John Green, author of four young adult books, including his
bestseller The Fault in Our Stars, and popular video blogger, spoke at the Cincinnati Public Library on Monday. His talk kicked off Teen Read Week at the library, a program that encourages teenagers to read for fun. His fans turned out in droves. Despite expressing nerves, Green brought the same
mix of seriousness and humor that fans of his books and videos have come to expect from him. Green’s talk focused primarily on why teenagers should read books. “I would argue that teens these days read far more words per day
than I ever did,” Green said early in his talk, citing the internet as the primary reason that words are more accessible to the average teenager. However, in his opinion,
these forms of reading do not satisfy the same needs as reading a book. “When I read a great novel, I can see the world from someone else’s eyes, even if only for a little
bit,” Green said. “We crave that feeling of not being confined
within this body, and reading offers us that.” He believes that sense of escapism is why people continue to read books even when there are so many other forms of entertainment available. Despite directing his talk towards the teenagers that read his books, Green did not hesitate to answer important questions such as ‘How do I come out
to my parents?’ and ‘Why do people suffer?’ when prompted by the crowd. “In my experience, if you treat teenagers as if
they’re not stupid, theywon’t disappoint you. Because when you credit anyone with intelligence, they tend to rise to the occasion,” Green said. After the talk, Green agreed to stay and sign books for everyone present at the talk despite the large number of people there. Despite my best attempts
to get an interview with him in the name of the Xavier Newswire, I was unable to do so. However, I did get his signature on what has become one of my favorite books. I think that’s a pretty fair exchange.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025