The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2012.

Summary:

Hazel Grace Lancaster is not your typical sixteen-year-old. Hazel is in a battle for her life against thyroid cancer. At age thirteen, she left school in order to have some sense of a life. Since her parents believe she is constantly depressed, they subject her to weekly support group meetings at a local church. Hazel is reluctant to attend until one day her perspective changes when she meets a basketball-playing boy who has also been battling cancer named Augustus Waters. Quickly Hazel and Augustus connect and their relationship blossoms into romance. Will love prevail? Or will cancer get the best of their affection?

Analysis:

Initially, I was going to review this book in audiobook format; however, after previewing the audiobook, the reader’s voice didn’t quite fit the voice I had already been imaging for Hazel. Because of this disconnect, I opted to read John Green’s masterpiece novel. And am I glad I did!

John Green has the amazing ability to capture his audience and reader within the first few lines of this novel. The reader finds him or herself immediately connecting with Hazel and empathizing with her over her struggles with her parents. Since this novel is told from Hazel’s perspective, the reader has greater insight.

Green’s flow of story is initially slow, allowing for the appropriate background to build and to help engross the reader as he or she is submerged in Hazel’s world. The reader becomes invested. Because of Green’s ability to make the reader become one of his characters, you’ll find yourself constantly thinking about the characters in this story as if they were your own parents, friends, and neighbors.

The plot is simplistic, yet so full of detail with the growth of a budding relationship. The growth of the relationship becomes pivotal in this story and is something with which all young adults can relate. Young adults can also connect with the underlying themes of sacrifice and loss.

The language in The Fault in Our Stars reads as natural-thought making this a very enjoyable and smooth read. Green has the knack for transferring authentic thought and dialogue to text. Adults, young and old, will be able to connect with Green’s style and Hazel’s story. It is no wonder that this book is a best seller and was created into a popular movie. Green allows the reader to peek into a world that may be unfamiliar and allows readers to grapple with the difficult circumstances surrounding cancer and love. If you don’t know Hazel’s story, you should.

Awards and Review Excerpts:

-  2013 Teen Choice Award Finalist

- #1 New York Times Best Seller

- TIME Magazines #1 Book of 2012

- #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller

- #1 USA Today Bestseller

- #1 International Bestseller

- #1 Indie Bestseller

From Publishers Weekly: “If there's a knock on John Green (and it's more of a light tap considering he's been recognized twice by the Printz committee) it's that he keeps writing the same book: nerdy guy in unrequited love with impossibly gorgeous girl, add road trip. His fourth novel departs from that successful formula to even greater success: this is his best work yet.”

From TIME Magazine: “Damn near genius . . . The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, one of the most genuine and moving ones in recent American fiction, but it’s also an existential tragedy of tremendous intelligence and courage and sadness.” —Lev Grossman

From NPR.org: “[Green’s] voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. You will be thankful for the little infinity you spend inside this book.”

From Booklist: “In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph.”

From The Washington Post: “John Green deftly mixes the profound and the quotidian in this tough, touching valentine to the human spirit.”

From The Atlantic: “This is a book that breaks your heart – not by wearing it down, but by making it bigger and bigger until it bursts.”

Connections:

 Collect and share other novels written by John Green, such as:

- Looking for Alaska ISBN 9780142402511

- Paper Towns ISBN 9780142414934

- An Abundance of Katherines ISBN 9780142410707

Collect and share other stories centered around cancer and its affects, such as:

- My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult ISBN 9780743454537

- A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry ISBN 9780385734202

Research and learn more about various types of cancer, including Hazel’s form of thyroid cancer. Collect information regarding support groups, treatment, and protocol for cancer patients.

Learn more about John Green. Visit his website at http://johngreenbooks.com.

After reading The Fault in Our Stars view John Green’s SPOILERS at Questions About The Fault in Our Stars Spoilers

Listen to John Green read aloud the first chapter in The Fault in Our Stars. In my opinion, his reading is better than the audiobook. View this at YouTube - John Green Reading

Watch the movie version of The Fault in Our Stars and compare book and movie. I still have yet to see the movie. I’d much rather read the book first. View the trailer here The Fault in Our Stars - Movie Trailer

Write about a time you experienced any of Hazel’s feelings in your own life (i.e. romance, loss, anger, regret, etc.). How would you handle being Hazel?

This contemporary realistic fiction novel is a must read for any young adult! Be sure to add this to your reading diet… It’s a healthy dose of love, sacrifice, emotion, and humor!

*Image borrowed from www.barnesandnoble.com

~ Mandy J