He’ll probably laugh if he reads this, but one of my first loves in Elementary School was Crash Course. Yes, I was an avid fan of the Green family’s ten-minute YouTube lessons, and not just because of the endless comic book references. No, I truly loved all the hidden histories of the world as we know it. More than anything, I saw John Green as a fun individual. And really, is there anything more valuable when it comes to storytelling?
As I grew older, I remember hearing about The Fault in Our Stars, and naturally I was curious. Despite the raving reviews, I was too nervous to dive deep into a book that would likely change the fabric of reality as I knew it, so I pushed the thought aside. It was only around high school that I found out the John Green, author of such an acclaimed novel, had been my John Green. The very same glasses-wearing history enthusiast from my elementary days so long ago. I was, to say it simply, shocked.
But again, I went on with my life. It wasn’t until I stepped foot into a Barnes & Noble this summer and laid eyes on a beautiful book display that I found out John Green was coming to Tucson this October. I was with my mom, who picked up An Abundance of Katherines and said, “this book looks hilarious.” I thought that perhaps this was the push I needed, and I quickly purchased a copy. Why not? The worst thing that could happen was that I didn’t like the book. The best thing would be that it truly was just as my mom predicted: hilarious.
She, of course, was right. I fell in love with his exquisite frankness of dialogue, world-building, and a shocking amount of footnotes2. I’m so glad I waited as long as I did and never gave up hope that I would one day read his works. Even though I had grown up into a very different individual than my innocent, childhood self3, I loved how his humor and perspective on the world still made me smile. I have no doubts about why, either.
John Green is a perfect example of my favorite thing in a writer: voice. Specifically—and if an author can do this I’m already guaranteed to love their writing—when the writing sounds like the author is speaking directly onto the page. I admit this clicks with me in particular because I used to watch his YouTube videos, but I can hear John Green’s voice when I read his works. Even bits of it go beyond narrative descriptions and into the character’s voices while still upholding unique dialogue quirks! It’s an impressive feat, but he has a gift for dictating and transforming his style of speech perfectly. And that is music to my ears4.
The story doesn’t stop there. Recently, I went to the UA’s library in search of his works for a bit of research. I expected to find one of his more popular fiction novels on display but was once again in shock. What I found and immediately checked out5 was The Anthropocene Reviewed. After completing a memoir project myself last spring, I was thrilled to find a famous author genre-bending society’s current understanding of nonfiction novels. The idea floored me. He was simply reviewing pieces of human culture6 while simultaneously contextualizing those pieces within not just his own life, but the way the world perceives them. With each piece taking up no more than a few thousand words to boot!
This realization has led to perhaps my favorite thing about John Green: He reminded me why I love to write. Now, after all of my Crash Course absorption, the passive hearsay about his books, and all of my dedicated author analysis, I am brought to the writer’s table. That is to say, I am called to share my own voice with other writers, and the feeling is wonderful. I have grown up with John Green precisely as I was meant to, at the exact times I was ready to find meaning in his works and subsequently, meaning in my writing. Yes, it has taken me a while, but I can finally resonate with, challenge, and fully appreciate his perspective with a blog of my very own.
Amelia Sommerhauser, Pine Reads Review Writer and Community Outreach Coordinator