The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Original ISBN 978-0-525-47881-2
Dutton Books, 2012
318 pages

Plot Summary: Hazel Lancaster survived Stage IV thyroid cancer, but life is far from normal for this sixteen-year old. She is still physically weak and drags around an oxygen tank everywhere she goes. Her parents send her to a ‘kids with cancer’ support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a handsome boy that is in remission from osteosarcoma despite having lost a leg. Augustus shares his passion for violent video games, while Hazel shares her obsession for the book An Imperial Affliction – a book about a girl with cancer that ends mid-sentence. Hazel and Augustus travel to Amsterdam to ask the author what happens after the book ends. The teens discover that many people have faults that affect their lives.

Critical Evaluation: Told from the point of view of a sixteen-year old girl, the book is far from being a book about kids with cancer. Augustus and Hazel (and their friends from the support group) do not feel sorry for themselves nor do they want the pity of others. Augustus has come to the conclusion that he and other kids with cancer are “collateral damage” in the grand scheme of things. They often make jokes at the expense of their ailments. They also realize that no matter how hard “outsiders” try to understand them, there is no real way that can happen.

The story is also one of love, but not one of the typical ‘first love’ stories out there; after all, that wouldn’t work for the two main characters – they have been through way too much to be seen as impetuous and flighty.

There is a LOT of symbolism and allusion in this novel, beginning with the title. The title was inspired by a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” It is helpful to know that one of the themes of Julius Caesar is ‘Fate versus Free Will;’ this helps in understanding the themes behind The Fault in Our Stars.

Reader’s Annotation: Would you love someone even if you know it might eventually cause you pain?

Author Information: Green is an American author born in 1977. He once worked at Booklist as a publishing assistant and production editor. The Fault in Our Stars is Green’s fifth and latest novel. Not only is he a fantastic writer, but he also posts several hilarious and thought-provoking blogs with his brother, Hank http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers . They both run Crash Course – an educational channel on YouTube where John lectures on topics of History and English Literature.

Green and his novels have won the following awards: 2006 Michael L. Printz Award; 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book; 2009 Edgar Award; 2010 Corine Literature Prize. It is anticipated that The Fault in Our Stars will win multiple awards in 2013.

John Green is one of the coolest people I know. His website can be found at http://johngreenbooks.com/

Genre: Realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: English Language Arts discussion of symbolism, allusion, and figurative language. The novel also can be used as a companion piece to Julius Caesar.

Booktalking Ideas: The best way to start to any booktalk about a John Green book is to show a “VlogBrothers” video. There is a video of John reading the first chapter of The Fault in Our Stars…I also would show a snippet of that.

Reading Level / Interest Age: Grade 8 and up

Lexile: 850

Challenge Issues: There is swearing, playing of violent video games, a brief sexual encounter, and a lot of candid talk of death.

Reason for Item’s Inclusion: The Fault in Our Stars topped nearly every list for the best fiction book of 2012, including first for Time Magazine. It is by far one of the best books I have ever read.

References:

Sims, A. (2012, December 4). ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ tops Time’s top fiction book of 2012, “The Casual Vacancy’ trails behind. Retrieved from
http://www.hypable.com/2012/12/04/top-fiction-books-2012/