"The Fault in Our Stars" Book Club Discussion

The Fault in Our Stars

I have finally gotten my neighborhood book club off the ground and we have chosen a book to read for July.  

I am the host and chose The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green after reading about it on Wendy's blog

After reading the book, I have prepared a few questions to get us rolling when we meet on Tuesday and I thought I'd share.  Can you think of any good discussion questions?  Add them in the comments and I will bring them to my meeting!

I feel that as a mother, sometimes I approach this genre of book from a different perspective than a younger person, so I tried to gear the questions toward that line of thinking for my particular group.

I am also working on a small party favor to hand out to the girls at the meeting - an "okay" bracelet or bookmark, perhaps?

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The Fault in Our Stars Book Club Discussion

John Green

1.         Did you like the book or not / why?

2.         What do you think about a 36 year old man writing in the voice of a 16 yr old girl? 

3.         Did you read the book from the young adult perspective as an adult voyeur?

4.         Did you find the book sad & depressing or uplifting, in a way?

5.         Did you agree or disagree with some of Hazel's/Gus’ parents parenting choices? Which ones – the clinginess or the permissiveness? Do you think their choices were affected by her diagnosis? Could you see yourself doing the same under similar circumstances?

6.         Thoughts on Peter Van Houten?

7.         Thoughts on Gus' cigarette?

8.         Did you want to read An Imperial Affliction after reading Hazel's description of it? (I actually Googled it to see if I could find it mid book!)

My Favorite Quotes: (I have started noting favorite book quotes after seeing it on Tara's blog a while back)

*As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.

*Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said.

*"Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.

*Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.

*Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.

*But I believe in true love, you know? I don't believe that everybody gets to keep their eyes or not get sick or whatever, but everybody should have true love, and it should last at least as long as your life does.

*"'Swing Set Needs Home,'" I said.

"'Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,'" he said.

"'Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children,'" I said.

*You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice.

*(My) diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re a woman. Now die.

*And I wondered if hurdlers ever thought, you know, 'This would go faster if we just got rid of the hurdles.

*The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives.

*The risen sun too bright in her losing eyes.

*Our fearlessness shall be our secret weapon.

*Not to one-up you or anything, but my body is made out of cancer.'

*Even cancer isn't a bad guy really: Cancer just wants to be alive.

**So dawn goes down today... Nothing gold can stay.

-- Robert Frost