The Fault in Our Stars
discussion
Am I the only one who hates this book with burning passion?
Pilcrow wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Brooke: She's all, *puts on nasally whining voice*, "omg my life is SO horrible cos like I have friends and families that love me and I'm so unappreciative of everything that means som..."I think Hazel was just one of those people who thought she was better just because her illness was more severe.
Charlotte wrote: "I have only read this novel of his, but I've heard that all his female characters are manic pixie dream girls and all his male characters are self-inserts."That's what I heard too. But I also heard from a lot of nerdfighters that this is not his best work, so it kind of makes me curious about his other books. Not curious enough to spend money on them, though.
Nerdfighters...
Seriously, who gives their fanbase such a stupid name?
Seriously, who gives their fanbase such a stupid name?
It doesn't make sense. Do they fight nerds? Or if they're the nerds, what do they fight?
Wow. It's one thing to rant about a book you hate, that's something you're totally entitled to, but to make fun of an entire group of people you know nothing about is incredibly ignorant and immature. A group of people who raised over $800,000 in just a week, who have done more to make this world a better place than any of you? Come on. If you want to hate a book, fine. But there's absolutely no need to go head over heels to bash both the author and his fans, especially when you know little about either of them.
chantelle wrote: "Wow. It's one thing to rant about a book you hate, that's something you're totally entitled to, but to make fun of an entire group of people you know nothing about is incredibly ignorant and immat..."
not meaning to be rude, but how do you know that any one person who dislikes the book hasn't done anything to contribute to society in some way? I know the point you're trying to convey, but by making that statement in that way, you contradicted yourself. Because likewise, you know so little about the other posters on here.
Sorry. I didn't mean to come across saying that no one here has ever contributed to society. That wasn't my intention. I just sort of meant "when was the last time you raised 800,000 for charity in a week". I wasn't trying to say none of you have ever done anything great for the world, I was just trying to highlight the good that the community of 'nerdfighters' has done. I apologize for going about it in the wrong way.I just think it's a little ridiculous that this post has stopped being a book discussion and turned into this. And, sorry, but making fun of their name and saying things like "Might as well staple a sign to their forehead that screams, "KICK ME!" " [i]is[/i] making fun of the them.
I just personally feel that we have a right to judge a book - hate its guts, love it to pieces, all that jazz - but that we don't have a right to judge the author because we don't know them well enough to do so.
Right with you! Every one around me was reading it too when i was reading it and all my friends kept telling it was awsome and that it was the nest book ever. I totally disagree with them. I did NOT enjoy reading this book, i too hated the characters and thought they were pretentious and hypocrites. I thought the plot was boring and it was my first book from John Green and I don't want to try him again because TFioS disappointed me too much.
chantelle wrote: "Sorry. I didn't mean to come across saying that no one here has ever contributed to society. That wasn't my intention. I just sort of meant "when was the last time you raised 800,000 for charity in..."We have the right to discuss anything we want in an open forum on the internet, as long as we're not violating the terms of service. "Anything" includes the book, the author, the fanbase, etc. The fanbase is definitely fair game considering their nonstop plugging of this crappy book is why it's all over social media in the first place. kbai.
I must admit that making fun of and mocking the nerdfighter fan base - which BTW aren't just John Green's fans, or even fans of his books - is really quite cruel a lot of people could have found friendship and enjoyment within that group, I personally have a friend who suffers mental disabilities and he struggled so hard to find friends before he joined the nerd fighter community and now he's a totally different person. And there could be many others like him who shared a similar experience with nerdfighters and for you to make fun of them and make them feel bad about something they found enjoyment in is just plain wrong. By all means judge and mock the book it was God awful anyway but don't make fun of a group of people who like to go by a certain identity all because you think they're label or name or whatever deserves a "kick me" sign…that's just bullying. God, this entire forum is like a friggin high school and all those making fun of a harmless group of people are the stuck-up popular bitches who have to put others down to gain some self-confidence by doing so.
@SammyI completely agree
Sammy wrote: "I must admit that making fun of and mocking the nerdfighter fan base - which BTW aren't just John Green's fans, or even fans of his books - is really quite cruel a lot of people could have found fr..."If that Urban Dictionary thing is correct, the nerdfighter name itself - a nerd who fights against the "popular kids" - definitely comes from a high school mentality. The real world isn't like that - nobody cares who you were in high school, it isn't divided into nerds and popular people. Actually, high school isn't like that either.
Also, this isn't bullying. We're not all up in the pro-TFIOS threads telling people how much they suck for liking this book, or forcing our dislike for TFIOS or its fanbase onto anybody. Calling open discussion on Goodreads "bullying" trivializes actual bullying.
Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So before everyone starts calling us bullies, r..."
I mock the term Potterhead as well, for the same reasons. And I most definitely am one.
