Our March Read~ The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

This month we read 'The Fault in Our Stars' by the YouTube celebrity John Green. The overwhelming consensus was that the book was an instant classic. While it is undeniably a book for teenagers, what comes across in it is the harsh reality faced by cancer sufferers. We found this honesty admirable, and was certainly rereshing from the usual sugar-coated romance fed to teenagers. It is clear that Green has experience with cancer sufferers and is unafraid to instill the emotions that he felt into the reader. Green's skillful method of dealing with such sensitive matters in a humorous manner is remarkable and certainly endeared us to the book.
What was, however, a blot on the horizon, was the hype, which a few of us found to dimish our enjoyment of the book. Green of course has an almost cult following in the 'Nerfighters', who follow both his and his brother Hank's adventures through their YouTube channel 'vlogbrothers'. Perhaps it was that before it had even been released it was destined for Bestseller lists worldwide that heightened our expectations, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to them.
There is no doubt that it is a good book, and having topped the New York Times Bestseller List we are glad that it is recieving the critical acclaim that it no doubt deserves. Yet at it's core it is a simple story: boy meets girl, falls in love, yet they both have cancer. What is special about this book though is the small, intricate details that Green deals with, the conversations and emotions. Green clearly establishes that he needs no great adventure to tell a great story, he sees the extraordinary in the ordinary, and as such, so do we as the reader.