Informal Reflection on Book 1

It was bittersweet to have finished, The Fault in Our Stars written by John Greene. I fell in love with main characters Hazel and Gus, but in reality I knew there would be no rainbows and butterflies, or a cure for cancer in the end. I believe John Greene made the right decision in the way he ended the book, *SPOILER ALERT* yes Gus died, but I think it was meant to happen. In order to keep things realistic it had to happen. True, it, excuse my language but, sucks because every reader falls in love with the charming boy, Gus, and they would hate to see him go, but eventually he does. That moment when they are at dinner and nothing seems to matter but their love, turns my heart to mush and I feel the strong connection between me, Hazel and Gus. But then the bomb dropped, and that's when I knew, the book wasn't all about frolicking through flowers and forgetting about the reality of the world.  I think Greene wanted to convey the thought that  we try to forget about the bad things and simply live in the light or happy memories, but eventually those bad things come back to bite us in the butt right when we’re content with life.  This book went beyond my expectations and I believe this is to be one of my top read books of all times.     

Book 1 Project

My idea to promote The Fault in our Stars, written by John Green, is to sell plaques inscribed with words of encouragement that are similar to the ones found in August’s home. For example, ‘Home Is Where the Heart Is,’ ‘Without Pain How Could We Know Joy,’ ‘Good Friends are Hard to Find and Impossible to Forget’ and ‘True Love is Born From Hard Times. These plaques can be hung on walls, doors, lean on bookshelves, etc. Places where they will be in full view for members or friends in the household so that they can always be reminded of the quotes/encouragements and how they connect to them. The quote in particular, Without Pain How Could We Know Joy, for example could remind people to focus more on the positive rather than the negative, or help focus on the growth that they have experienced in their lives. Much like Augustus and his family.

     Augustus Waters suffered/s from Osteosarcoma, essentially a type cancer that affects the bones in your body, that completely changed his lifestyle permanently; his leg was amputated. After the amputation Augustus was cured, or so they thought, and to cope as well as remind Augustus’ parents of the events and the fortunate outcomes, they placed plaques with encouragements written on them over the house. As soon as Hazel Grace crosses the threshold of August’s home, she notices the scattered plaques with words of encouragement written across them. Greene writes, “A wooden plaque in the entryway was engraved in cursive with the words Home Is Where the Heart Is, and the entire house turned out to be festooned in such observations,” (2.23). The words of encouragement symbolize the strength and hope of August’s parents has as he fought with cancer, and as readers soon find out, is still fighting cancer. Augustus however, does not find solace in these few words, and instead mocks them. August says, “Quick, give me a throw pillow and some thread because that needs to be an encouragement,” (2.28). August along with Hazel Grace feel as though the plaques are a joke, but deep down know they’re filled with truth. Could this just be that they don’t believe a few words or phrases could change their health or the way they live? Do they simply believe it’s just a decoy to deal with the possibility of death? It’s a mystery. Green writes, “I had been looking toward the encouragement above the TV, a drawing of an angel with the caption, Without pain how could we know joy? (This is an old argument in the field of Thinking About Suffering, and its stupidity and its lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries, but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not in any way affect the taste of chocolate,” (2.24). Again, these plaques provide multiple connections, some may find solace, others may simply think they’re just words written on a plaque.
Although these plaques can be seen with two completely opposite perspectives, consumers of this product can be reminded of Hazel Grace and August without finding solace, or on the other hand, consumers can find solace while still being reminded of such characters. Buyers can find strength while going through, or knowing someone, that is going through hard times. They can serve as a symbol to persevere and continue on through the rough time. The Fault in Our Stars is essentially a tragedy, and how the characters fight with death on a regular basis. I believe John Green incorporated the symbolism of these plaques to show readers how people find solace during dark times. With these plaques I hope that buyers will find the same solace Augustus’ parents found.

What is a Book: Blog Post 2

A book is like a getaway vacation. You take a break from reality and journey into a new life you build out on the road, or in a new city. Readers envelop themselves in the plotline that unfolds right in front of their eyes, almost as if they're really there. Books possess more than just a mere plotline and some random characters. Books possess a connection between readers and the book itself, creating almost a third dimension, if you will. Something an electronic device could never do. 

Victor Lavalle said, "[books are] no more divine than a toaster." I completely disagree. I think the physicality of the book, the turning of the pages, looking at the cover in person, seeing the progress you've made in the book, etc., all come together to create an attachment and connection to a book. This connection being the getaway vacation.  With things such as Kindles and Ipads, the feeling of completion as you click to the last page, does not feel as satisfying as if you were to shut the last page in a real book.  The feeling you get as you carry a book down the hall does not convey the same proud feeling as you walk with a piece of technology.  It would almost be like carrying my cellphone….it’s easily replaceable unlike a book.  It’s true both involve the same content, but the lack of connection between a piece of technology and a reader is what separates these dimensions from readers.  But if Lavalle is stuck on books being a toaster, they’re the most divine toaster I’ve ever seen. 

Unfortunately, this divine object I feel will not last forever.  Just as the first generation Ipod and the playstation two were quickly replaced with bigger and badder technologies, I fear so will books.  Readers are quickly seeing this evolution, but I fear books cannot diverge back to its roots, such as the hardback and paperback editions of books, and will no longer survive.  We must say our bittersweet goodbyes and deal with the connection-less world technology has to offer.  I guess we’ll never know the third dimension.