Banned Books: Looking For Alaska | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Banned Books: Looking For Alaska

The reasons behind the ridicule.

91
Banned Books: Looking For Alaska
Pexels

If you were to ask me what my all time favorite book is I would tell you Looking For Alaska. I remember reading it for the first time when I was only a seventh grader. So young and naive about school. Everything seemed so easy going and perfect and these bunch of crazy teenagers were life changing. But the past couple of years the Printz Prize winner was caught under fire. Many schools are banning the book from their libraries due to an explicit oral sex scene.

Looking for Alaska has been named the most complained about book of 2015 in America for its ‘offensive language’ and ‘sexually explicit descriptions’ from many schools. Tennessee is probably one of the more recognized bans. The Tennessee legislature recently passed a bill that says teachers cannot encourage “gateway sexual activity.” Seemingly empowered by the acts of the law, officials in Sumner County banned John Green's young adult novel from the school curriculum because it contains a two-page oral sex scene, one of two mildly erotic passages in the book. Is this even real life? The whole book is 223 pages, 221 have nothing to do with sex but because two pages do, it can no longer be read by students?

Back in 2005, the teen book claimed the number one spot on a list of controversial books ahead of EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey. WHAT?! A book that is basically porn and shows violent relationship behavior was below a YA novel that had a page and a half about his first sextual experience with a girl? That just blows my mind. I mean it won the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award in 2006, does not appear to be pornographic in even in the broadest sense. John Green’s response to the backlash was absolutely spot on,“Text is meaningless without context. What usually happens with Looking for Alaska is that a parent chooses one page of the novel to send to an administrator and then the book gets banned without anyone who objects to it having read more than that one particular page.”

I personally don’t believe this book should be banned. John Green is no where near being the pornagrapher some parents make him out to be. There is one whole sex scene and it is awkward, unfun, disastrous, and entirely unerotic. His only reason for putting that particular scene in the book was to draw contrast between that scene where physical intimacy, but it’s very emotionally empty. The argument here is that physical intimacy can never stand in from emotional closeness and that’s when teenagers attempt to replicate these ideas inevitably fails. Looking for Alaska is arguing against vapid physical interactions, not for them.

Looking for Alaska is still the greatest book I’ve ever read. I always find myself going back to the copy I own to reread again and again. I know exactly what happens and I still find myself crying over the outcome. I highly recommend this amazing book with a great background, so go get your copy today.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

196149
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

18419
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

460531
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

28132
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments