One Book, One Community 2013

In a few days, the Oscar Grady Library of Saukville and the WJ Niederkorn Library of Port Washington will officially announce the 2013 title of the fifth annual One Book, One Community. But I'm going to spill the beans a little early, mainly because I am very excited about this book and feel that everyone, young and old(er) should read this book. 

The title is The Fault in Our Stars by young adult author, John Green. Green has made many fans of his young readers, and beacuse of the suggestion of the Oscar Grady Library Director, Jen Gerber, I became an instant fan, too. His books deal with teen problems, but on a larger, reachable scale. 

The Fault in Our Stars opens with "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death." Hazel has terminal cancer, so of course she's thinking about death. She's dying. Her cancer is treatable, but incurable, and she is determined to live out her the rest of her life, living. Because her mother thinks that she is depressed, she "encourages" her daughter to go to a support group involving other kids who have cancer. She doesn't want to go, but she eventually does and there she meets with Augustus Waters, a boy in remission. They become fast friends, both equally aware that their friendship may not last long. 

It is in this friendship that the humor of the story shines. Augustus, or Gus, wants Hazel to live with no regrets. He shows her life. They exchange books, play video games, eat pizza. Like normal, non-sick, non-dying, teenagers. 

One of the larger themes in the book is Hazel's worry about what is going to happen to her parents when she dies. Over the years, they have spent so much money on her health care, so much time nursing her, that she feels they won't know what to do with themselves once she's gone. 

Heartfelt and well written, it is a story, like I said, for everyone, with a message that is for everyone. 

I recently read The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwable. It is a first person memoir about the author and his late mother. The two of them developed a two person book club, disscussing novels, short stories and history books when they met every month for his mother, Mary Ann's chemotherepy treatments. Mary Ann had pancreatic cancer, and though it is a treatable cancer, it is not a curable cancer. In other words, Mary Ann was dying. 

It reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars because of the message the two main characters send to us: the ones who are not dying. Live. Live your life to the fullest while you have it. Do something worthy with it and most of all, be happy. 

Though Mary Ann was a real person who did real things, Hazel is a character in a book, but she has a real life foundation. Hazel is based on a girl who also had terminal cancer. Esther Grace Earl had thyroid cancer at a very young age. She passed away at 16. Her family set up the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation to help other families who have seriously ill children. The amount of money that it takes to care for them, wether it be hotel rooms while the child is getting treatment in another state, medical equipment or finalcial suppot, TSWGO is there for them. 

Our event for the fifth annual One Book, One Community is something we haven't tried before: a fundraiser. We will be holding a fundraiser for the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation to help the Earl family give back to the families who need it most, and honor Esther Earl's short, but vibrant life. Check back to Patch.com for more information as present to you, The Fault in Our Stars. Ready for checkout at both Oscar Grady Library and the WJ Niederkorn Library starting Monday, March 11. Go to easicat.com to reserve your copy today.