Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are. -Paper Towns.
This quote relates to the next genre because the it shows that people aren’t exactly who you think they are most of the time. The next genre discusses how John’s novel, Looking For Alaska, has been banned from schools due to inappropriate content. Some people even accused him of things and called him a pornographer. Also, this quote reminds me that I can’t make assumptions on people based on how I perceive them the first time I meet them, which is a great life lesson to remember.
American Dream/ Controversy
Dear Diary,
I just found out that in Tennessee, the legislature passed a bill where teachers cannot teach anything that would encourage “gateway sexual activity.” One of the books that was banned because of this bill was Looking For Alaska by John Green. The reason it was banned was because it contains an inappropriate sex scene. It has been banned in Knox County in 2012 for being pornography. Other famous authors such as John Steinbeck have also been banned too, so censorship is a common trend.
John has said, “I am not a pornographer.” While Looking For Alaska may have been banned, it has received many awards, such as the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award, and a 2005 LA Times Book Prize Finalist. John Green is a role model to me because he has achieved the American Dream by striving toward a dream that he’s had since he was very young. In college, he didn’t get into the Advanced Fiction Writing class, which was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to deal with. At that point, he lost faith in himself and didn’t write for over a year. Still, he persevered on and continued to write after that. He didn’t give up on his dream, even though it is difficult to become a famous author. Looking For Alaska is his first novel, and I believe that it should be honored for its lesson, and not discouraged because of the content.
Sincerely,
Sydney
I just found out that in Tennessee, the legislature passed a bill where teachers cannot teach anything that would encourage “gateway sexual activity.” One of the books that was banned because of this bill was Looking For Alaska by John Green. The reason it was banned was because it contains an inappropriate sex scene. It has been banned in Knox County in 2012 for being pornography. Other famous authors such as John Steinbeck have also been banned too, so censorship is a common trend.
John has said, “I am not a pornographer.” While Looking For Alaska may have been banned, it has received many awards, such as the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award, and a 2005 LA Times Book Prize Finalist. John Green is a role model to me because he has achieved the American Dream by striving toward a dream that he’s had since he was very young. In college, he didn’t get into the Advanced Fiction Writing class, which was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to deal with. At that point, he lost faith in himself and didn’t write for over a year. Still, he persevered on and continued to write after that. He didn’t give up on his dream, even though it is difficult to become a famous author. Looking For Alaska is his first novel, and I believe that it should be honored for its lesson, and not discouraged because of the content.
Sincerely,
Sydney