The Fault in Our Stars Paperback – April 8, 2014

The Fault in our Stars is a love story of two cancer struck teenagers. The author, John Green, tells this story through the eyes and mind of the main character, Hazel Grace. John Green got inspiration for the title of the book from Act 1 Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” The genre of “The Fault in our Stars” is realistic fiction and geared towards young adults but enjoyed by many ages. It was recently turned into a movie with the same name filmed by Josh Boone. TFIOS is the winner of the 2013 Children’s Choice Teen Book award. It was named TIME magazines #1 Fiction Book of the year on June 6th, 2014, a feature film adaption that was released and earned over $300 million in box office sales. Also, TFIOS won many Teen Choice Awards in 2014.The Fault in our Stars was a book that let me wanting more. I wanted to know more about the book after the ending. I wanted to know what happened with Hazel’s family. The book was well-written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish it was a more strung out plot. Moreover, on Amazon book reviews surviver_15 said “I think it is very well written. It covers a topic that is difficult to talk about and is often avoided” While scrolling through all the reviews I see several topics having their titles be, “The Best Book I’ve Read in Years”, or “Young Adult Fiction at its Finest.” In addition, on Amazon book review Helen said, “TFIOS is a word that defies its genre in all the best ways. The silly boy crushes and superficial gossip that writers think makes up 99% of high school steps aside for a beautiful, honest, heartrending story of life, death, and love. I can only compare this book to Markus Zuzak’s award-winning “The Book Thief” in terms of sophistication and depth.” Coming from one of our own Trumbull High School fellow classmates, Lily Clark also states, “This book was inspiring and heartwarming. It taught me to love my life and not take anything for granted.” In my opinion, the trip to meet Van Houten was the best part of the book. John Green described Amsterdam in a way where I could imagine the romantic dinner at the restaurant Oranjee and the canal ridden streets. The detail in which they described the suffering of Augustus Waters throughout the book was articulate and gave me an elaborate mental visualization of him. It was almost as if I could hear their voices in my head and I could feel their sadness.Looking at all these quotes from people I can definitely tell they agreed on how they felt about this book. So let’s talk about what this book is really about. TFIOS is a love story about two stage 4 cancer teenagers. Hazel Grace is a shy thyroid cancer stuck 16 year old girl. When her mom makes her go to a support group, she takes special interest in a 17 year old ex-basketball star who happens to be an amputee. Hazel recommends Gus to read, “An Imperical Affliction” which becomes the epitome of their relationship. After finishing the book, Gus reveals that he had been in touch with the author of the book and had been offered a meeting with him. After medical restriction problems and parent persuasion, they took a trip with Hazels mother to Amsterdam to meet the infamous Van Houten. After meeting with the drunken genius, Hazel loses interest in finding out “What happens next.” In this book on this romance filled trip, Gus tells Hazel his cancer has returned and he was in fact dying. When they return home Gus’s sickness worsens rapidly. Now I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say you get that feeling of not wanting to put the book down, but also need a break from reading this heartwarming book. Most importantly, you can’t be afraid to let a few tears go. On the website theguardian.com Milo agrees by saying, “It enthralls, entertains, and educates and offers a jumping off point for young people to explore and discuss important philosophical issues. And yes, I did get something in my eye at the end. But it was only dust.’”The author did a great job of allowing us to feel different emotion throughout the book. At times it was hard to read, but I guess that’s what you should expect when reading at times romantic and funny, but at the sad time heart wrenching and heart breaking. John Green receives a question asking, “Did the themes and ideas from stories you had abandoned in the past help shape TFIOS?” He replied, “Yes , in a lot of ways. There are many lines from the sequel and the desert island book that ended up in TFIOS in different ways. John Green also adds, The desert island book was primarily about how we behave around each other when we are scared, how fear makes us both more and less human…..But then I ended up including a lot of metrification in TFIOS, so it founds its way in as well.” Concluding, if you have read some of his other book for instance, Paper Towns (2008), Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), as well as some short stories “Reasons” What you wish for (2011) or most recently, “Double on Call and other Short Stories (2012), the TFIOS is definitely the book for you. Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick this book up and experience the feelings most of us felt during this movies, and I hope you leave off feeling the way I did.

