Log #5

Book: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Page: P.3 – P.113(C1 – C7)

        Hazel is a teenager who is diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer and has depression. To make her situation become better, Hazel’s mother takes her to attend a Support Group, which features a weekly meeting where people with cancers gather together and share with one another their life stories and experiences. Attending the Support Group, Hazel meets Augustus, a charming teenager who has lost one of his legs due to the bone cancer he had.

        When I heard about this book for the first time, I thought it was mainly about romance and the leading roles’ growth from love. However, when Hazel first meets Augustus, the very first issue they discuss is about death. I was deeply impressed by Hazel’s words, which are, “There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. …And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.” These words remind me of one minor accident I had two weeks ago. In that accident, I was very lucky to be safe and sound although I fell from the motorcycle. However, I kept thinking what if the motorcycle fell on my leg, what if there were no enough time for the vehicles behind us to brake? Then what would have happened?

After that accident and after I read Hazel’s words, I realize the importance of living in the moment. Nobody can know whether they are still alive in the next second. Thus, I learn that we should be brave to do what we want to achieve. Most of the time we have a lot of things we want to do, but we hold back from stepping forward because of the worry that our decisions may be wrong or that we will fail in what we tried. However, life is full of uncertainly. No one can know how long they still can live. Therefore, I think we should live in the moment and summon up courage to go for what we want as long as it is worth it!

I am looking forward to reading more about this novel now and expect that it will be different from normal love and growth stories.