait. Are my priorities wrong

little-thieves.com•68 days ago

It’s Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel memoir, Genderqueer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/books/maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban.html

sophienotemily.bsky.social•68 days ago

this is undoubtedly true, if you take all book bans and challenges together. John's talking about a list of books banned in public school districts, and I'm guessing not enough schools / school libraries buy Gender Queer in the first place. https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/

sophienotemily.bsky.social•68 days ago

I went and found this last time he talked about it. The "most banned book" depends on how you measure things. LFA is the second most frequently banned book *in public school districts* for the 2023-2024 school year, according to PEN America. https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/

sophienotemily.bsky.social•68 days ago

(and yeah, the top one on that list is Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.)

leo-atreides.bsky.social•68 days ago

Thank you for writing your book and for advertising how neo-nazi it is to ban learning and critical thinking in all aspects of life. It seems that some Christians believe the truth is only the way for life, if and only if, others tell you what you are allowed to think.

leo-atreides.bsky.social•68 days ago

Ooh my reading list just got updated thank you for the recommendation. Thank you for posting John Green.

that-nerd-girl.dftba.social•68 days ago

Beautiful video. We support you!

tactwo.bsky.social•68 days ago

Not the same but Jamie Oliver (same guy) had a book banned here in Australia due to skewed diversity values. Glad you're taking it well.

maybemojo.bgay.social•68 days ago

I was in middle school during one of the first times Looking For Alaska was challenged (unsuccessfully I may add), in a neighboring town. That was over 15 years ago, and it disappoints me to no end to see this still occurring. Unfortunately its not surprising, just disappointing.

msellison.bsky.social•68 days ago

Looking for Alaska was the first book that I ever convinced a struggling reader to read. He loved it and went on to vastly improve academically!

jamie.jaydubyasee.co.uk•68 days ago

John, the difficulty we are having now is that a section of society doesn't want "experts" telling them stuff. They think they know best. A sad world we live in. I truly wonder how teachers manage to go to work each day.

stscs-ss.bsky.social•67 days ago

We live under Trump, truth is lies and lies are truth. I keep telling people Trump's game plan comes right out of MEIN Kampf, specifically, The Big Lie. Look it up.

johnnychronic.bsky.social•68 days ago

I loved your book 🙂 I read your book when i was pretty young too and it wasn't my take away. The oral sex scene does stick out but for it's awkwardness like you said.

Book banners are really just anti-intellectuals. They hate what they can't understand.

falschspieler.com•68 days ago

Dunno why, I looked for Alaska and I found it on the map quite easily.

mjthompson.bsky.social•68 days ago

No doubt your map was some sort of projection of an oblate-spheroid onto a two-dimensional representative image. In fact, the world is a flat disc constantly accelerating in an axis perpendicular to the terraplane at a rate of approximately 9.8m/s² and GPS is programmed to lie to us all. 😉

mjthompson.bsky.social•68 days ago

Apologies for not using the sarcasm font

atreylyn.bsky.social•68 days ago

You can also use tonal indicators!

mjthompson.bsky.social•68 days ago

Tonal is a scam. You pay $39 for the printer and $49 every three weeks for the tonal refills.

atreylyn.bsky.social•67 days ago

😂

stscs-ss.bsky.social•67 days ago

LMAO 😂

moladysith.bsky.social•68 days ago

Wait, it is? Let me buy 10 copies!

diknagtegaal.bsky.social•68 days ago

Great video and good point.

rvwilburauthor.bsky.social•68 days ago

I read this book when I myself was in high school and have made it a point to read it every few years since. Admittedly, I haven’t picked it up in about 5-6 (my bad) but after allll those rereads I had to stop and think to recall the “problematic” scene. However the kiss lives rent free in my mind!!

bezwin.bsky.social•67 days ago

Thank you for reminding me to order this. Done and done

crasterimage.bsky.social•68 days ago

Oy Vey...

sharintaint.bsky.social•68 days ago

Speaking of banned creators (kinda) any chance you can help out Jill Bearup? She's an edutuber from the UK having issues with YouTube adsense and they're giving her the runaround. Time difference makes it even harder. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RZHajVV9PA

eafnashville.bsky.social•68 days ago

It was an amazing and emotional journey inside that book cover.

tembahisarmswide.bsky.social•67 days ago

Oh, I'm buying it now! https://Bookshop.org!

thatssodebonair.bsky.social•68 days ago

My favorite book 🌼

readriderock.bsky.social•68 days ago

Kenyon grad and former English teacher here. I taught ALL the banned books to 10th graders and wish that I could return to the classroom to teach Looking for Alaska. Thank you for your truth telling.

charley1915.bsky.social•68 days ago

My brother graduated from Kenyon. Class of 1964. This was when it was all boys college. Beautiful school.

nikhurley.bsky.social•68 days ago

It should be banned for breaking your heart 💔

It’s one of my all time favorites.

rachelwolfe.bsky.social•67 days ago

I thought this when you last tweeted about it- what's the source? Who's Pen?

lluviac.bsky.social•68 days ago

Looking for Alaska is one of my favorite books ever. This book is a work of art. I love the religious take, the philosophy from a teenager perspective and the fact that it made me feel as if I was actually grieving. THAT scene is not what stays with you.

kingzard.bsky.social•68 days ago

Its not even about being against reality, it's team sports. you're on the wrong team. If Jeremy Boreing or Matt Walsh wrote a book and there was a similar oral sex page in it they would not ban it.

lgrats.bsky.social•68 days ago

Thanks for the refreshing suggestion that teachers should be trusted. We don't hear that often enough

jenbunnee.bsky.social•68 days ago

That’s both impressive and infuriating.

robert.iremote.com•68 days ago

I read that book years ago, and I’m failing to remember that scene. I remember the book pretty well, I think. It must not be that risqué.

jetsjets.bsky.social•68 days ago

Write a book on this very topic? Maybe semi-autobiographical? Feels like society needs the dumb "book banning" current Christian nationalist crusade captured in art, which I haven't really seen yet.

butlertron.bsky.social•68 days ago

https://bookshop.org/p/books/attack-of-the-black-rectangles-a-s-king/17871252?ean=9781338680522&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA34S7BhAtEiwACZzv4cWxKm4fEeUPxe6QzSB5r0P6W2WRCgWBUZdpEVFqdGws0gSxWt0CYhoCUlkQAvD_BwE

rparrillo105.bsky.social•67 days ago

Another example that America does not do nuance.

wfulford.bsky.social•68 days ago

Keep up the good fight getting information out there. Believe me kids nowadays hear and see much more than this early on.

horripilationandy.bsky.social•68 days ago

Looking for Alaska is one of my favourite books and I love it every time you talk about it in a video

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