The weather was almost perfect at Paul Miller Park for our August meeting where we discussed Looking for Alaska, by John Green. Up next for September is Columbine, by Dave Cullen. We'll plan to meet at the library on September 12th, and will provide a Zoom link as the time gets closer. Looking forward to seeing you all again next month!
Onward!
Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.
Everyone who attended the meeting liked the book, in varying degrees. We loved Mr. Greens character development, and found the ensemble believable, and mostly likable... although it was asked what the boys found so appealing about Alaska, being the tortured soul that she was. We appreciated the fast read with shorter chapters that were cleverly labeled so many days "before" and then so many days "after".
If we were divided about anything it was all the controversy around book banning, with this being one of the books selected to be banned in places. On the one hand, there were members who felt like no one has the right to decide for everybody what books should be available to any audience. Kids are exposed to this conduct, and much worse, in their everyday day-to-day lives at school, on TV, the radio and the internet... this would be nothing new and/or alarming for them. They thought, in a way, that the adult themes depicted in this book, along with their consequences, was a good thing, as it could serve as a deterrent to teens, and instead encourage them to make better choices. It was also said this could open a dialog between teens and their parents to discuss these subjects and get some boundaries established. Ultimately, this group felt like it was up to parents to decide what was ok for their kids to read.
On the other hand, members countered that most teens aren't interested in having lengthy, open discussions with their parents about much of anything, let alone these precarious topics. No one felt good about handing anyone in the Young Adult age range of 12-17 years old (the marketed audience for this title) this book to read, as it felt like they'd be telling them they approved of this kind of behavior. It would feel like normalizing it. In the end, it was added, "If this book was made into a movie, it would be rated R due to it's content and subject matter, and this Young Adult audience wouldn't be allowed in. Why then, is it ok that it's marketed and put on a shelf with this specific age range in mind?" No one in the group was saying they think this, or any other book that readily came to mind, should be pulled off the shelf entirely and disposed of. Rather, a fair number thought this book should be moved from the YA shelf, to the adult fiction section and promoted to this faction instead.
How do you feel about book banning? What are your thoughts on better age appropriate book classifications? Let us know below! 👇
Are you a big fan of Looking for Alaska? Admirers of the book also enjoyed, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell, and If I Stay, by Gayle Forman. All of these titles are available within the Viking system~ reserve your copy today!
Would we
recommend this to a friend to read?
"YES"
Would we
recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:
4 stars