Read this and other reviews at [...].Okay, so to say a book changed my life is pretty serious business. This book, though, is serious. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has changed my life. I couldn't decide if it ruined me. Or fixed me. I've decided to go with fixed me. In all honesty, a series changed my life last year - Fifty Shades of Grey - seems strange, maybe, but it's the truth. It opened me up to this whole other world of books, those independently published, prompted me to write reviews, and therefore start this blog, and since then meet so many amazing people and cultivate amazing friendships.Last spring, I came across The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I read the synopsis, saw it was getting high praise, and then I chickened out. I couldn't have run faster. Young people. Cancer. No. Way. Generally, I'm a sucker when it comes to subjects like this anyway - I always watch Beaches or Steel Magnolias, but damnit, even though I know what happens, I still can't manage to not lie in the fetal position and snot all over myself.{{"That's the thing about pain...it demands to be felt."}}A couple months went by, and I crossed paths with some other avid readers, like myself, all who were SCREAMING for people to read this book. I always felt there was no way I could broach this. My husband's brother passed away in January 2011 (two years ago today, to be exact). My son was 5 weeks old, and it was a horribly dark time. So bittersweet. We had this awesome baby, and then Tim's (my husband) twin brother was dying. I knew reading this story would open up a lot of feelings I remember having in regards to Jeff's cancer, but more importantly to the way it affected my husband and my in-laws. I said at one point, not long after I had Cohen, that I could not ever imagine burying my child. John Green pointed this out for me not far into TFiOS.{{There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you're sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer.}}I fell in love with the characters (all of them), the writing and the story from page one. While I knew it was going to be a sad story, the way that John presented the subject was beautiful. It's amazing how connected to fictional characters you can become, and this was never truer than when reading this story. John was able to lace amazing humor, sarcasm, romance, and HONESTY, so much honesty into this, that it was impossible to put down, even while crying so hard, I couldn't see the screen of my iPad.{{It seemed like forever ago, like we'd had this brief but still infinite forever. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.}}Yes, as I predicted, this story ripped me open, but it did much more than that. It truly put me back together in way that I didn't realize I was broken. It amazes me how much you can love and learn from people that aren't real. John is a genius. He created these characters that grab you IMMEDIATELY and don't let go. Ever. I finished this over a week ago, and have since found myself re-reading certain parts on numerous occasions. I wasn't even going to review it, to be completely honest, because I knew ^^^ this would occur. Just a whole lot of nonsensical rambling, with some memorable quotes interspersed. I know I'm not doing it justice. And no one can. It just must has to be experienced and felt.{{I want to leave a mark.}}The day after reading this, I crawled into bed with my son (he's 2) and had a long talk with him. He just stared at me, babbled on about the humidifier, his train table and the stars and moon. I knew, though, this story made me think. It gouged out some stuff in me, and hopefully I can be a better version of myself because of it. I was then watching Private Practice and Sheldon (one of the doctors on the show) said something that reminded me so much of this story, and just life in general. And its importance.{{The petty things, they don't matter - the things we argue about and wish we could change about another person: none of that matters. What matters is having someone there to hold your hand if you have cancer.}}Not everyone is so lucky to have that. But many are. I know for my husband, his family found comfort in the fact that Jeff had that. And I know someday I'd have that. It is easy to take for granted, but this book reminded me how important it is to make extra sure NOT to take advantage of this. And of life.I hope that if you're scared to read this, you'll give it a chance. Yes, it's a sad story. But it's more than that. And it deserves to be read for the reasons other than it's sad. Life is sad, sometimes; in fact, a lot of times, life is sad. And unfair. But reading a story like this, reminded me that even in the saddest of moments, for people in the worst circumstances, there's still happiness, and things can be okay. I'm not sure how I'll change my life, but I know it's already changed. And will keep changing.SIDE NOTE TANGENT (again): In John's speaking engagement at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday night he said, the true character of a hero is not being able to go from weakness to strength, but rather strength to weakness. I got goosebumps when he said that and I couldn't possibly agree more - especially when it comes to writing an obituary and the wording of so and so "lost his/her battle with cancer" -- there is no losing the battle. Fighting it at all is winning, suffering is winning, and being the kind of hero that lives through this is NEVER losing the battle.Unfortunately Cohen never got to meet Jeff because of all sorts of crappy circumstances at the end. But we know that he's left his mark and Cohen will know just great his Uncle Jeff was. It's nice that today, of all days, I've finally gotten this review up and written and it can serve to be a great remembrance of him.You don't get to know how long you'll be here for, but never underestimate your mark on the world.Oh - and in case I didn't make myself clear - read this book.Okay? Okay.