The Fault In Our Stars is a novel produced by John Green which tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen year old girl who was unfortunately diagnosed with a form of lung cancer at a young age. She is forced to attend a support group where she subsequently meets and falls in love with seventeen year old, Augustus Waters, who is currently in remission. These two share the same interests and hobbies and become majorly involved with each others lives, and become attached to one another, but she is hesitant to continue with what they have incase of a tragic accident, as she does not know what the future will hold regarding her cancer.

The character I found most interesting throughout the novel was Hazel. This is a result of how difficult her everyday life would have been having to breathe with the aid of an oxygen tank. Even though this bothered her majorly, she didn’t let it bring her down and she continued to work hard with her few chosen activities. Hazel has no illusions about her state of health. She knows that even though she’s on a drug that keeps her tumours at bay, she’ll never be the normal teenager, able to run, swim etc. But She’s also not sitting around feeling sorry for herself. She doesn’t talk about her self-pity and depression in detail, instead, she takes care of it with witty comments, as quoted  “ i didn’t tell him that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re a woman. Now die “. To me, this gives a better sense of the character and shows how humerous she can be, and I found it to be quite inspiring and it just shows to keep moving forward in life and that today matters (enjoy the little things). I can partly relate to this, as i have had broken bones that restricted me from doing the things i love for long periods of time e.g. arms, fingers. I know this is nowhere near as deadly as cancer, but having a reasonably positive attitude benefits your well being greatly, as you are looking towards the future and how you are going to get there rather than dwelling on the past and not doing anything about it. I’m sure other people could bring in, and build up confidence and positive attitude within their lives, so they’re able to keep moving forward, fast or slow, under minor or even horrible circumstances.

One of the messages i took from the novel is that everyone is fighting their own battles. In my opinion i was quite harsh regarding people with physical disabilities, and i used to classify them as “others” but now after reading this book i look at these people with empathy, knowing the struggles they have to deal with every day and how mentally and emotionally strong they must be to deal with them. I also highly doubt we will ever truly feel the agony these amazing people have to put up with under the circumstances. Another small hidden message i found within the book is that today matters, and to enjoy the little things. As Hazels future regarding cancer is unknown, she needs to make the most of her life while it lasts. For me, this exercises the quote from Master Oogway – “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift… that is why it is called the present”

Hazel had to face some major challenges over the course of the book – varying from seizures, depression and her significant other Augustus waters passing away. As a result of hazel’s cancer she became very depressed, and had very little contact with anyone outside her inner circle of family and friends. She did nothing most days, but was then forced to attend a Support group meeting where she met Augustus. Augustus was kind, caring and positive. This pulled hazel out of the dark headspace she was in, and made her happy – she had finally overcome the time of depression in her life.  Once Augustus passed, hazel realised how happy he had made her.

The Novel produced by award winning writer John Green is inspired by act 1 scene 2 of Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. The nobleman cassius says to his friend Brutus: the Fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. I did some research into the title of this text and found that  Cassius seemed to be saying that it’s not fate that dooms men, but instead their own failings. To me, the title of this text seems very appropriate. The Fault in Our Stars seems to argue that sometimes it’s not our fault; sometimes bad things just can’t be avoided. Hazel and Augustus definitely didn’t do anything to cause their cancer and they know that they cannot avoid or change the outcome

Personally, i would recommend this novel to teens of all ages and also adults ( 14yrs + )

This is for people going through a tough time in their life. As i explained before, everyone is fighting their own battles and you are not alone. This book is full of love, laughter and heartbreak.  Struggling or not, i encourage more people to read this book, as it gives us an insight into the people that are actually in this situation. Once again i really enjoyed this book and hope to read it again someday.