The Fault in our Stars - John Green

What would a YA collection be without John Green novels? All kidding aside, his novels are incredibly popular, as are the films based on his books. As of Alter's (2015) article, The Fault in our Stars had sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide. This kind of popular novel can draw readers into the library, especially if they don't have the money to buy it in hardcover, though the wait is often quite long for popular new releases. And for this reason alone, I would add it to the collection.


The first time I read TFIOS, I cried, and I sobbed my way through the movie. I don't think the main objective of the book is to make the readers cry, but I think for a teen reader, this can be cathartic. We often talk about teens crying for no reason or about their moods swings. Having a novel to focus on can make some of the inexplicable emotion of adolescence easier to deal with.

But this is more than just a tear-jerker. This is a story for the survivors, for those whose days are not necessarily numbered by disease or diagnosis. Hazel has lived her life since her diagnosis trying to do as little harm as possible, to leave behind as little sadness as possible. She is not prepared to be the one left behind. The effect Augustus' death has on her speaks volumes, "It was unbearable. The whole thing. . . It felt . . . as if the things we'd done were less real and important than they had been hours before"(p. 262). There are many other characters with their own takes on being left, Hazel's parents, Augustus' family, Peter Van Houten, and even Otto Frank's recorded voice. What are readers of this novel if not survivors as well? We can choose to survive well or to survive poorly. As Augustus writes to Van Houten, " You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers"(p. 313).

This is a book about teenagers in love, but it is also a book about their parents. While we get scenes of romance, where it seems like Hazel and Gus are the only two people in the world (notably: dinner in Amsterdam, their sexual experience in Gus' room, selling Hazel's swingset), the plot seems to come inexorably back to the parents. Hazel needs her mom to travel with her, because she is an expert in Hazel's medical condition. Gus' parents come into the story more and more as Gus gets sicker and needs them more. I think this is another element that will ring true for teenage readers. In my experience as the mother of a teenager, parents are cast in supporting roles. They are never centre-stage, but they absolutely still have to be there when you need them!

References

Alter, A. (2015, April 10). Her stinging critiques propel young adult best sellers. T.he New York Times. Retrieved from 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/business/media/the-barbed-pen-behind-the-best-sellers-of-young-adult-fiction.html?_r=0 

Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. Dutton Books: New York.