John Green's Impact On American Culture

The Impact of John Green on American Culture

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” (John Green). Author John Green holds true to this quote in the way he lives his life through his many achievements. As a young child being bullied and not feeling like enough, he found a way to express his feelings through his writing. Green did not find himself until college after changing majors and spending time with ill kids in a children’s hospital. Along his journey, he was struck by many life altering decisions that has shaped him into the person he is today. Few people find it easy to discuss and write about the difficult topics Green brings to life in his novels, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance

Almost every novel he has written has received an award, starting with his first novel, Looking for Alaska. Looking for Alaska created an immediate impact on young adults winning it the American Association’s Michael L. Printz Award for best young adult novel (John Green 2010). Although, some communities attempted to ban the work due to the depiction of teen misbehavior as sex,drugs,and alcohol. His next published novel, An Abundance of Katherines, is about a young boy named Colin who tries to develop a mathematical theorem to help him understand why he has been dumped by 19 girls all who go by the name of Katherine. Green acknowledges the fact that his first two novels are about a female girl who seems larger than life, which is why he wrote his third novel Paper Towns to break the trend. Paper towns hit the New York Times best sellers list for being “cleverly constructed” and “profoundly moving” (John Green, 2010). Many found this novel intriguing to read because of the mystery of who Margo really is and where she has disappeared to. Lastely, Green wrote The Fault in our Stars, which also debuted at the top spot of the New York Times best sellers list (John Green 2010). This novel is about two cancer patients who meet at a support group and fall in love living out a short traumatic life

Unlike The Fault in our Stars, Paper towns is a one sided relationship. Quentin, also known as “Q,” is a very smart seventeen year old in love with his very popular nextdoor neighbor Margo. After spending a night of revenge together, Q wakes up the next morning hoping they can continue their newfounded relationship only to realizes she is gone. He believes she has left him clues such as snippets of poems and maps with fake locations on them, so he and his friends Radar and Ben go on a road trip to find her. Once they find out she is living in a “Paper Town” called Agloe, they go and talk to her only to realize she did not want to be found and is trying to find a new home. In that moment Q knew he had been in love with a girl he did not really know and has to let go of her before he even can find out who she really is. This novel is full of optimism. The mood is very lighthearted and adventurous, yet has a slightly serious tone. Kirkus reviews critic said: “genuine and genuinely funny dialogue, a satisfyingly tangled but not unbelievable mystery and delightful secondary characters make for a winning combination.” Its popular reviews earned it a spot on the New York times best sellers list (John Green,2010). After winning many awards, both of his novels have added to the impact he has made on