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The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

November 4, 2014 by Elmien Ackerman

200px-the_fault_in_our_starsThe story is told from the point of view of 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster, as she battles cancer. A tumour-shrinking medical miracle has bought Hazel a few years, but she has never been anything but terminal. While Hazel attends a church support group for cancer survivors, she meets Augustus Waters. Augustus has lost his leg due to cancer and now wears a prosthetic. This is the story of Hazel and Gus. Okay? Okay.

You can’t really say that you “enjoyed” this novel by John Green. It awakens too many emotions as you connect with the characters in the story. Most of us know someone who has or had cancer. The Fault in Our Stars, however, tells it like it is. Green doesn’t just paint a picture of suffering and sadness but also one of humour and sarcasm. He portrays the teenagers in the book as teenagers even if they are battling a dreaded (or terminal) disease. I especially liked the banter between Gus and his blind friend Isaac. Isaac’s eyes had been removed due to eye cancer.

“How are the eyes?”

“Oh, excellent,” he said.“I mean, they’re not in my head is the only problem.”  – John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

SPOILER ALERT

Hazel’s favourite book is called An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. This fictional novel created by John Green is about a girl with cancer. An Imperial Affliction ends mid-sentence which would suggest that the girl died while writing her story. Throughout The Fault in Our Stars I was concerned that Green might end the novel in the same way but it didn’t end mid-sentence. Green created this whole other fictional novel to portray how the writer has a responsibility to the reader to finish the story. The uncertainty of how An Imperial Affliction ends seems to echo the uncertainty that Hazel has about her own life. She worries about what will happen to the people she loves when she dies. And even though we know that one day Hazel’s story will also finish mid-sentence, there is closure at the end of TFIOS.

Hazel and Gus

Hazel and Gus bond over their love for the book An Imperial Affliction and their desire to find out what happens to the characters in the book after it ends so abruptly. Hazel and Gus’s love story is epic.

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

“But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.” – John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

Their love story is innocent and real. They see each other while being sick and fall in love while knowing that they might not have that much time to spend together.

TFIOS is honest, funny and incredibly moving. If you haven’t read it yet, then do so. I would suggest reading the book before seeing the movie (as I would with most adaptations). The movie is brilliant but the book is better.

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An obsession with reading and a love for the show Gilmore Girls has led to Where Books Lead.

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South African book blogger
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"The people who stand before kings may look like t "The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” – Malcolm Gladwell
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#bookobsessed #booklovers #blog #ilovebooks #igbooks #currentlyreading #bookishlove #goodreads #bookgram #booklife #bookclub #bookgeek #ilovereading #instareads #literature #bookreviewer #storyofsuccess #outliers #successfulpeople #malcolmgladwellquote #bookquotes #nonfiction #nonfictionnovember #bookstagramsouthafrica #bookstagrammer #bookquoteoftheday #readingtime
“The best kind of writer – the kind who makes “The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius.” – Dominic Maxwell, The Times 
🖊🖊🖊
Dominic Maxwell perfectly sums up how I feel about Malcolm Gladwell's writing.
🖋🖋🖋
Read my full review of Outliers on Where Books Lead (link in bio).

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“Successful people don’t do it alone. Where th “Successful people don’t do it alone. Where they come from matters. They’re products of particular places and environments.” – Malcolm Gladwell 
🎧🎧🎧
Still busy devouring all things Gladwell. I’ve just finished his podcast Revisionist History, and I’m anxiously awaiting season 6. If you haven’t listened yet, I highly recommend it. Gladwell’s soothing voice, captivating anecdotes, and fascinating historical facts are bound to provide you with a new perspective on the past.
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Have you listened to Revisionist History? What's your favourite podcast? I love Revisionist History and Armchair Expert – they're my favourites.

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I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Rec I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Recently finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – it was so good (link in bio for my full review). Blink is on my list as my next Gladwell read and I'm currently reading Lost Connections by Johann Hari (and loving it).
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Do you read a lot of non-fiction? If so, please share your recommendations with me?
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#malcolmgladwell #malcolmgladwellbooks #malcolmgladwelloutliers #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionrecommendation #penguinbooks #penguinbookcovers #blinkmalcolmgladwell #johannhari #lostconnectionsbook #orangebooks #orangeaesthetic #orangeisthehappiestcolour #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramsa #bookblog #bookreview #books #bookphotography #bookphoto #photosofbooks #reading #readinglist #wherebookslead #bookstagramza
"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." – Malcolm Gladwell.
🎼👨‍💻🎧
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell found that practice does make perfect. Through a unique set of circumstances and extraordinary opportunities, Mozart, Bill Gates, and The Beatles had extra time to practise and hone their skills, which allowed them to become a musical prodigy, an innovative visionary, and the most influential band of all time, respectively.
🎼👨‍💻🎧

#malcolmgladwell #malcolmgladwellquote #malcolmgladwelloutliers #malcolmgladwellbooks #practicemakesperfect #storyofsuccess #practicepracticepractice #practicmakesperfect #mozart #billgates #thebeatles #musicalprodigy #visionary #band #reading #bookworm #nonfiction #bookquotes
“Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinat “Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinatra
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Have you read any of these? What’s your favourite orange book?
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I love all of these - an orange book for every mood.
🍊🍊🍊

#orange #orangestack #orangebookstack #orangeisoptimism #orangeisthehappiestcolour #1984 #georgeorwell #outliers #malcolmgladwellbooks #celestengbooks #everythinginevertoldyou #ageofiron #jmcoetzee #angusthongsandfullfrontalsnogging #louiserennison #davidlevithan #davidnicholls #robbell #howtobehererobbell #gertvloknel #bookstagram #reading #bookstagramsouthafrica #books
How much preparation is needed to achieve success? How much preparation is needed to achieve success? 
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“Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” - Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers: The Story of Success 
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🎓
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Read my full review of #malcolmgladwelloutliers on the blog. Link in bio.

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BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO) Outliers: The Story of S BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO)
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
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In Outliers, Gladwell examines our understanding of success by looking at a successful person’s circumstances. From discovering that most all-star hockey players in Canada are born in January to finding out why successful lawyers in New York in the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s were almost all Jewish, Gladwell shows how when we are born influences our chances of achieving success.
📈 📈 📈 
Your place of birth is just as important as the decade in which you are born. Gladwell looks at why Korean Air had a track record of plane crashes in the 1990s, and what role cultural legacy had to play. Of course, when and where you are born, and the language you speak is not the only indicator of success. Gladwell explains that not every hockey player born in January ends up playing at a professional level. “Achievement is talent plus preparation,” Gladwell writes. But exactly how much preparation is needed? “Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours,” Gladwell explains. 
📈 📈 📈
In Outliers, Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman). Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. The factor we do have control over, however, is how hard we work. None of the outliers achieved success without putting in at least ten thousand hours.
📈 📈 📈
If you've read my blog, you'll know that I think #malcolmgladwellisagenius 
Dominic Maxwell explains it best: "The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius." So, if you want to learn something new (and feel really smart🤓) read a Malcolm Gladwell book. 

Outliers gets 🦋🦋🦋🦋/5 from me.

Blink is next on my list.
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman) – there are many factors that influence our chances of success. Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. Read the latest book review on the blog (link in bio) to learn why successful people are products of particular places and environments.

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

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