This month's book, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, is a young adult title; you know what that means--drama! The heroine of this book, 16-year-old Hazel, has stage IV cancer, so from the start the reader knows it's not likely to end well. Nevertheless, everyone greatly enjoyed the book.
Our host Carole started us off by mentioning that the title of the book, derived from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, has actually been tweaked to reflect the misfortune of the protagonists. (The original quote is "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves...") Hazel meets Gus and Isaac at a support group for teens with cancer, where the dynamic shifts as members die and new kids are diagnosed. Carole explained that the author, John Green, spent time as a pediatric hospital chaplain. There followed a short discussion about how the story is sad, but not maudlin, and of how matter-of-fact the kids are in dealing with their misfortune, and even allow themselves some gallows humor from time to time, as in the blunt discussions of "cancer perks"--i.e. "make a wish" experiences--and the teasing Hazel gives Isaac about the girlfriend who deserted him.
Kristie wondered why Hazel purposely dressed as the character in Van Houten's book when she met him; did she intend to play upon any pity he might have for her? We all thought perhaps she did, but only to increase her chances of getting the answer to her question about the fate of the characters in Van Houten's book. One of Carole's discussion questions was why Hazel needs to know what happens after the story ends; Kristie suggested that since Hazel identified so strongly with the character in Van Houten's book, knowing how life went on for the other characters in that book would help her come to terms with her own fate and that of her family.
Dianne wondered why, as a society, we don't feel more comfortable addressing terminal illness in people we know? We spent some time on this, throwing out theories such as survivor guilt. We also briefly touched on the "cancer perks", and how it's one way to deal with this guilt; we also talked a bit about how the cancer perks might inspire envy in healthy children. Many of us remembered wanting-- as children--crutches, or a cast, or braces.
There was quite a bit of discussion about how realistic the kids were, or weren't. How would you deal with a diagnosis like this as a teenager? Betty found it hard to believe they could be so accepting of their fate, or so concerned about how their families would cope with their deaths. Were these characters too good to be true? Our group was divided, with some saying they just couldn't see it. Then we swung back around to a point that always seems to come up, about the appropriateness of the subject matter for a teen audience. Kathleen reminded everyone that books like these help teens learn how to deal with both everyday and big-time adversity, and recalled a slew of similar books she read as a teenager (Death Be Not Proud, Brian's Song, A Separate Peace). Finally, Toni brought up the question of whose parents were in better shape to handle their trial, Hazel's or Gus's; we all agreed Gus's parents were going to have a difficult time.
One thing we all agreed on--this book had us thinking about how we would handle such a diagnosis in our own lives. The book did a remarkable job in reminding us of how precious life is, and how we shouldn't waste a moment.
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