Tag: Romance

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

This Sic-Lit features two star crossed lovers with terminal illnesses and overcoming them to find some joy within their lives. 

General Information:

Paperback: 352 pages

Price: $7.59

Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 8, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 014242417X

ISBN-13: 978-0142424179

Plot:

The Fault in Our Stars follows the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster who is diagnosed with a terminal illness, who meets a young man by the name of Augustus Waters, who also has a terminal illness, at a cancer support group. At first the two do not hit it off well with Hazel instantly becoming angered by him after seeing him with a cigarette (later we learn that he never actually smokes it) though eventually they start hanging out together and forming a bond. After reading each other’s favorite books they travel to Amsterdam to find the author of Hazel’s book to find out what the ending of the book is supposed to have been. He ends up being extremely rude but in the midst of this trip Hazel and Augustus fall in love with one another. Unfortunately shortly after coming back Augustus falls extremely ill and end up passing away. At the funeral the author shows up to apologize but Hazel ends up not accepting it as she reads Augustus final letter which essentially says that hurt is inevitable though sometimes we get to pick who hurts us. Hazel ends the story stating that she is glad that she got hurt from meeting Augustus.

Evaluation:

My evaluation of The Fault in Our Stars is a positive evaluation as this book is an effectively written story that takes what was a very overwritten genre (sick-lit) and created a valuable and engaging read for teens and young adults. The overall writing of the novel is not overly difficult from a technical level however its message and the way it portrays it was clever and well presented by the author. Its value is within the morals and themes that it represents towards teens while representing a specific group of people who may have terminal illness or know someone who does.

Reading and Interest Level:

The reading level and interest level that The Fault in Our Stars is marketed for by Baker and Taylor is for the grades 10-12 and ages 15 and up. I think that this book could easily be read by a slightly younger audience as though it mentions things such as death (from terminal illness) and sex it never graphically describes anything as it is stated in a matter of fact tone. I would likely increase the age range to 8-12 grade personally.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value of The Fault in Our Stars is shown through the way it reaches teens and explains to them the shortness of life and the fact that we may not be in charge of larger issues such as terminal illnesses but what we can control is our attitudes and who we choose to share ourselves with/get hurt by. The story lets teens know that the world is not perfect and you will end up hurt at some point but sometimes it is worth getting hurt to enjoy the experiences while you can. It is a great tale that throws in romance and wise words and though some critics may slam it as a cash grab on the coattails of the sick-lit train, John Green makes sure that the book provides a purpose and something relatable for all teens and or young adults who may read this book.

Issues Present:

The issues present within The Fault in Our Stars revolve around the idea that the book is not appropriate for teens to read. Many challenges include the fact that the two main characters have sex (under the age of 18) and that it is inappropriate and distasteful to write a romance novel taking advantage of terminal illnesses. These were all reasons why the book itself has been challenged numerous times and at one point was completely banned from a group of middle schools in California.

Defending the Title:

The defense of this book from possible challenges involving the issue that were laid out above would be to first make it clear that terminal illnesses are something that many teens have to deal with whether with themselves or more likely with a friend or family member. Next the sexual nature of the book and the teens having sex with each other after such a short time being together has been brought up as an issue and first you must put into context why such actions were occurring (both teens could die at any moment) also none of the sexual content was graphically described within the book. Overall The Fault in Our Stars is a valuable book and can be easily defended with the right information and facts about the book.

Book Talk Idea:

The Fault in Our Stars provides many different questions and viewpoints for book discussions, however, if I was to be in charge of a book discussion I would have us talk about how much of Hazel’s life was limited by the disease versus self inflicted limitations. Some page numbers where this can be seen would be on pages 5, 24, 38, 57, 124, 168 etc. (examples being not willing to go outside the house, forced by her mom to go to the support group, etc. she clearly opens up as her relationship with Augustus grows)

Genre:

The genre and subject matter for The Fault in Our Stars is Teen Fiction more specifically teen romance. It follows the love story of Hazel and Augustus who happen to be both terminally ill.

Similar Reads:

Author’s Website:

www.johngreenbooks.com/

Awards:

Washington Evergreen Young Adult Award Nominees 1995 (And Ongoing)

Oregon Reader’s Choice Award Nominees And Winners 2012-2013 (And Ongoing

Ohio Buckeye Teen Book Award Nominees 2013 (And Ongoing)

Wisconsin Golden Archer Book Award Nominees 2003-04 (And Ongoing)

Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award Nominees 2003-04 (And Ongoing)

New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Awards 1998 (And Ongoing)

Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award Nominees 2003-04 (And Ongoing)

Professional Reviews:

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/aug/05/review-john-green-the-fault-in-our-stars

http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/11098-the-fault-in-our-stars

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-green/fault-in-our-stars/

Why I chose to read this book?

I chose to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green purely based off of having previously seen the movie. I rarely watch a movie before reading the book but this was a film that I normally would not go to myself. John Green is a well known YA author and I did enjoy the movie so I decided to give the book a try as the book is usually better than the movie. There was not much other initial motivation to pick up this book though I did find it a fun and engaging read.

