I could talk about how I was moved and touched by Hazel and Gus’ epic love story. I could talk about how so unprecedented Hazel is and how that oddly makes her so relatable as a teenage girl character. I could talk about how charming Gus is and how much I swoon when I imagine him calling Hazel beautiful. Or I could talk about how great the movie adaptation was, but how I feel like it left out crucial points. I could talk about the book and movie and everything I liked and didn’t like. But instead, I want to talk about some of the things that make reading important.

(The First Thing)

The first time I picked up The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was at one of those mini bookstores that grocery stores sometimes have. I remember reading the first few pages, wishing I could finish the entire book then and there, but not having the money to purchase it (this is actually always the case when it comes to me and bookstores…). My mom surprised me with the book a day later; needless to say, I was holed up in my room for two days straight reading.

TFIOS is about two teens who fall in love. If that’s not one of the most relatable stories in the history of ever, I don’t know what is. I don’t care if you’re a self-deprecating cynic who claims they’ll marry their bed and pizza, I know you want someone to hold you close. Everyone wants to find someone who will love them, someone to love. It’s an experience people around the world can connect with. When we read this story, we gain a new perspective on love, a new opportunity for love, and a new appreciation for love. TFIOS and all books give us this connection and so many others and thus we connect not only about the characters but with each other, too.

Books have a way of bringing people together that nothing else can match. Look at the Harry Potter series, Twilight, The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, John Green’s other novels, etc. Each has a fanbase. These readers talk to each other about their books and they never get tired of it. There’s a huge pride in being fans of these books, to be part of a community that loves these books. (Sometimes, meeting someone for the first time and finding out they like Harry Potter is the only thing you need to be friends with them.)

And maybe a book doesn’t have a huge fanbase, but maybe you read a book on a friend’s recommendation. You read it because you respect your friend, maybe to get the inside scoop on the book they can’t seem to stop talking about. You read it so you can talk to them about the book. And after you read it, you do talk about it with them–and that’s exactly the core of what I’m talking about: reading brings people together.

(The Second Thing)

I love when friends recommend books to me! I feel like they’ve given me a small entrance to part of their being. That sounds crazy, but that’s what books are to me: insight to humans. So when I give someone a recommendation, I don’t give it lightly. Essentially, recommending books is me giving part of my being. That doesn’t mean I expect them to be in love with the book like I am, but it does mean that I expect them to actually read it. I respect people if they read and I respect them even more when they can form opinions on their reading and are able to hold an actual, substantial conversation about it. (SIDE NOTE: I’m not saying that I don’t respect people who don’t read (because I have plenty of friends who don’t read -__-).) Reading is a way to stay connected with people.

(The Third Thing)

When someone gives me the gift of a story, they are giving me inspiration, dreams, and wonder. Oftentimes, books are an escape from the world we live in, too. People say that all the time and maybe it’s overused–but it’s true! I can’t remember how many times I would turn to a book instead of dealing with the unfair and cruel world.

Perhaps I hole myself in my room for hours and days reading and perhaps I’d rather be friends with unprecedented Hazel and charming Gus than anybody else in real life. But after a good read, I typically feel better and ready to approach the world and my problems. I’m not saying that this is true 100% of the time, but books sometimes make it easier to deal with life. Think back to reading those classics in middle and high school and tell me you didn’t learn about life in one way or another (see: Catcher in the Rye, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird). Their metaphors were messages of truth about life, humans, and the world we live in. Books are written to illustrate a story and typically those stories are inspired by real life. So when we read those stories, we take experiences and consciously or not, they influence the way you think after reading them. You might not feel so alone after reading these books just because you know someone (even if it’s just an author you will never meet) feels similar to you. You might understand a situation differently and be open to compromise. You might feel empowered to do something to change the world (or, at least, your world). You might feel a hundred different things, but you feel and that’s another one of the most important things about reading.

~ – ~

I barely scratched the surface with this topic. Merp. I could talk on and on and on about how wonderful books are and how important it is to read, but as I write this, it’s almost 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m tired and I don’t feel like standing on a soapbox all night. I’ll probably revisit the Third Thing sometime later, but I hope you get the gist of it. Originally, I meant to actually talk all about TFIOS, really I did! But then I started thinking about how some people don’t appreciate or approach books the same way I do and I kind of just had to write it out…. BUT, I do have many feelings about TFIOS and if you would like to talk about it, please let me know because I would love to discuss it with you (she types as if many people actually read her blog…)! Thanks for reading (ha ha ha)! 🙂