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38 CURRENT BIOGRAPHY | AUGUST 2017 John Green Date of birth: August 24, 1977 Occupation: Author John Green is an American author of young adult fi ction best known for his 2012 novel, The Fault in Our Stars. Green also operates several web-based entertain- ment and educational video channels aimed at his primarily teenage audience. EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION John Michael Green was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 24, 1977, to Mike and Sydney Green. Green’s younger brother, Hank, was born in 1980. The family moved to Orlando, Florida, where Green spent most of his youth, be- fore moving to Birmingham, Alabama. Green graduated from the Indian Springs School in 1995. Green has noted that although he was fortunate to have a stable upbringing, he often felt isolated and was the target of bullying in school. These struggles in school helped form his personality and his interest in reading and writing. His fi ction would later draw upon his experiences with bullies and teenage social dynamics. Green attended Kenyon College, where he studied English and religion. Upon graduating in 2000, Green planned to enroll at the University of Chicago Divin- ity School, but fi rst began his career as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Working closely with the families of sick and dying children greatly aff ected Green. Though he had an interest in writing, he had not con- sidered it a career option until he decided to leave the children’s hospital and not pursue divinity school. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, seeking a new career in literature. YA NOVELIST For the next fi ve years, Green worked at Booklist, a Chicago-based magazine published by the American Library Association (ALA). He decided to write for teenage audiences, and began reading young adult novels in preparation for writ- ing what would become his fi rst book, Looking for Alaska. Looking for Alaska, published in 2005, was partially based on Green’s experi- ence at the Indian Springs School in Alabama. The novel’s themes, which include teenage romance, bullying, and death, would characterize much of Green’s later work. Having succeeded in publishing his fi rst young adult novel, Green left his job at Booklist to write full time. Following his debut, Green published a second novel, An Abundance of Kath- erines (2006), and several short stories. His third novel, Paper Towns (2008), debuted at number fi ve on the New York Times Best Sellers list. CB August 2017.indd 38 6/26/2017 4:26:04 PM John Green 39 ONLINE CREATIVE WORK While his career as a best-selling young adult author was on the rise, Green be- gan using the video-sharing website YouTube to create video diaries, or vlogs, as a way to communicate with his brother, Hank. In 2007 the Greens launched Brotherhood 2.0 (later renamed VlogBrothers), a YouTube-based video blog that expanded into a platform for the brothers to discuss their varied interests and social concerns. The channel grew in popularity and launched Green into his sec- ond career as an online video host and presenter, primarily of educational and en- tertainment content. The VlogBrothers audience developed into “Nerdfi ghteria,” a subculture among Green’s fans that promotes humanitarian causes and charity events. Members of the community, known as “Nerdfi ghters,” collaboratively raise awareness and funds for various charities in an annual online event dubbed the Project for Awesome. In 2012 Green also launched Crash Course, an on- line educational channel hosted by the Green brothers, aimed at helping students learn essential information about a topic in under fi fteen minutes. Green’s web-based creative work is characterized by fast-paced talking, dry humor, personal anecdotes, and sincere encouragement of his viewers. Green often reminds his audience, “Don’t forget to be awesome,” a slogan his Nerdfi gh- teria following abbreviate as DFTBA. This slogan and its abbreviation are used in social media posts, clothing, and artwork within the Nerdfi ghteria subculture. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS Green published The Fault in Our Stars in 2012. Centered on a terminally ill heroine, the novel was inspired by Green’s previous interactions with children’s hospital patients. The Fault in Our Stars debuted at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the young adult chart for seventy-eight consecu- tive weeks; by the summer of 2014 it had sold over 10.7 million copies. Critics praised the work for its compelling depictions of romance and sickness, as well as the storytelling’s insightful combination of humor and melancholy. The popu- larity of the novel led to its adaptation as a fi lm, which premiered in 2014 and starred Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The fi lm—a critical and commercial success—increased Green’s fan base and solidifi ed his status as a leading fi gure in young adult fi ction. In the summer of 2015 the fi lm adaptation of Paper Towns premiered and was a box offi ce success. Shortly after, Green was off ered a fi rst-look producing deal with Fox 2000 Pictures to begin work as a fi lm producer. IMPACT The popularity of Green’s fi ction gave rise to a literary movement within young adult fi ction that A. J. Jacobs of the New York Times described as “GreenLit.” Authors included in this group, such as Andrew Smith, are noted for their use of witty teenage narrators and unsentimental representations of trying emo- tional circumstances. CB August 2017.indd 39 6/26/2017 4:26:04 PM 40 CURRENT BIOGRAPHY | AUGUST 2017 Looking for Alaska earned Green the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award. The Fault in Our Stars reached the top of both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller lists. His books are taught at secondary schools throughout the United States, and in 2015 Rutgers University announced that it was off ering a course that would examine Green’s works as compared to classic fi ction. PERSONAL LIFE In 2006 Green married art curator Sarah Urist Green, with whom he cocreated the PBS Digital Studios program, The Art Assignment. Their son, Henry, was born in 2010, and their daughter, Alice, was born in 2013. Green lives in India- napolis, Indiana. Green identifi es as an Episcopalian Christian and as a feminist. SUGGESTED READING Barkdoll, Jayme K., and Lisa Scherff . “‘Literature Is Not a Cold Dead Place’: An Interview with John Green.” English Journal 97. 3 (2008): 67–71. Print. Grose, Jessica. “The Green Movement.” Mental Floss. Mental Floss, 15 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. “John Green’s Biography.” JohnGreenBooks.com, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. McEvoy, Marc. “Interview: John Green.” Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Me- dia, 21 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Rosen, Rebecca J. “How John Green Wrote a Cancer Book but Not a ‘Bullshit Cancer Book.’” Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly Group, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Talbot, Margaret. “The Teen Whisperer.” New Yorker. Condé Nast, 9 June 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. SELECTED WORKS Looking for Alaska, 2005; An Abundance of Katherines, 2006; Paper Towns, 2008; Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), 2010; The Fault in Our Stars, 2012 —Richard Means CB August 2017.indd 40 6/26/2017 4:26:04 PM.