Also, someone said above we shouldn't judge beyond the book because after all, we don't know the author … except that John Green has a huge influence on social media. He's active on twitter, tumblr, and youtube. I don't even use them much, and I'm aware of his presence on them. An author I admire follows his blogs as well … I know John Green very well just through the grapevine of what he puts on the internet. I feel secure in judging him.
Siobhan wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So before everyone starts calling u..."
Yep. John Green is a public personality with a huge social media presence; he puts his life online, so that makes him fair game for discussion. :)
Aly wrote: "And let's be honest, John Green has probably judged everyone, just like any person would. Who knows, maybe he private messages his friends and passes judgement on people lile us every day. If he ca..."Agree so much! I personally fundraise a couple of times a year for a hospital I got treated in almost six years ago. They have a few events a year and I try and do what I can with those. I'm not saying I'm better than any "nerdfighters" but no one would have known that without me mentioning it here. No, single-handedly I haven't raised $800,000 (I think overall my funds have been something like £350, or about $500) but then, how many nerdfighters were involved in this particular feat? Did they all donate a dollar and think nothing more of it? Is that really admirable? Does that in turn make John Green admirable? Does my fundraising make me so?
(I know you didn't pose this, Aly, it's just another bug-bear I have from earlier)
That whole "we gave to charity so that makes us better than you" thing is a bunch of crap. (This is a big pet peeve of mine, so sorry if I come across as rude or belligerent, it is not meant that way.) Plenty of horrible people give to charity. I've heard that even Hitler was involved in a couple of charities. And sorry, but $800,000 has not made the world better. Sorry to be a cynic, but anyone who thinks giving a few bucks to charity is going to fix the problems of the world is naive. Most of that money never reaches the people it is meant to help. It's so easy to give 10 bucks to charity and then pat yourself on the back.You ask when have we raised $800,000? I ask when have you (general “you,” not aimed at anyone in particular) gone to a nursing home and listened to the stories of a lonely widow? When have you sat in a hospital waiting room with the parents of a sick child while they wait to hear whether their child survived surgery? When have you helped to rebuild the home of a poor person destroyed in a fire or natural disaster? Bought groceries for a person in need? Cooked dinner for a family who has just suffered a loss? The way to change the world is not through giving away spare change and then gloating about it. The way to change the world is to dedicate your time and life to helping and loving others. The way to make an impact is to spend more time thinking about others than yourself.
And before anyone gets testy, I'm not saying that charities aren't great and don't help anyone. Charities are a great way to reach out to other people and, of course, giving money to charity is good. My point is simply that there is more needed than that. There is a story from the Bible about all of these rich people giving tons of money to the synagogue. Then comes along this poor old widow, who humbly puts in two small coins (imagine giving a dollar or two versus everyone else giving $500 or more). Jesus said that that poor widow's sacrifice was worth more than all of those rich people, because she gave all she had, and they gave their pocket change. My question is, are you the “rich” person who is bragging about the spare change you are giving, or are you the poor widow giving all that you have to others and expecting nothing in return?
Emma, look up GESHWES (think I got that right) it's a charity created by Misha Collins and it's based on people doing good deeds for others. Last Sunday, he asked everyone to do a good deed for someone they saw who needed it, like giving a homeless person a meal and some time, or the suggestions you've made. He also does a crazy scavenger hunt once a year for it. Totally sounds like your thing!
Aly wrote: "@Siobhan: Nope, that's fine. :) I totally see where you're coming from. I have taken part in Children In Need more than once when I was in school, by waxing guy's legs, wearing pyjamas etc and we m..."We used to do stuff like that :) for me, my fundraising is a thank you, I know my treatment cost a bomb and my team were so sweet, calm, and patient. I want to spend my life just saying thank you in that way. It's not about glory, or giving because I have to, I owe these people my life and I take that seriously.
And Katie, you just gave a serious misquote. Think, then type.
I live in a developed country where people aren't very rich yet there are so many active charity foundations where people participate by giving food grains, clothes and money. These foundations even helped poor and needy in Iraq and Syria during the wars. They work 24 hours round the clock, they never complain yet they don't get any recognition. They visit sick in hospitals, they bring gifts for sick children, they provide physical help to the old people, they go to funerals. I rather give respect to these people.
A poor man who rarely gives charity but is kind and nice to others around him is way better than a rich man with lot of followers who gives charity but acts like a complete jerk.
Emma wrote:" The way to change the world is not through giving away spare change and then gloating about it. The way to change the world is to dedicate your time and life to helping and loving others. The way to make an impact is to spend more time thinking about others than yourself."I totally agree.
A publishing company in my country is translating this book into our national language, Malay. So that means I'll have to deal with this book all OVER again, now in a complete different language! Totally looking forward to reading about speshul Hazel is in my native tongue!!Also, why is this thread suddenly talking about charity.
Brooke wrote: "I really hate Hazel. She just whines, bitches, and makes fun of other people all the time. Ugh."Her comment about non-hot guys staring at you being insulting was so mean. Not to mention that her best friend Kaitlyn is even bitchier.
