Reading Reflection #4

The fault in our stars

John Green

Read Pages: 3-313

Dear Mrs Mclauchlan

            Thank you for recommending this book. It was amazing; I went home and read I couldn’t even put it down. It just seemed like it should go on forever because it was so real and truthful. The characters moved me in their honesty and wittiness. The whole time I was reading I couldn’t help but wish they were real people so I could be their friend with them.

            Since I read the whole book it would be pointless for me to discuss questions or predictions because I know what happens. Instead I would like to describe the connection I felt to Hazel. From the first paragraph I knew she was going to be my favorite character. When we were introduced to the support group that she was “forced” to participate in I fell in love with the book and her all at once. I could really connect to Hazel, we share similar views on religion and even though I myself am not sick, the writing was so relatable I can imagine myself feeling the same way. Wishing people didn’t pity me because of my sickness, but still taking the inevitable sympathy for granted. Let me explain; throughout the book Hazel has a very obvious wish that people would see her as a “normal” person, see her as Hazel rather than Hazel with cancer. However she is shocked when people don’t greet her with the accustomed sympathetic eye, like Van Houten did. I believe she found this refreshing but obviously at the time he was hardly even a man, he was a blubbering drunk pig, so it was obvious that his greeting was insulting. When Hazel and Gus began getting to know each other I could not stop smiling, it was as if I was Hazel, falling in love. It was adorable the way they instantly understood what the other was thinking and I hope to one-day find something similar. (Hopefully with somebody a little bit healthier) I cried from the moment Hazels mom told her they (her and Gus) “needed to talk” (page 211) until the very end. I just could not disconnect myself from Hazel and imagined finding out the love of my life was going to die. It was horrible for me and it wasn’t even real.

            The strongest character in the book by far was Hazel’s mom. This was revealed throughout the book but the most obvious sign of strength was when she revealed her plans for the future. I couldn’t get past the live “I won’t be a mom anymore” it just made me so sad, but reading that she got past her fears of her daughter dying and knew that there was more to life made me so happy. You would have to be so strong to want to help other people through a situation as hard as pediatric cancer especially having experienced it all her self. In my opinion though, she would make an amazing social worker because she does have experience dealing with everything and can help other parents do the same.