In those fifty, the Old Man made me take religion seriously. I'd never been religious, but he told us that religion is important whether or not we believed in one, the same way that historical events are important whether or not you personally lived through them.
John GreenI nodded. I liked Augustus Waters. I really, really, really liked him. I liked the way his story ended with someone else. I liked his voice. I liked that he took existentially fraught free throws. I liked that he was a tenured professor in the Department of Slightly Crooked Smiles with a dual appointment in the Department of Having a Voice That Made My Skin Feel More Like Skin. And I liked that he had two names. Iโve always liked people with two names, because you get to make up your mind what you call them: Gus or Augustus? Me, I was always just Hazel, univalent Hazel.
John GreenReading with an eye towards metaphor allows us to become the person weโre reading about, while reading about them. Thatโs why there is symbols in books and why your English teacher deserves your attention. Ultimately, it doesnโt matter if the author intended the symbol to be there because the job of reading is not to understand the authorโs intent. The job of reading is to use stories as a way into seeing other people as a we ourselves.
John GreenSomething about telling that story made my gut grow back together." What?" Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud." That's who you really like. The people you can think out loud in front of." The people who've been in your secret hiding places." The people you bite your thumb in front of." Hi." Hi." ..." ..." Wow. My first Lindsey." My second Colin." That was fun. Let's try it again." Sold." ..." ..." ...".
John GreenHazel Grace,โ he said. โHi,โ I said. โHow are you?โ โGrand,โ he said. โI have been wanting to call you on a nearly minutely basis, but I have been waiting until I could form a coherent thought in re An Imperial Affliction.โ (He said โin re.โ He really did. That boy.)
John Green