FISHERS — Hamilton East Public Library announced they will move John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” back to the Young Adult section.
Hamilton East Public Library system, which has two locations in Noblesville and Fishers, has a new policy requiring librarians to review every book in the teen section of the library to see if it fit for teenage readers.
Last week they released a list of books that would be moved from the Young Adult section to the Adult section of the library.
Green learned of the removal of his book, which was eventually adapted into a hit movie, and shared frustration over the "ludicrous" decision.
"The Fault in Our Stars has been removed from the YA (young adult) section in the suburbs of Indianapolis and is now considered a 'book for adults.' This is ludicrous. It is about teenagers and I wrote it for teenagers. Teenagers are not harmed by reading TFIOS. This is such an embarrassment to the city of Fishers,” Green said in a Tweet.
PREVIOUIS | Author John Green voices frustration with Fishers library (wrtv.com)
Today, Hamilton East Public Library Board President Laura Alerding issued the following statement regarding the book:
Upon reviewing the page(s) of “The Fault in Our Stars” book that were the basis of the Director’s and review staff’s reason to move the book out of the Teen section, I believe there was an error in implementing the Collection Development Policy and that this book should be moved back to the Teen section immediately. The Board of Trustees will discuss further what went wrong with the review process at the next public board meeting.
As of July 19, 1,385 books set for review had been moved to the general collection part of the library and out of the young adult section.
Though the books are moved from the young adult section, a teenager is still able to loan the books.
According to John Green, one book is not the problem. "What about my other books and hundreds of YA titles?" the author took to Twitter.
Cool. What about my other books and hundreds of other YA titles? Award-winning classics of YA lit by everyone from Nic Stone to Judy Blume continue to be wrong shelved by a ridiculous policy that embarrasses Central Indiana. Change the policy not just for TFIOS, but for all. https://t.co/VHtCpmM8mH
— John Green (@johngreen) August 14, 2023
A public meeting will be held at the library on August 25.
