The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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Bibliographic Information:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

ISBN:  978-0525478812

2012 Dutton Books, New York, NY

Plot Summary:

The story follows Hazel Grace as she meets Augustus Waters in a teen cancer support group. She quickly falls in love with him, as they deal with being teens, protective parents, grieving losses of friends and exciting adventures.

Hazel Grace and Gus travel to meet Hazel’s favorite author, who she has introduced to Gus, in Amsterdam. They experience a romantic night together, the disappointment of the author being an insufferable alcoholic and then Gus tells Hazel that his cancer has come back and is everywhere.

The story follows with Hazel Grace and Augustus as their health deteriorates and they battle to live while dying. They provide support for their friend Isaac, who loses his eyesight and his girlfriend, and date each other through treatments.

Hazel Grace tells the story of her life through the end. She delivers a eulogy for her still living boyfriend. Then she attends his funeral.

Critical Evaluation:

The Fault in Our Stars is rife with references to classical and contemporary literature. The title itself is a reference to Shakespeare. Thankfully for those who are not educated in Shakespearean literature, the reference is actually quoted in the text. It comes from Cassius says, “the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves.” The argument in the book is that the quote is quite wrong and there are many things in life that go wrong because of chance, or “the stars”, and not because of personal fault.

There is also the reference to Magritte and his work “C’est nes pas une pipe”. This reference is classic and real and points to the cultural awareness of the characters. Hazel Grace wears a Magritte t-shirt when she goes to meet Peter Van Houten in Amsterdam. He had used this in his novel, so she made an homage to his homage.

Hazel professes a love for poetry that is unlike many 16 year old girls. She quotes T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song for J.Alfred Prufrock and William Carlos Williams’s The Red Wheelbarrow in conversation. One cannot help but feel that there is a little bit of an education happening within this fiction to introduce the audience to great classics.

Other references are made to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Hazel says the hierarchy does not hold up in her life. Because her health was compromised, she did not lose her desire to meet the higher levels on the hierarchy: art, philosophy, love, etc. Hazel definitely contemplates philosophy when she speaks of her smaller infinity. Every increment has an infinity of numbers between it, yet Hazel Grace Lancaster got fewer infinities than girls who did not contract terminal cancer.

Reader’s Annotation:

The fault in the stars of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters is that they meet at a support group for cancer patients.

Author Information:

John Green is a best selling author of several novels. He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.

Genre(s):

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Literature

Booktalk Ideas: Booktalks about love and loss.

Reading level: Grade 9+

Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: There is brief sexuality. Challenge Defense File 

Why I chose this book:

This book is a bestseller that was recently turned into a major motion picture. John Green is the winner of multiple awards for young adult writers and this book is a great example of his work.