Welcome to chapter nine of the book column. John Green is releasing his highly anticipated sixth book, “Turtles All the Way Down," on Oct. 10, which you probably already know unless you've been living under a rock.
For everyone who is already salivating from the brief summary of “Turtles All the Way Down,” get excited, because Green and his brother Hank will be stopping in Indianapolis on a book tour. The two will appear on Oct. 19 at the Pike Performing Arts Center.
Green is the critically acclaimed author of bestselling teen novel-turned-movie “The Fault in Our Stars."
For years, young adult readers have swooned over his idealistic love stories. They have wished for boyfriends and girlfriends similar to the characters Green makes.
However, I’m not a John Green fan. I sincerely hope my peers are wrong and that he isn't the voice of our generation.
Besides my opinion, Green's support is very obvious in the numbers. His work has grossed over 5 million dollars in royalties and sold more than 10 million copies of “The Fault in Our Stars” alone.
Despite having read all of Green’s books, I've simply never been amazed by his writing. The stories are entertaining, but they are far from the literature I expected when I finally got around to checking out his books.
He creates characters who could never be people we would know in real life, and he puts them into situations that could never happen despite being part of his “realistic-fiction” narrative. Another problem I have with his writing is his overuse of obvious metaphors.
If I read once more that Hazel fell in love, “like falling asleep, slowly then all at once,” I might tear the book in half.
Regardless, I am talking about “Turtles All the Way Down” because almost everyone else is excited for the new book.
In the new story, Green introduces Aza, a character who teams up with her best friend Daisy to solve the mystery of a fugitive billionaire's disappearance.
Throughout the plot, I predict Green will attempt to teach readers deep, meaningful lessons about the trials and struggles of life. Don’t worry, no spoilers here: he does this in every book.
Despite not being a fan, I will read the new book. I have given every other work he has written a chance, so I can defend my dislike of his work.
Maybe this will be the story that will bring me over to the dark side, but I doubt it.
I also might go to Green's book signing in Indianapolis. It's $23 to attend, but the admission price includes a copy of “Turtles All the Way Down,” so if you can wait nine days to buy the book, this doesn’t seem like too bad of a deal.
During the appearance, John and Hank will talk about the new book. They will also play music together and answer audience questions. At the end of the discussion, participants will have the opportunity to get their books signed by Green.
Fans of the young adult author should jump at the chance to meet him, as his popularity is resurging. It could be a cool story for next semester's inevitable class ice breaker: name a famous person you’ve met.
I must say before penning the end of this book column’s chapter that I hope readers of John Green branch out.
If you find the young adult genre fun to read, that’s great. I love the young adult genre, but I believe there's a lot more to see within the genre than John Green's work.
