The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 

If ever there was a writer whose dialogue makes me laugh out loud (or want to meet his characters in real life), it's John Green. Sadly, I did not get to meet him before we left the Indy area. Perhaps we can blame this on the fact that I only recently discovered his work.

I have since read two other books by Mr. Green, both of which won the Printz Award : Looking for Alaska, and An Abundance of Katherines. 

Funny enough, it was The Fault in Our Stars that I enjoyed most. It centers on Hazel, a teenage girl who has cancer and doesn't really live until she meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group. While this has all the makings of a weepy romance produced by Hallmark, this book has enough wit and realism to make Hallmark look away. It is possibly one of the best books I've ever read which deals with the messiness and ugliness and truth about dying.