John Green talks to Indy fans about banned books access and other things close to his heart

Following his recent brush with book banning in his home state, Indianapolis author John Green spoke about his works, the state of America's libraries and writing for young adults during a conversation at the Indianapolis Central Library.

During his talk Monday night, Green — joined by State Senator Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, who moderated the discussion — rehashed a recent book controversy just north in Hamilton County, and discussed other themes related to book access and his career.

After discovering his book had been removed from the Hamilton East Public Library shelves, Green involved himself in an ongoing fight in the library system over what books were appropriate for children and teens. Green posted on X, sent a letter to the board and sought conversations with Fishers leadership. 

Backlash from the public bolstered by Green led the board to pause the policy to reexamine its implementation and purpose.

Read from Green's IndyStar interview:John Green says library controversy over teen books is bad for business, students

Green is slated to talk about book banning with fellow author Ashley C. Ford later this month.

Here are a few takeaways from Monday night's chat.

Fahrenheit 451 and effects of book bans

Limiting access to information is a tale as old as time, Green said.

"Access to information and limiting access to information is a very old strategy for trying to push forward one political agenda or one agenda or another," Green said. "And the reason it's done a lot is because it's effective."

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, which often winds up on banned books lists, explores this idea and what drives desires to ban books, Green said.

"What we read shapes what we think and when people want to control what we read, it is very much because they want to control what we think," Green said.

Diversity stifled by book bans

Hunley asked Green to expand on the struggle for equity in storytelling as many of the authors subjected to book bans are POC and LGBTQ+.

During debates in the last legislative session, Hunley said she noticed those were the stories deemed harmful by the lawmakers who sought to take them off shelves.

"What do you say to those of us who are continually marginalized, and how can we have hope to keep going when even though our stories are being silenced," Hunley asked.

There is power in stories from Black young adult authors like Leah Johnson, Angie Thomas and Jacqueline Woodson and amplifying those stories is important, Green said, adding that it is also critical to fight efforts to discredit or remove their books from public spaces.

"A lot of the books that get banned are the ones that most need to be in libraries," Green said. "The kids who will benefit most from reading them may not be able to afford their own copy."

John Green highlights importance of librarians

Librarians should be able to do their jobs, Green said. And decisions parents make about what their kids can and cannot read should be done in collaboration with a librarian, not one parent telling another's child what they can or can't read, he added.

"I understand the urge to want to protect kids but I just disagree with the argument that you know what's best for my kids or that you should be able to decide," said Green, who has two children of his own.

During Green’s discussion, Hunley and the author asked librarians to raise their hands and be commended. And although no one mentioned the library system by name, the Hamilton East Public Library debates reflect many of the themes Green and Hunley discussed.

What did John Green read in school?

Once upon a time, Green was an 11th grade student about to fail his English class, an experience that he said shaped him into who he is now.

His teacher gave him one last chance for a D. His assignment was to read and write papers on Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" and Tony Kushner's "Angels in America".

"Two books that are frequently banned," Green said. "Angels in America, unthinkable to teach in a high school English class in 2023."

Kids need to have access to stories they can connect with deeply and show them the world they see, the 46-year-old said.

"We read so many great books that year and almost all of them contain something objectionable," Green said. "I often think what my life would look like if that teacher hadn't said to me what he said to me and if he hadn't given me a chance to get a D in that class, and it would look very different."

The TFIOS scene that started it all

Green joked about intimate scenes he wrote about in his novels, not because they are funny but because they are now heavily examined.

“I don't think of my books as being particularly ban-able or particularly political. I certainly don't think of them as being erotic," Green said. "If you do, it's just really weird and I don't really know what to say to them because it just seems pretty obvious.”

During the HEPL board's Aug. 24 meeting board members unpacked TFIOS. Ray Maddalone even read the book's lone sex scene aloud to make a point about how the policy was misunderstood.

Hank Green, socks and tuberculosis

Socks, coffee and tuberculosis. All things close to Green’s heart that he shared more about with Hunley. 

Hank Green, Green’s brother and fellow Youtuber, runs a sock company where all proceeds go to to decrease maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone. Awesome Socks Club's past designs feature works from various artists.

Awesome Coffee Club is a subscription service that delivers coffee that holds up Green’s commitment to fair compensation. All proceeds go toward reducing maternal and child mortality in impoverished communities.

Lately, it's rare to not hear Green discussing tuberculosis, the subject of his next book. Green has launched a social media campaign to increase awareness about the infectious disease, which kills about 1.6 million people every year.

Last week, he spoke at the United Nations about his advocacy to see mortality from tuberculosis greatly reduced .

"In the U.S., we often think of TB as being a problem of the past 19th century British poets but it is and has been for almost all of human history the leading cause of infectious disease death," Green said. "What's different now is that it's curable."

Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.