Reading Response to The Fault in our Stars

The realistic fiction novel The Fault in our Stars by John Green has been on my “books to read” list for quite some time. My co-teacher Ms. Warren recently recommended that I bump it up to the top of my reading list, so I took her advice and read it over Labor Day weekend. Once I began reading this incredible story I could not put it down. I was hooked from the first sentence. This book tells the story of a teenage girl facing terminal cancer. But the story is much more than that. It’s really a story about a girl named Hazel who faces unique and profound challenges with an incredible sense of humor, sense of self, and outlook on life that is far beyond her years. And above all else, it is a love story. The protagonist in this story represents what living life to the fullest is all about.

Hazel Grace Lancaster loves to read. She is obsessed with her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, so much so that she writes several letters to her favorite author requesting that he publish a sequel to the story. The author doesn’t respond to her many letters, but she soon finds out that her new friend from cancer support group, Augustus Waters, has emailed the author’s assistant and received an almost instant reply from the author himself. Together, in the face of terminal illness, the two friends plan an improbable trip to Amsterdam in order to meet the author in person because he has promised to reveal answers about the mystery ending to their favorite book. Despite an emergency trip to the hospital, and a shocking secret that changes their lives forever, the two friends make their dream trip come true. Their travels don’t go at all as planned, but in true Hazel and Augustus fashion they find humor and love in the face of adversity.

This story made me think deeper about humanity because, first and foremost, it introduced me to a world and life unknown to me personally. Not only does the book go into depth about people living with cancer, it specifically focuses on what it’s like to live with cancer as a teenager, and all of the additional challenges and experiences that people of that age are faced with. What resonates with me still is the main character’s wit, loyalty to her friends, and incredible way of making everyone around her feel special and cared for even as she faces an uncertain future, with the only certainty being that she will soon succumb to her incurable illness. I recommend this book to readers who are interested in a story that forces you to reflect on your own life challenges in the context of “the bigger picture” in life, as well as readers who have experienced the loss of a loved one and might be interested in identifying with a story to help to cope with that loss.