Daniel

1/15/19
D-Block

Paper Towns: Dangerous and Misleading

Some children in sixth grade are currently reading books about sex, drugs,

and suicide. Most of them have never heard of these topics before, because no

trusted adult has explained these concepts to them. Instead, they are being

introduced to dark images through the actions of a fictional character who does

not sit down and explain all of the consequences to them. Their minds are being

infected with false information and dangerous ideas. Therefore, books including

traumatizing or misleading content should be banned for sixth graders; Paper

Towns by John Green is definitely one of these books.

Most books are banned because they include mature content that may

disturb children or their parents. Erin Manning, a banning activist, writes on

Mercatornet that “...explicit sex, violence, drug use, and the like were major

elements of the story.” These mature ideas should not be exposed to eleven-

year-old children. They could disturb them, or persuade them to attempt similar

behavior. These books are misleading, and they do not always show the

downsides to the characters’ actions. All parents are trying to do is protect their

children’s minds from dangerous and traumatic ideas.

Specifically, in Paper Towns there is a sexually explicit scene and multiple

hints of suicide that could upset or mislead younger readers. Q, the protagonist,

is at a highschool party and he is not having fun. While wandering around the
house, trying to find some privacy, he hears some muffled sounds coming from

the hostess’ room. He “could see the top two-thirds of Jase, shirtless, on top of

Becca, and she had her legs wrapped around him” (182). This image could make

children feel uncomfortable or upset and promote unsafe behavior. It could be

interpreted as fun or normal when in reality it is dangerous and inappropriate for

children to imitate. In addition, while talking to a detective about his friend’s

disappearance, Q states that he is “worried that she might have, um… killed

herself’” (151). This could easily scare or worry younger children; the quote is

delivered casually, as if suicide is not a serious topic. Concepts such as suicide

should be introduced deliberately. No book should promote dangerous behavior,

no matter what positive messages it might include.

Some people argue against censorship because books are safe places

that show the downsides, and negative consequences, to inappropriate or

unintelligent behavior. Regan McMahon, an anti-banning activist working with

Common Sense Media, writes that “exploring complex topics like sexuality,

violence, substance abuse, suicide, and racism through well-drawn characters

lets kids contemplate morality and vast aspects of the human condition.” Books

are safe places to learn new things, however, some books are written with the

goal of entertaining the reader. This means that the author may choose to

provide misleading information or leave out information to make the book more

interesting. Adding on to this point, Jessica Gross, a writing professor at Eugene

Lang, writes that “‘books look at the topics, the concerns, the worry, the

fascination that kids have today... It's the world in which they're living.’" Ignorance
can cause unsafe situations, nonetheless, children should learn about the world

around them from a trusted adult, not a book. Books can cause traumatic

experiences that parents can prevent if they are able to vet their children’s

reading material.

For example, Paper Towns includes a scene depicting the downsides of

consuming alcohol, yet the message provided is a negative one. At one point in

the book, Q is on the phone with his friend who is experiencing his first hangover.

Ben claims that he has to “sleep ten thousand hours...drink ten thousand gallons

of water, and take ten thousand Advils” (190). He sums it up by exclaiming, “Bro.

I feel like sh*t” (190). This is a positive message. It is teaching children the

consequences of consuming alcohol, which will convince them to avoid copycat

behavior. However, two days later Q’s friend ruins the message by attempting to

get drunk again. He explains that since no one drank at his party “there were 212

beers left over and [he was] taking them over to Lacy’s for her party tonight”

(233). This destroys the positive message. It makes alcohol look fun and safe

and encourages children to drink.

Young adolescents are being exposed to inappropriate, mature material.

They are being taught about these topics by fictional characters who rarely reveal

the downsides to their behavior. If people do not prohibit some books from

innocent sixth-grade eyes, our next generation of adults will be engaging in

unsafe behavior at a prodigious rate. Act now and do not let this disturbing trend

continue.