The Fault in our Stars
When I first met John Green in 2012, he introduced himself as a writer. I knew John from his Vlogbrothers fame, but didn't know about this passion — so I casually let a laugh slip out, knowing that he was actually an internet video creator..... this writing thing must be a side project or something. He said "No, I'm serious. I'm a writer." After reading TFIOS I can agree. John Green is first and foremost a writer, and a dang good one at that. With this book I came to understand that his videos are so great because his writing is so good.
John's ability to make me feel the emotions of a teenage girl (Hazel Grace) were unbelievable (Yes, I teared up). It's a wonderful story of meeting your heroes, falling in love, and... well...cancer. The cancer narrative was a real eye-opener for me, and I came to understand that someone doesn't die when they're diagnosed, even though we often treat them like they have. It helped me realize the importance of helping someone maintain their dignity by not giving them the "oh they've got cancer they should get what they want" treatment. This book really helped me walk through the recent death of my uncle. It also made me want to fall in love with my wife again.
-Destin
