I just finished reading The Fault in
Our Stars by John Green. I know that I might be a little late in reading this
book due to all the wonderful comments I have read online. Although I did avoid
summary comments because I wanted to be surprised when I finally read this
book. It is one of the most wonderful books I have read this year next to
Eleanor & Park, and Fangirl. I was looking for something to read after Fangirl
because in all honesty I felt the next book I read after Rainbow Rowell had
some big shoes to fill. I found it in The Fault in Our Stars. It made me laugh
out loud, cried for true love passing away, and happy that two people found
love.
This does have a point, I promise.
With my statement earlier about how it was a beautiful and heartbreaking story
why label it as it as YA fiction? I realize that labeling a books as Young
Adult (YA) is based on the reading level of the book. I do understand that,
however why can’t fiction just be fiction? I really don’t understand when it
became important to label something as YA or juvenile fiction.
I think I might have asked this in a
blog before, why can’t a great story be that a great story. For example, The
Little Prince by Antonie de Sanit-Exupery is normally not introduced as children’s
book The Little Prince, it’s simply called The Little Prince. I feel that the reason
for this is because the meaning it holds for each reader. While it is true this
book and The Fault in Our Stars have different stories and perhaps different
meanings, the point is they have different meanings.
And books provide us with great
memories. When I was little my brother and I were obsessed with Happy Birthday
Moon by Frank Asch. Although my mother had gotten for both of us, we spent part
of the time arguing whose book it really was, now the most important thing I
remember is the time he and I spent together reading Happy Birthday Moon.
Stories are what make us human. It
provides a connection to one another. And there are times when we fall in love
with a story that we keep it to ourselves because it has special meaning. There
are other times when we fall in love with a book so much that we just can’t
help but share it.
In my world, I do not wish to label a
book as YA, children’s literature, etc because what matters is how the story
makes me feel. And a wonderful story is just that, a wonderful story.