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

Two young ladies find love and companionship with each other in a time where same sex relationships were not just frowned upon but could ruin one’s life.

General Information:

  • Age Range: 12 – 18 years
  • Price: $9.89
  • Grade Level: 7 – 9
  • Lexile Measure: 1000L
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; 1st edition (February 20, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0374400113
  • ISBN-13: 978-0374400118

Plot:

The summary of Annie on My Mind follows the story of Liza Winthrop who is a terrific student and the student council president of her high school as a senior. She is interested in going to MIT (she gets accepted to the school within the story) for architecture. As a very intelligent woman she goes to an art museum one day and that is where she meets Annie Kenyon. They almost instantaneously became friends and soon that friendship blossomed into love. Unfortunately they lived in a time where society strongly discriminated against same sex relationships to the point where many had to keep them hidden. At one point while house/cat sitting for two female teachers (who we learn later on to also be in a same sex relationship) the girls get caught together and there is a massive fall out. This book describes that fall out and the difficulties that could be faced by the girls but also on how they overcome this in order to continue their relationship in the face of this discrimination.

Reading and Interest Level:

This book is marketed for grades 7-9 and ages 12-14 according to Baker and Taylor. I however am of the opinion that this book can be read by those age groups as it is not a difficult read but it may be more appreciated by high school students due to the underlying themes and messages.

Evaluation:

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden is a wonderfully written book that gets its message out very effectively. This book is sure to be a hit for teens who may be in relationships that may not be viewed favorably by society. I personally do not read many romance books and this book captivated me from beginning to end in one sitting. The books message is specifically regarding same sex relationships and the fact that they are perfectly acceptable no matter what society may indicate. This book is an older book and besides a few odd facts and tidbits that showed its age the theme and overall message of this book can be timeless in my opinion and it really showed when I had to look up when it was written which was in 1982. The fact that this is true is a credit to the terrific writing style that Nancy Garden had within this book. So overall this book is a super effective read especially for those in the LGBTQ community as teens or young adults and has a very effective message.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value of this book issues that this book works through revolve around same sex relationships but also overcoming societal pressures. At least one of these issues is likely to be experienced by teens at some point in their high school lives and having a book like this really is valuable in the sense that they have something to relate to. Liza does not start the story as a lesbian looking for a girl to love, in fact it isn’t on her radar for over half the story. Even when she accepts that she has feelings for Annie she doesn’t know what it is or how to label herself. Many teens can understand these feelings as they occur in many relationships besides those that would be considered LGBTQ in nature. Other than that the value in showing that society is not always right and you can overcome prejudice and not have to conform in order to succeed in this world and still be who you want to be. This is nicely shown at the end of the book where Liza is at MIT and in the end still is dating Annie.

Issues Present:

The “issues” present in the book that may get it challenged involve the concept of same sex relationships as well as “pornographic material”. These are the most common reasons for the book to be challenged.

Defending the Title:

As stated above the “issues” are relatively clear cut and not numerous in nature. One would think that this book would not need to be defended however it is consistently challenged. Fortunately the defense of this book is relatively straightforward as most of the people complaining about the lesbian relationship are doing so from a religious point of view. The “pornographic material” is generally thrown in with the original complaint. There is no pornographic material as everything is implied but nothing is graphically stated besides mild kissing and cuddling. As for the religious viewpoints it is not the libraries job to check what a teen is reading and there is no need to remove material based off of personal reasons for objecting to a common occurrence within the world.

Book Talk Idea:

The book talk idea that I would use in relationship to the book Annie on My Mind would revolve around the reactions by adults to Liza and Annie’s relationship throughout the books. There is an interesting mix of those that are supportive, to those that are vehemently against it, to those are not in support of it but clearly are not opposing it either.  Pages for support of this kind of book talk could be found on these pages and more: PAGES 70, 119, 166, 168, 211, 199, etc.

Genre:

The genre and subject matter of Annie on My Mind is teen fiction, more specifically realistic fiction. The subject matter is on Teen relationships (specifically lesbian relationships). It also discusses issues of societal pressure and the idea of being an outsider do to one’s actions or beliefs.

Similar Reads:

Authors Website:

N/A

Awards:

The book was represented on multiple top book lists in ALA sponsored lists. Nancy Garden won some awards in regards to discussing and defending the topics within the books as well though they were not literary in nature.

Professional Reviews:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-garden-9/annie-on-my-mind/

http://lesbrary.com/2013/09/18/erica-gillingham-reviews-annie-on-my-mind-by-nancy-garden/

https://www.hbook.com/2013/03/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/a-second-look-annie-on-my-mind/

Why I chose to read this book?

This book is definitely not something that would normally be picked up by me and the reason I picked it up was one of my older coworkers at the library recommended it as a Nancy Garden book. I am glad I followed her advice as this book hooked me early with the writing style and kept me invested in Liza and Annie. I had to know where there relationship was going to go and how it would ultimately affect them. It was a terrific read that really kept me engaged.