The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars
Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.

Hazel Lancaster, a 16 year old girl living and dying with cancer, and her eventual boyfriend, Augustus Waters give us an in depth view into the world of teenagers with terminal illnesses, as well as a glimpse into the emotions and actions of the adults around them.  Hazel and Augustus embark on a journey that not only includes their romance but Hazel's desire (and eventual opportunity, thanks to Augustus) to interview the author of her favorite book.  Readers are able to witness Hazel's maturity in dealing with the less than positive aspects of life-- cancer, her parents' coping and grieving process, the book author's detructive attitude, and eventually, Augustus' death.  Because of the depth of emotion and content in the novel, it is necessary that readers be emotionally mature in order to deal with and understand the mental and physical aspects of the novel.  Hazel and Augustus are not only going through terminal illness together, but the need to be independent (not to mention sexually budding) young adults and a reader who has not reached the appropriate maturity level cannot process this information accordingly.  Most high school students will be able to appreciate the emotional aspects of The Fault In Our Stars-  not all of them, but most.  A good book to follow up with is This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl, a biography about the actual "Hazel" that Green's novel was based on.
I think in reading this novel, especially if it is followed up with the biography, young adult readers are able to see that life is not always a fairy tale, that it is often cruel and painful, but that we have a choice as to how we respond to the cards that we are dealt and sometimes, if choose to be, we are richer for what we experience.