Support Group

I recently reread the book, "The Fault in Our Stars," by John Green. This book is about a teenage girl named Hazel who has thyroid caner, and how she falls in love with a boy named Augustus Waters, who also used to have a type of cancer. The author does a great job capturing the voice of a teenage girl, and making it very apparent, through details, the way she thinks and feels.  Something that is interesting about Hazel is that she does not pity herself for being diagnosed with cancer, but at the same time she knows that it does impact her life greatly, and the way people think of her. For example, when she first notices Augustus, she automatically assumes that he feels sorry for her because of the physical features she has, showing that she has cancer.

In the beginning of the book, Hazel goes to a “Support Group” for kids and teenagers who have or are survivors of cancer, which is where she meets Augustus. At first, Hazel is very doubtful about this group and does not think it will be any help. She is reluctant to go, and when she gets there she does not want to talk. But she did mention that she thought she could make friends with some of people in this group. Because Hazel does not attend a regular high school, she is much less socially active and does not have as many chances to make new friends. So, this will be a very good experience for her to meet and talk with other people who may be going through similar issues with her.

I think that Hazel might not have been so thrilled about the support group because she was afraid that if she got too close to someone there, she could lose them because they are all at risk of cancer. Based on what Hazel has described, after she was diagnosed with cancer she lost everything—her friends, attending school, and many of her abilities were limited. I can understand why Hazel would be reluctant to start over with her friendships and make connections, as many of her old ones ended poorly.  I also think that her cancer is something she tries to avoid and not think about too much, so when she goes to this group which revolves mostly around cancer, Hazel would be facing a huge obstacle in her life, which she will have to overcome.