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.
The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) by John Green has developed a cult following of “nerdfighters.” thanks to the wildly popular YouTube channel “VlogBrothers,” hosted by John and Hank Green. I was late coming onto the bandwagon. I couldn’t understand why people were crying and posting a bunch of pictures with two clouds, one black and one white, with the words “Okay.” After reading the book, I completely understand.
Inspired by John Green’s friend Esther Earl (who wrote her real-life story in This Star Won’t Go Out), TFIOS is a story about love, life, and hope. John Green skillfully captures (and breaks) the hearts of his readers within the span of a short 318 pages. He successfully adopts a female teenage voice to narrate this amazing story. Hazel’s no-nonsense, witty and sarcastic attitude made this book a joy to read (even when I was crying). Having recently experienced my grandmother’s fight with cancer, the scenes were as authentic as they were poignant. I read TFIOS relatively soon after I lost my grandmother. Some of the scenes with Hazel struck very close to home and intensified my reading experience. This is not to say you need to have/know someone who has cancer. It just adds another layer of appreciation.
With the success of Divergent, movie fans are now familiar with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Englort who portrayed the Prior siblings. In the film adaptation, the two play each other’s love interests. Woodley clarifies “It’s a love story about two kids with cancer but it’s not about cancer.” The director decided to cast real cancer survivors as Hazel Grace’s support group for the movie.
I greatly recommend The Fault in Our Stars to anyone who is or knows someone struggling to enjoy life to the best of their ability. The book isn’t about loss, but living in the moment.