Unlike many of the other banned books, Looking for Alaska, written by John Green, is a potential up-and-coming classic.

The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) did leave an imprint on the adolescent mind, but Looking for Alaska simply blew TFIOS out of the water.

The novel is centered around a gawky, socially awkward boy nicknamed “Pudge”. In hopes of turning over a new leaf in his life, he transferred over to a boarding school where he meets the ever-beautiful, mysterious Alaska Young. After meshing with her group, he is thrust into a world he had never before experienced–one enveloped in a cloud of cigarette smoke and teenage mischief.

Altogether, in my humble opinion, the book was a masterpiece. Green’s language was delicate and memorable, the characterization was impressive and the plot left me laughing at times and in tears at other points.

The book has been banned for a variety of reasons, the main ones being for inappropriate language and the implicit sexual content.

Though I will not deny the presence of both of those, the quality of the novel by far outshines the more mature aspects of the book. The parts of the book that are deemed “inappropriate” are sporadic enough that they don’t interfere with the textual vitality of the book.

Therefore, I firmly believe that Looking for Alaska is an important book for a wide range of people–boys, girls, teenagers, adults–to read.