When a friend of mine told me about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I knew I had to read it. But
when she told me how she almost stopped reading it because the subject
matter hit too close to home, I realized that books have a way of finding the
right people at the right time. And I am very thankful that this book found its
way to her and in turn to me.
Being a teenager is tough, being a teenager with cancer is
horrible, but being a teenager with terminal cancer describes Hazel, the sixteen-year-old main character from The Fault In
Our Stars. Author John Green took a
depressing, grim subject matter and turned parts of it into a lighter universal
story about teenagers, allowing readers at times to forget that these characters
had cancer.
Now, I don't want to be one of those people who goes on about
fictional characters when real children and teenagers are facing cancer each
day but John Green had worked with teenagers
who had cancer and had wanted to write about it. So yes, this story is fictional and the characters made up
but the subject matter is so strong and true that there is something much
deeper here. John Green has mastered a balancing act with his blend of a heavy topic and a sense of
humor that keeps the plot feeling like one about teenagers and not always one
about terminal cancer.
If you are looking for a book with a powerful message, I
strongly recommend The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green. It will make you laugh and cry, leaving you thinking long after
you read the last word.
If you want more information about childhood cancer or are interested in donating to organizations that help children with cancer, please visit one of the following sites:
For St. Jude's Children Research Hospital: stjude.org
For The Tomorrow Fund Clinic: tomorrowfund.org
For The Jimmy Fund: jimmyfund.org
Karen--you are absolutely right! Books have a way of coming into our lives at the right time--maybe because we are open to certain aspects of them as we read, or maybe because there's something big at work in the universe that helps us keep learning (reading?) what we need to learn. And you are right about John Green writing a book that's about teenagers, not about cancer. No matter what we write, it's about people first and how they handle the things that happen to them--because we are all people first. Not cancer patients or survivors. Not siblings of the disabled. Not teachers or even writers. As human beings who happen to be writers, it's good for us to always remember that.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your next blog on books that matter--you've given me a lot to think about, and I like that!
Thank you!