At a time when reading among teens is in decline, one particular author has made nerdom hip for "Millenials" and Gen Y-ers. Acclaimed author John Green and his brother Hank are headed to Knox County Public Library. They will appear at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 6 at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and open to the public.
John Green, the celebrated author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines, will be reading from Paper Towns, his newest work. Green will also team up with his brother Hank "to talk about books, libraries, nerds, and other things that are awesome." Almost two years ago, the brothers started communicating through videoblogs, eventually creating the popular series Brotherhood 2.0. Their work has been watched over 11 million times and is one of the most popular channels in YouTube history. Brotherhood 2.0 fans, known as "Nerdfighters," have become a community devoted to books and other nerdy pursuits. The brothers will be singing Nerdfighter songs, signing CDs, talking about books, and helping Knox County teens take part in a national Nerdfighter project.
Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult literature and was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and was also a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. His books have been translated into 11 languages, and both are currently in the process to become movies. His criticism has appeared in The New York Times Books Review and he has also written for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and for Chicago's public radio station, WBEZ.
Paper Towns tells the story of Quentin and his popular but mysterious neighbor, Margo. One night, Margo crawls in through Quentin’s window and takes him on a life-changing series of adventures throughout their home town of Orlando. The next day, she disappears. Quentin is left with a series of clues, including Walt Whitman’s Song Of Myself, she has left behind for him to solve.
"We are concentrating on ways to better connect with teens, and being able to bring John and Hank Green to Knoxville is a major coup," noted Library Director, Larry Frank. "They are funny, intelligent and completely refreshing for all age groups, but particularly for teens."
For more information on this event, please contact Mary Pom Claiborne at 215-8767.
