Module 3 Review - The Fault in Our Stars

 

Bibliographic Information

Green, John. 2012. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN: 978-0-525-47881-2

Plot Summary

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Critical Analysis

The Atlantic wrote, “This is a book that breaks your heart -- not by wearing it down, but by making it bigger and bigger until it bursts.” I couldn’t agree more with their statement. Choosing this book was a personal challenge for me. My family has a history of cancer, the closest being my mom who was diagnosed when I was in highschool. I read while perusing reviews that this novel wasn’t deemed a “cancer book”, but after closing the last page, I heartily disagreed. I think this book described watching someone you love have cancer in a beautiful, heartbreaking, horrible way. That is what cancer is. If you are reading this novel from the point of view of someone who has never experienced cancer, I know this book would make you feel sad, angry, and raw. A rollercoaster of emotions as you experience and feel what Hazel and Augustus go through. My personal opinion however, is that I suspect the author, John Green, has not experienced cancer in his personal life. Some of the sentences throughout the book felt “wrong”, inaccurate, or biased, like writing about what someone thinks someone with cancer would think about or feel without actually knowing. If you talk to someone who actually has had, or currently has cancer, very rarely do they actually want to discuss it. They want to focus on just about anything other than the sickness they are fighting. This book focused on almost nothing but the fact. The main characters' lives revolved around the fact that they had cancer, and while I do understand that this was the plot of the book, it doesn’t feel realistic as young adult novels should. In my opinion, The Fault In Our Stars will hold different things for different people. There is probably a great divide in opinions, and it may depend on whether or not you have experienced cancer yourself. Despite my personal biases, there is still a definite message of hope and of making the most of what you have in this book, both of which I enjoyed. A lesson of how not every story has a happy ending, but we can live the lives we have been given to the fullest extent. 

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

*#1 International Bestseller

*#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller

*Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction

*Audie Award for Teens

*”In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph.” - Booklist, starred review

*”Green writes books for young adults, but his voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. You will be thankful for the little infinity you spend inside this book.” -NPR.org

*”A pitch-perfect, elegiac comedy.” - USA Today

Connections

*As you read The Fault In Our Stars, pick out lines that stand out to you and reflect on what they mean to you and why they stand out.

*Listen to the author, John Green, read the first chapter of The Fault in Our Stars. https://www.youtube.com/live/F_vFvbfn9Fs?si=cafa4Amd17c3piqn

*Everyone is afraid of dying, though many people interpret that fear in different ways. While some may fear the idea of oblivion in the afterlife, others are concerned about being totally unremarkable (and thus forgotten when they die) during their living days. Regardless of how a person defines the fear, the knowledge of impending death takes a significant toll on his or her psyche. Read related novels about the fear of death. 

Gaines, Ernest. A LESSON BEFORE DYING. ISBN: 978-0375702709

Zusak, Markus. THE BOOK THIEF. ISBN: 978-0375842207

Peck, Robert N. A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE. ISBN: 978-0679853060