Isabel Lawrence
Reporter
Though he is a New York Times best selling author, has been published in more than twelve languages, is the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006 and the Edgar Award in 2009, and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist not once but twice, John Green is not widely known. Other authors such as J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer bring instant Potter and vampire connections to mind; but to many, John Green draws a blank. This up and coming author, however, is gaining speed and quickly making a name for himself in the young adult (YA) literature world.
In YA literature, Green is a rising superstar. He has written a number of young adult books, including Looking for Alaska (2005), An Abundance of Katherines (2006), Paper Towns (2008), Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), and the much awaited The Fault in Our Stars (2012).
Even so, many know Green through his popular Youtube channel, Vlogbrothers. Started in 2007, Vlogbrothers was initially a way for Green and his brother, Hank, to communicate after deciding to abandon mediums like texting and email. The series of videos that they posted on Youtube surpassed this communication goal, eventually attracting millions of viewers.
Sophomore Gita Abhiraman, super fan of Green, is one of the many who first discovered him through Vlogbrothers. “The channel discusses anything from literature to science to current events,” she said. “The videos are about educating people about issues but not in a school or classroom sense. They make it really fun.”
Gita is not the only one who feels this way about Vlogbrothers. The channel has acquired a fan club whose members go by the name of “Nerdfighters.” With Green’s guidance, these “geeks” have worked to fulfill their motto, “Don’t Forget To Be Awesome,” and have worked towards their goal to, “Reduce World Suck.” With these simple mantras in mind, the Nerdfighters have raised money to prevent poverty in developing nations and have planted trees internationally.
“Their motto embodies what they’re all about,” Gita said. “His videos are really inspiring. They always end on a note that makes you feel empowered; that you the follower have the power to reduce world suck.”
These Nerdfighters are encouraged by Green to be their individual selves and not be afraid to be a bookworm. Junior Isabelle Herde said, “He encourages being nerdy and goofy, which is appealing to people. He speaks to a wide audience.”
Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School, thinks his technological efforts
publicize his books and encourage teens to read. “Part of the mission of the Vlogbrothers was to get kids engaged in conversations about reading, and I think he’s very effective in that,” Ms. Luhtala said. “One of the things I like about getting John Green into the hands of kids is that there’s an ongoing conversation about what he’s doing. It’s not like they finish the book and it’s over. They can finish the book and they can go to Vlogbrothers and they can participate in a much larger conversation with other students. So it’s a really nice strategy to get them to think about literature as a social thing.”
Though his fan base is mainly online and geared towards the Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighters sites, there is no mistaking that John Green’s books can hold their own. Whereas many authors seem to feel the need to lure readers in with fantastical adventures and miraculous plot twists, Green finds ways to relate to kids on a deeper level.
“One of the things I have a problem with in YA, in Young Adult literature, is it feels like everything is painted with a very heavy brush sometimes,” Ms. Luhtala said. “You know, the most unhappy kid has the most abysmal circumstances and they’re so miserable. Honestly I know a lot of kids and I’ve worked in a lot of different kinds of schools. While kids have real problems, very genuine problems, they don’t seem to fit the profiles that you find in a lot of the books in young adult literature.”
Many believe Green’s characters, however, are similar to the every day teen reader, but are also individuals, making them more life like. “Green writes hipster, obscure characters,” Gita said.
With an ever growing fan base and award winning books, it seems John Green is well on his way to becoming a household name. As Ms. Luhtala said, “He’s kind of like a rock star in literature circles, in Nerdfighter-dome.”
