John Green Case
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The three books of his that I am focusing on are Looking for Alaska, The Fault In Our Stars, and An Abundance of Katherines. They all have the genre of young-adult fictional literature.
The overarching theme of his books is realistic fiction stories of love, self-discovery, moving on, and tragedy.
Looking For Alaska
Looking for Alaska is about a teenage boy, Miles, whos never really had many friends, or adventures or anything remotely interesting happen in his life. When he goes to a new boarding school, he befriends Chip “the Colonel,” Takumi, and the fascinating Alaska Young. There, the three friends take Miles under their wings, and introduce him to adventure, danger, and even love. Before long, Miles falls in love with Alaska, who shows him a whole new world of ideas and opinions, and mutually wants to discover his own “great perhaps”. But after an unforeseen tragedy nothing is the same. Miles and his friends must learn to cope with the loss of one of their own, and come to terms that Alaska is gone forever.
The three major characters are Miles, Alaska, and Chip. They are the main characters in the close group of friends, who always stick together. Miles is inexperienced and a bit nerdy, and though gawky and geeky, he is willing to try new things and grow out of his old self. Chip is sly, smart, very tough, and gets angry easily. He sticks to his beliefs, and always has his friends backs. Alaska has a wild personality. She is fascinating, funny, smart, and very aware of the world she lives in.
Some important quotes
“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”
“Thomas Edisons last words were Its very beautiful over there. I dont know where there is, but I believe its somewhere, and I hope its beautiful.”
“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia.”
“You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how youll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”
“If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions”
“I didnt even feel sadness so much as pain.”
The Fault In Our Stars:
The Fault In Our Stars is about Hazel, a teenage girl with cancer and failing lungs. In attempt to lift her spirits, her mother makes her join a support group. There, she meets the intriguing Augustus Waters, and his best friend Isaac. The three grow to become close friends. Hazel becomes especially close to Augustus, a cancer survivor who lost his leg, and in the midst of falling in love with each other, she shares her favorite book with him. He uses his “wish” to take her to Amsterdam to meet the author of the book, Peter Van Houten, and ask him about the ending of the book. Though they have a lovely trip, they discover Van Houten is an angry drunk, and he rudely does not answer any of their questions. Even so, Hazel and Augustus relationship intensifies and becomes even deeper on the trip. The bliss doesnt last for long when Augustus reveals his cancer has returned, and its clear that it is that there will be no cure. Hazel stays by his side until the very end. When Augustus dies, she and Isaac are overcome with grief. Isaac, whos cancer threatens to leave him blind, refuses any cure because he does not want to see a world without his best friend. Hazel discovers that Augustus wrote something for her, most likely an alternate ending to the book she loves. Eventually she contacts Van Houten again, who has what he wrote for her, which was a eulogy in which he wishes she is happy with the choices she made. Hazel says that yes, she is happy, because she has the opportunity to love him.
The main characters are Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus “Gus” Waters, and Isaac. Hazel is the character whose point of view the book is told from. She is quite realistic, and does not dance around the subject of her state of health. Even so, she is not morbid or sorry for herself, she handles her situation by using her sense of humor. Hazel tends to guard herself off fro enjoying life, mostly to avoid hurting her parents and the people she loves. She is very intelligent and unique, and very selfless in her love for Augustus. Augustus is charming, clever, witty, and loving. He, unlike Hazel, wants to leave his mark on the world. He is very meaningful, which plays a huge part in how his charm and looks easily allows Hazel to fall for him. Isaac is Augustus best friend, and eventually one of Hazels close friends also. Though he is blind, he sees the big picture from the beginning. He is a faithful friend and is always there for the people he cares about.
Some important quotes from this book:
“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”
“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.”
“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
“The marks humans leave are too often scars.”
“Some people dont understand the promises theyre making when they make them,” I said.
“Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. Thats what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.”
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.”
“The world is not a wish-granting factory.”
“Books so special and rare and yours