Week 13 - Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I am unashamed to say that I am a fan of reading young adult (YA) fiction. I try to keep up with the latest books and often stand around the teenage fiction section at the bookstore in the hopes of catching some snippets of conversation from kids about what they are reading. I was not aware of the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars (TFiOS) by John Green however, until starting this course and decided to pick up a copy during mid-semester break. Firstly I was surprised to hear that young people were devouring a book about teenagers and cancer. Secondly, I was even more surprised to hear that this story didn’t involve vampires, magic, or zombies, and that it wasn’t set in a dystopian world where kids fight each other to the death. Maybe I’ve been too far out of the loop, but it seemed to me that for a while at least, there was a real trend for YA fiction to have supernatural or fantastical elements to them. It is refreshing to read a book about ‘normal’ teenagers and the trials they go through simply by growing up. The fact that the two protagonists both have cancer is probably the realest part of the story, even though to ‘normal’ teenagers cancer may be as foreign as a dragon or vampire.

I believe the story paints an accurate picture of young romance and teenage disenchantment with the world. The protagonist is a teenage girl battling with a fictional form of cancer in her lungs. She meets her love interest during a cancer support group, him having lost the lower part of his right leg to cancer. They fall in love over a book and go on a search to find the author so they can ask him about the ending.

This story made me laugh out loud and it made me cry. I think it captures the essence of love, loss, hope, and grief, all at the same time. I found myself reflecting on my life and the things I take for granted every day (like breath! I don’t need a machine to help me breathe, how lucky!). I liked how the parents were treated as human beings, they were not the foreboding ‘other’ or antagonist in the story, they were just there and it was great to read.

I find myself wondering still why young people are so taken with the story. Is it the romance? Is it the characters? Or is it the fact that John Green does a fantastic job at not talking down to his readers. The story-telling is sophisticated, there is no condescension in the prose, and he treats his target audience like the young adults they are. I like this approach and I think it is his writing moreso than the actual story that has helped his popularity, very reminiscent of the movie Juno in some ways.

John Green also uses a variety of social media to connect with his fans and does this very successfully. You can find him on his blog/website, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or Tumblr

Image Courtesy of Penguin Books.

Week 12 - Portrayal of Teenagers on Television

As a person interested in Young Adult fiction, I've always been happy to see the crossover from book to television series. The Gossip Girl books were the first series I read which eventually became a television program. For me it was an easy switch to go from book to television series simply because I wanted to see the characters I read about suddenly come to life on screen. As with most cases, the plot of the television show starts to diverge from the plot of the book, but the general premise remained the same -Gossip Girl was a show about the lives of rich teenagers in New York City. Below are some of the initial advertisements used to engage young people with Gossip Girl.

These advertisements were used to draw people into the show who hadn't necessarily read the books. For more perspectives on the advertisements, check out these blog posts here and here. The images are provocative and sexual but it's arguably the text that makes the show more appealing. Phrases like “mindblowingly inappropriate” and “every parents worst nightmare” are sure to get the attention of young people because it is mysterious and slightly rebellious. The world of Gossip Girl is decadent and exciting for your average teenager, the characters drink at cool bars, have the latest fashions, and do a good job of looking constantly beautiful. Are these the types of role models that young people should be looking up to?

When I was in high school, The OC was the show that everyone watched. It was about a bunch of teenagers living the good life in a part of California called Orange County. I watched the show because it was cool and because the girls wore pretty clothes and the guys looked 'hot'. The actors employed to play these characters on the show were not sixteen, they were in their middle and late twenties. Why do television producers feel like it is necessary to cast such older actors to play teenagers? I guess there are legal and monetary reasons that the general public aren't privy to, but if the target demographic of the studio is teenagers, wouldn't it be more relatable to have 'real' looking kids on there?

This leads me to television shows like Homeland and Mad Men. These television programs have teenagers in their cast who look like REAL teenagers, not the prettied up models that seem to be on all the shows targeted at teens these days. Is this because the target audience of Homeland and Mad Men are more or less adults who don't care about whether or not the teenager is portrayed 'beautifully'?

As an avid television consumer I find it refreshing to see 'normal' teenagers playing teenagers on TV, I just find it difficult to comprehend why they need to be on shows aimed at adults. Why do the shows aimed at young people need to have good-looking, unattainable model-types, giving young people false ideas about what they should look like or how they should act? I'm frustrated but I will still (un)ashamedly watch the shows.

Images courtesy of CW.