Looking For Alaska Should Be Banned Essay

The first amendment to the United States Constitution gives citizens the right to freedom of speech, but by banning books, is the amendment broken? Amy Coles’ article, John Green Fights Back Against Banning of Looking for Alaska, explains how associations are fighting back against the banning of books in public libraries and how a well known, award winning author feels about the prohibiting of his book in school libraries. The author, John Green, published his first novel Looking for Alaska in 2005. At that time, the novel was not very popular because Green was just beginning his career. Within a decade, Looking for Alaska became the most complained about book in America. People complained about the homosexuality, sexually explicit scenes,
The thoughts parents have come up with have caused many school districts to remove Looking for Alaska, and meet to decide if it should be allowed in school libraries. However, Coles has questioned that by removing the access of the book to students, is freedom of choice and speech being violated. The author gives an example about how a school district in Kentucky is going through the process of deciding whether or not Looking for Alaska should be banned or not. The situation began when a teacher wanted to teach the book in an English class, and sent home permission slips allowing parents to decide if it was okay for their child to read the book. When one parent found out this book was going to be taught, they had strong objections towards the teaching of Looking for Alaska. Even though there was an alternate reading assignment, the parent complained causeing the school committee to have to meet in the future. The meeting will decide the outcome of Looking for Alaska in the Kentucky school district, but until then the novel has been