Book: John Green's The Fault in Our Stars

I am unashamed of the fact that I still occasionally read and
love young adult novels. When I want a break from reading history monographs or the latest great American novel for class, the last thing I want to read is something difficult or complicated. John Green's latest novel The Fault in Our Stars may not be the light subject matter one usually expects from the genre, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The Fault in Our Stars is the story of Hazel Grace, a sixteen year old
with lung cancer. She befriends Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor who, despite losing a leg, manages to live life to the fullest and is determined to drag Hazel along for the ride. The story covers a lot of ground, from support groups in church basements to trips to Amsterdam to meet famous
authors, from dealing with cancer to living in remission. The
novel addresses a variety of issues that people dealing with cancer face, but the tone is broken up by moments of humor that keep the book from being too serious. I realize the premise sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, which originally turned me off from reading it despite hearing great reviews. However, as anyone who has read one of his novels knows, Green is a master of balancing the funny and the serious to build a story that simply draws you in and refuses to let you go. I found myself unable to put the book down once I started it, never knowing what would happen next. Although the story is at its core a teenage romance novel, it really is much more than that. The story provides the readers with a roller coaster of emotions that has them laughing on one page and on the verge of tears three pages later. All in all, in the words of Hazel, the novel was pretty okay. If my review has convinced you to read the novel and you find yourself filled with the burning desire to meet the man who could write such a book, you're in luck. Green will be in town at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 at the Cincinnati Library as part of Teen Read Week.