If you’re from a wealthy country with a good healthcare system, you might assume that TB isn’t a problem any more. Tragically this is not the case. In 2024, as explained in this WHO factsheet, 1.23 million people died of TB , it was the leading cause of death for people with HIV, and that about 2 in 5 people with multi-drug resistant TB accessed treatment. [Factsheet dated 13th November].

In this book, John Green describes the history, causes, symptoms and diagnosis of TB, the development of treatment, plus social attitudes towards sufferers and how the legacies of racism and colonialism allow this deadly – but curable – disease to thrive. When you consider these topics, TB really is everything, as the title suggests. It has shaped our history in a major way. In between these chapters, we follow the story of Henry as he becomes sicker and faces further barriers to his recovery. I couldn’t wait to get to these sections as I wanted to find out what happened. It was a very informative read and I hope it has helped to raise a lot of awareness.

Published in 2025.

The story follows Hazel Grace Lancaster, a teen with terminal cancer who meets the charming Augustus Waters at a support group. Her depression lifts as they fall in love. Together they’re on a mission to find some answers to a book written by the elusive author Peter Van Houten. The actors Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are brilliant and credible as Hazel and Augustus. This being the kind of film where the story rests on the characterisation, in this respect it’s very successful. Laura Dern and Sam Trammell as Hazel’s parents are wonderful too, as is Nat Wolff, who plays Isaac (Augustus’ best friend).

I think the film is very well-crafted and can’t think of anything to criticise. Anything to dislike about it would be down to flaws in the original book. While the film would be categorised as an American teen romance, it’s down to earth and bittersweet. Not as many gritty details as the book but I would say it’s a near perfect adaptation.

Low-resolution poster sourced from Wikipedia.

Quentin’s next door neighbour, fellow student, crush and legendary wildchild, Margo, goes missing. No one except for him seems to be worried about this, as she often goes on adventures, but some clues she left behind suggest that her mental health is a cause for concern. He commits himself to finding her, enlisting his eccentric friends, Ben and Radar, in the quest.

I enjoyed many aspects of this novel, but halfway through my attention started to slide. I felt that the text was unnecessarily wordy at times, for example when Quentin is musing upon Walt Whitman’s poems. Sometimes less is more; extra words can obstruct the author’s meaning. I’m not sure that Quentin’s thoughts needed to be described at length. I also felt uncomfortable that some of the characters used the word ‘retarded’ as an insult. I realise that John Green is aiming to accurately reflect young people’s slang, but I still didn’t like it.

The ending of the novel is an anti-climax but I think this was intended as an affirmation that life is about the journey, not the end. I also took away the message that you can’t really know someone; you can imagine what it’s like to be that person, but making assumptions about them can lead to conflict.

First published in 2012, John Green’s sixth novel is basically a romance, but different from any other romance I’ve read. Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters meet at a young people’s cancer support group in Indiana. Hazel (who narrates the story) is charmed by his wit and somewhat eccentric nature. She doesn’t think that romance is for her – after all, she has a terminal illness and wheels an oxygen canister around – but Augustus is really interested in her and says she’s beautiful. She’s attracted to him too, and doesn’t mind that he has lost a leg to cancer. She introduces him to her favourite book (which is also narrated by a girl with cancer) and together they hatch a mission to find out some answers about the story from the author, Peter Van Houten.

I already suspected there would be no conventionally happy ending to this novel. It’s realistic, exploring how teens and their parents cope with the certainty that young lives will be cut short, just when the adventures of adulthood should be beginning. The focus, however, is on the relationship between Hazel and Augustus, and also how people with cancer are stereotyped as ‘heroes’, ‘fighters’, ‘survivors’ and (in Hazel’s words) ‘professional cancer sufferers’ at the expense of their individualities. In a way this book is a celebration of life, despite its preoccupation with dying. Hazel finds true love when she is least expecting it and for the moment there is happiness. And I have to mention the dark humour of the characters. Humour is a very human way of coping with situations and the teens shock people around them by laughing at cancer, at their failing organs, at the process of dying. There is nothing they can do about dying… but they can laugh, and they can love.

This book is character-driven and the likeable narrative style holds up the story. In the wrong hands, it could’ve turned out sentimental, grandly tragic rather than bittersweet. I’m so impressed by John Green’s talent and will definitely read more of his books.

A film adaptation was released in 2014.