The Banned Book Club "Looking for Alaska" by John Green | Bookstore1Sarasota
Cultural Experiences
The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn Durgin, dedicated to reading and protecting the most important and threatened books for our generation.
July's pick is
Looking for Alaska
, the award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green.
The book has been banned or challenged because of claims that it "normalizes dishonesty, hazing, underage drinking, and smoking."
We will meet in person in the loft at our store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $12, which includes a copy of
L
ooking for Alaska
to be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award • A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist • A
New York Times
Bestseller • A
USA Today
Bestseller • NPR’s Top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels •
TIME
magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time • A PBS Great American Read Selection • Millions of copies sold!
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words—and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
Looking for Alaska
brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A modern classic, this stunning debut marked #1 bestselling author John Green’s arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John Green
is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including
Looking for Alaska
,
The Fault in Our Stars
, and
Turtles All the Way Down
. His books have received many accolades, including a Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and an Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by
TIME
magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the writer and host of the critically acclaimed podcast
The Anthropocene Reviewed.
With his brother, Hank, John has co-created many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. He lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit John online at johngreenbooks.com.
ABOUT BOOK BANS:
Book bans in public schools have recurred throughout American history, and remain an issue of concern to us at Bookstore1Sarasota. Over the past years, the scope of such censorship has expanded rapidly. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in public schools. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it. Learn more here: https://pen.org/banned-books-list-2025/
Information Source: Bookstore1Sarasota | eventbrite