Very emotial but interesting book! i really loved it and it broke my heart! but a good read! ( )

Very emotial but interesting book! i really loved it and it broke my heart! but a good read! ( )

My sister died when I was a sophomore in high school. She was only a few years older than me and her battle with cancer took up much of her young life. Her loss left a hole in the hearts of my brothers and sisters that we still feel to this day. She was the bravest person I know and I truly believe that every ounce of bravery and compassion I have in my body I learned from her. I miss her terribly.

I was afraid to read this book. I read the introduction by John Green and started crying. 30 years after my sisters death it was still hard to think about it. I put the book down. Tonight I decided to read it and I am glad I did. Esther's words were powerful. Her bravery was astounding. Her words and story made me love and cherish my sister even more. I am not going to pretend like this book will cause some sort of epiphany. I also don't believe the loss of Esther or my sister or any of the people we have all lost in our lives will suddenly have meaning. Will suddenly be transformed into a happy ending. Nothing will replace the lost years. What the book did do was give me a chance to remember my sister's courage. My sister's love. This was a book worth reading. I thank Esther and her family for letting me share it. ( )

pick up on p 38

A lot of people are really, really missing the point of this book. And that's an absolute shame. So let me set something straight here, because these overly positive reviews and these overly negative reviews are making me quite irate.

You're not supposed to read this book because Esther was some sort of god-child who loved all whom she crossed paths with, or parted oceans, or whatever.

You're not supposed to read this book because she "is" Green's Hazel.

You're not supposed to read this book because you pity Esther Earl.

You're not supposed to read this book because it's "brilliantly written" (let me tell you right off the bat - it's not).

This book is the documentation of a girl's life. A life that was tragically cut short. That is this books *entire purpose for being*. When you hold this book, you are holding somebody's life in your hands. I'm not saying that metaphorically. I'm saying that literally. And as the pages tick down, closer and closer to the spine, you're seeing the end of that life. This is what makes this book brilliant. Esther wasn't an amazing writer - she certainly had the seeds of becoming one, as seen in her short fiction stories at the end of the book, but you need to remember that she was practically a kid at the end of her life. Esther's story is, sadly enough, not so different from those of other children afflicted with terminal cancer.

But what sets Esther apart from other kids is that this book is, quite simply, her.

Look at your copy of TSWGO. You are literally holding Esther's life in your hands. Her memory continues because of your purchase or your rental. I know that it sounds like I'm repeating myself, and that's because I am. I need to drive this point into your head like a nail. Understand. Drink this in.

All of her childhood drawings, all of her innermost thoughts, this book is a raw, emotional journey through the life of a girl stricken with a terrible sickness. You can't get much more real than reality. This is the heart of the book. This is what makes the book worth reading.

Did TSWGO probably help TFIOS' sales? Probably. Does that mean John Green didn't legitimately care about Esther? God, no. I want to dispel that too, as I seem to be encountering this line of thought in the reviews. That is such a toxic way of thinking that it almost makes me sick.

"Yeah, but if she didn't meet John Green, this book would have never been published." And? What is your point? Does that somehow make this book any less poignant? Because it was backed by money?

I realize that this review has been me loosely rambling about the reviews of this book more than the book itself, and for that, I apologize. All I can really say is that it is a grave mistake to go into this book with pessimism, martyrism, or just plain doubt. You're not going to get a literary masterpiece, but you're going to get something very coarse and real, something that I think a lot of people would benefit from reading. ( )