John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars"

John Green is arguably the best known writer of Young Adult fiction today. In the past, authors were merely a name on a book cover, but with the introduction of social networking, John Green has developed a loyal following of teen fans through his twitter, tumblr, and vlogging, a series of funny and often educational YouTube videos. He's written a number of popular YAL books, such as Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, but the book that has most recently captured America's attention is The Fault in Our Stars.

TFiOS tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old girl who is dying of thyroid cancer. Hazel has resigned herself to a boring existence, taking classes at the local college (because she already has her GED) and participating in various internet communities. At one of the "Cancer Kids" support group meetings her mother makes her regularly attend so that she can socialize out of the house, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, an amputee due to his battle with osteosarcoma. From the beginning, Augustus is clearly interested in Hazel, but she is reluctant to return his advances in an effort to "reduce the casualties" she causes when she inevitably dies of cancer. She likes Augustus, but she doesn't want him to become attached to her when she is terminally ill. Augustus doesn't give up, however, and through her relationship with him, Hazel realizes she can and should experience life to the fullest while she's still living.

What struck me first and foremost while reading was how convincing Green managed to be as the voice of a sarcastic sixteen-year-old girl. I had read Looking for Alaska previously, in which the narration felt very honest, but that was narrated from a boy's perspective. Green was really able in TFiOS to get inside the mind of a teenage girl dealing with the repercussions of being terminally ill. Hazel was not defined by her illness: she was still smart, funny, and moody, as you would expect a girl her age might be. According to Green, this has a lot to do with the real life inspiration for Hazel, Esther Earl. Green met Earl, a fellow vlogger, at LeakyCon, a Harry Potter conference, and the two became friends. It is clear that this friendship helps him write Hazel's character convincingly: it never seems contrived or cheesy.

The only weakness I could see in teaching this to teens is that it does deal with material that can be very upsetting, especially if a student knows someone suffering from or who has died of cancer. I would most likely include it as an option on a independent project where students could choose their own books, so that if it is too sensitive a topic, they could choose another book instead. That being said, Green handles the topic of illness very honestly and empathetically, without letting the illness the characters suffer from define them as people. For this reason, I would definitely recommend that anyone (students, teachers, kids, parents, etc) read the novel.

In February 2012, Fox won the film rights to TFiOS. Green regularly discusses news for the movie via his twitter account, and actress Shailene Woodley was recently chosen to play Hazel. The movie could increase interest in the book for reluctant readers, as the movie release has already gotten plenty of hype.

The attached video shows John Green himself answering some of the questions I've addressed on his vlog.