BOOK REVIEW: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

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THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
John Green
Penguin Young Readers Group
368 pp.
Ages 14 - 17 years

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.

MY REVIEW:

Why did I wait so long to read this book? I ask myself that every time I read a book that grabs me in a way that I can never let it go. This is one of those stories. I'd heard about it since it was first published early last year -- that it was the cancer book everyone should read. And I thought. Why would I want to read about kids dying of cancer? Aren't there enough depressing things in the world as it is? Don't I read to escape all that?

Yeah, but...

The story of Hazel Grace and Augustus is so much more than a cancer story. It is a real, honest to God love story -- between a boy and a girl, between joy and despair, between suffering and sacrifice, between living and dying. The narrative is often heart-wrenching with just enough humor to keep you from completely falling apart. The protagonist Hazel Grace is so authentic that it is hard to believe the author is a man.

If you've gotten this far and are thinking "This story sounds sad. Why would I want to read it?" I must tell you that it is sad, and it is inspiring. It lifts you up out of your mundane life and puts all the petty little problems we all have in their proper perspective. It makes you look around and see things a little differently, makes you appreciate what you've got and makes you want to hold those you love the most and tell them you love them now. This story brought back happy memories of my Grandpa, my grandma and my aunt who all died of cancer. This story, I believe, honored their memories.

I have read few stories that moved me this way. If you were to ask me if you should read it, I would say, without a doubt.

CONTENT RATING:

Profanity: Moderate
Violence: None
Sexuality: Moderate