Funny Bits 09-25-14: John Green
On Monday, a Riverside Unified School District committee voted six to one to ban The Fault in Our Stars from middle school libraries. The six in favor argued that (a) the book implies that the protagonists have sex, a subject of which kids today are blissfully ignorant, and (b) the fictional portrayal of cancer patients "dealing with their own mortality" is too "difficult" for preteens.
My reaction: "OMG, a few middle schools still have libraries?"
John Green's reaction:
I guess I am both happy and sad.
I am happy because apparently young people in Riverside, California will never witness or experience mortality since they won't be reading my book, which is great for them.
But I am also sad because I was really hoping I would be able to introduce the idea that human beings die to the children of Riverside, California and thereby crush their dreams of immortality.
I haven't read Green's book - but if he can comment like that, with so much packed into a few words, he can probably write.
Thanks for the quote.