Ayesha wrote: "Brooke wrote: "I really hate Hazel. She just whines, bitches, and makes fun of other people all the time. Ugh."Her comment about non-hot guys staring at you being insulting was so mean. Not to me..."
That comment was also on the verge of validating rape culture. Nice move, Green.
Ugh, don't get me started on Kaitlin. Brits aren't pretentious assholes. Although, she was mentioned so little that near the end when Hazel mentioned phoning Kaitlin I was like "who?" And then I remembered, and got angry again.
Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So before everyone starts calling us bullies, r..."
Look the "kick me sign" was out of order if you don't know that then you have a very poor moral compass, if you can't admit when you're wrong that's fine but there is no need to attack a group of people because you think their name is poor. Your comment was unnecessary and cruel. Now I'm done with this thread unless someone speaks to me directly on it but look over the comments and almost every time someone has addressed you on this and you've not understood clearly what they've said then you've yelled at them. Which was fine you want to be rude go ahead that's none of my business but making fun of those people and making them embarrassed or ashamed about something they care about is wrong unless you have an actual reason for them to be ashamed - but not liking their name isn't a reason.
Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So before everyone starts calling u..."
you're taking the comment out of context. She said the name was akin to having that sign, that the title chosen held itself up to ridicule, because it's an oxymoron. And I know, John Green is pretentious enough to use an oxymoron as a collective name for his fans, but for most people, that sort of "joke" doesn't fly. What she was actually saying was, to avoid having that sort of stigma, another name would be better. Less pretension, more clarity.
By all means, continue believing it was bullying, but please, if you're such a fan of John Green, allow the alternatives in. That's supposed to be his big moral agenda, isn't it?
Siobhan wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So before everyone st..."
I hate John Green, I am very far from a fan
Aly wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So be..."
I didn't want you to explain the comment was mean and unnecessary simple as that no explanation needed.
Sammy wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE PEOPLE. THE NAME.
So be..."
It's hard to tell when you seem insulted by people laughing at the name 'nerdfighter'. My apologies.
Aly wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Sammy: This is not bullying, okay? I HATE people who accuse us of "bullying" when we aren't. We were MOCKING THE NAME. NOT THE P..."You were ridiculing them anyway if you really think that it was totally needed for you to say what you did then there is no point in this discussion any more.
Soo, can anyone who disliked TFioS still vouch for any of Green's other books, because I fear I've simply been unlucky and read his worst book first, but also I'm terribly afraid of wasting any more time on a shitty read.
Jessica wrote: "Soo, can anyone who disliked TFioS still vouch for any of Green's other books, because I fear I've simply been unlucky and read his worst book first, but also I'm terribly afraid of wasting any mor..."I read Looking for Alaska first. It's not as terrible, at the time I thought it was okay, but then I started thinking it over and I was like 'actually, no, it was pretty lame' but I seem to always get pretty lame books these days. I was being generous with LFA.
I guess we can still save John Green for when there's no other books left unread, right?! ;)
This book is fading surprisingly fast from my memory, thank goodness.
Brooke wrote: "This book is fading surprisingly fast from my memory, thank goodness."I'm jealous!
I didn't hate it, but I think that it is overrated personally.
My review is swarming with trolls. Ugh.
Ayesha wrote: "My review is swarming with trolls. Ugh."I loved your review!
Ayesha wrote: "My review is swarming with trolls. Ugh."
I'm so sorry!
I'm so sorry!
Hopefully this will all blow over when something new comes along. We just have to keep our fingers crossed.
Siobhan wrote: "Ayesha wrote: "My review is swarming with trolls. Ugh."I loved your review!"
Thanks!
Brooke wrote: "Hopefully this will all blow over when something new comes along. We just have to keep our fingers crossed."Let's hope that it's not a dystopian book written by John Green.
On a sidenote, my friend Booda the Pug has real cancer and could use some help --> Get to know Booda The Pug
It's shameless, but well, it's better than trolling, no?
It's shameless, but well, it's better than trolling, no?
Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: I may barf."
Me too.
Me too.
Ayesha wrote: "I happily bought the hardcover of The Fault in our stars back in December 2012 after seeing the high average GR ratings and raving reviews saying how beautiful, life-changing, thought-provoking and..."I don't hate it, I'm not that big a fan of it, though. I thought it was pretentious and shallow, that John Green created 2D characters to portray his philosophical thoughts.
Brooke wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: I may barf."Me too."
Count me in.
Brooke wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: I may barf."Me too."
Count me in.
Oh wait, apparently Green DID write a post-apocalyptic book named Zombicorns.
Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: Zombicorns? Please kill me now."
I don't want to live on this planet anymore....
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THANK YOU! Self-harm, suicide, mental illness, etc., are all becoming romanticized nowadays and it makes me sick.