Reading Response for The Fault in Our Stars

            In the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, a girl named Hazel battles different types of cancer while maintaining a relationship with a boy named Augustus that she met in her support group. While reading the book, I have noticed a reoccurring theme of how people don’t always turn out to be who you expect them to.

            The first example that really stood out is when this girl named Monica breaks up with Hazel’s friend Isaac. Isaac was battling cancer and, as a result, had to have his eyes removed. This way he could finally be cancer free. When Monica found out, she decided that she would rather break up with him, than be in a relationship with a blind boy. She simply wasn’t able to “deal” with it. He thought that she was a nice girl until he realized how she was actually a bit superficial for dumping him because of something like that. In a way it may have been eye opener for Isaac. If she couldn’t get over the fact that he was blind, she obviously didn’t care enough about him.

            Another example of this is when Hazel met her favorite author on a trip to Amsterdam with Augustus and Hazel’s mom. She had always been a big fan of the book An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten and was thrilled when she got a chance to meet him. However, he was nothing like she thought he would be. He was actually a quite angry man that she couldn’t get any information out of. She had so many questions about the book that he wouldn’t give her answers to. Later on in the story she finds out that his daughter had cancer and passed away and that was his reason behind writing the story. It helped her understand why he wasn’t the most pleasant person and she ended up feeling a little sorry for him. I think the fact that he isn’t a nice person, doesn’t change the way that he writes or the love Hazel has for his book. If someone met him and then read his book, they may not like it, only because they know that he is a mean person. It is important to be open minded in real life situations that are similar to this, because you shouldn't hold personal grudges and judge someone on they way that they do something because of what you think of them.

            The book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has a reoccurring theme of how people aren’t always what they seem to be. Hazel and Isaac both learn this lesson, on two different occasions, and they provide a good example for the real world.