Just because
Favorite Author Month, May, is over here on
The Bookshelf doesn’t mean I’ve stopped recognizing great, favorite
authors. John Green, an author from Indiana, writes novels about facing
difficult situations of identity in a realistic manner. Having written three books and co-written two more, John Green writes deftly, blending
loneliness, sorrow, humor, love, and self-realization to create stories that soar
high above the bar of standard young adult literature. Choosing abnormal
situations that can be matched with more realistic ones, Green brings the words
on the page into the mind of the reader, planting questions and harvesting
ideas. I have all five of John Green’s books, and I give them all five out five
stars. I think it’s agreed that John Green is an author worthy of recognition
here on
The Bookshelf.
Looking for Alaska tells the
story of Miles “Pudge” (ironic because he is tall and lanky). Miles, a loner
who thrills himself in learning the last words of famous figures, begins
attending boarding school, in search for the “Great Perhaps” (part of
Rabelais’s
last words). At this new boarding school, Pudge develops many new friends, some
of which you would not call the best of influences. These friends include Colonel,
a roommate who acts, well, like a colonel, and Alaska Young, a colorful, mysterious
girl. Surprised at how deep his new friends’ thoughts are, Pudge sees the world
from a different angle. Finally finding happiness and friends, Pudge thinks he’s
on his way to the Great Perhaps. Until, of course, something terrible happens.
Using humor and an interesting storytelling method of counting the days before
and then the days after a certain event,
Looking
for Alaska is a great book for mature readers about decisions and the
impacts they have on yourself and others.
Two other books by John Green,
An Abundance of Katherines and
Paper Towns, also tell eloquent
tales of trials and tribulations throughout the often harsh journey known as
life. While these books pull key elements from
Looking for Alaska, elements that made
Alaska amazing, they are their own books, all completely original
and diverse.
An Abundance of Katherines
won a Printz Honor.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-written
by John Green with David Levithan, and
Let it Snow, co-written with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, are both fun,
engaging reads that also contribute to Green’s repertoire.
Through a YouTube channel,
Vlogbrothers, John and his brother, Hank,
have been making vlogs (video blogs) since 2008. Quirky and different, these
videos offer facts about current events, opinions about current events, news
about John’s books, and other assorted facts. With 539,164 subscribers and
counting, the fans of these videos call themselves “nerfighters.” And fight
they do. Through raising money for organizations across the world, supporting
terminally ill nerdfighters, and creating sayings whose meanings are only known
to them, nerdfighters and John and Hank Green have made a big impact on the
world.
With his incredible writing, expert symbolism, and excellent
storytelling, John Green is an author like no other. His next book,
The Fault in Our Stars was number one on
Amazon for six days after Green he announced that all preorders would be signed
by him personally. The amazing thing is that that book won’t be published until
early
next year. I will be
preordering my copy soon, so I’ll be ensured that I will receive the literary
world’s next masterpiece.
