Screams and cheers
exploded when he and his brother took the stage at Carnegie Hall, one of the
stops on their “world tour.” One would expect to see a pre-teen pop star
gyrating onstage for all energy and excitement in the performance hall. But it
wasn’t a rock star that has these fans in a raucous twit, but rather an author,
and not even one whose books have anything to do with heroic wizards or harlequin
vampires.
John Green is the
author of highly-praised young adult novels, notably Looking for Alaska, winner of the Printz Prize for Excellence in
Young Adult Novels. A gangly 35 year-old whose look reminds one of a sexy
(male) librarian—wire-rimmed glasses, blazers, a full head of hair—he resides
in Indianapolis with his wife and son. His most recent book, The Fault in our Stars, appeared as one
of the best books of the past year on numerous lists, taking TIME Magazine’s number one spot. The film adaptation is currently in
pre-production.
In many ways, Green is
just as much of a commodity as any of his books. A silhouette of his face
adorns limited edition Barnes and Noble gift cards where there is also a
special display of his work encouraging customers they should “Resolve to read
more John Green.” Furthermore, his name is given almost as much space on the
cover of The Fault in Our Stars as
the title. Never before has an author sold themselves as well, if not more so,
than their work.
Yet many of John
Green’s fans haven’t even read his work. While Green made his money through his
writing, he arguably made his name through video-blogging. Along with his
brother Hank, he runs a variety of YouTube channels, most notably
“Vlogbrothers” which has over a million subscribers (Oprah Winfrey’s YouTube
channel only has about 68,000.) Even in today’s obsessive celebrity culture, an
author with a following based more around them as a person than their imagined characters
is a rare beast.
The brothers Green have
created an identity for themselves and their followers as “Nerdfighters,”
complete with their own slogan –DFTBA, “don’t forget to be awesome”—and
Vulcan-esque greeting. The videos range in topic from the Syrian revolution and
relationship advice to travel logs and the “Top 5 Zombie Apocalypses of All
Time.” Their popularity comes from a unique ability to express meaningful
sentiments without talking down to their viewers. NPR’s book review of The Fault in Our Stars described how
Green “writes for youth, rather than to them,” and the same can be said for
his videos.
Book authors can feel
the least accessible of any type of “entertainer.” Often they are no more than
a name on a book cover or an unchanging thumbnail on the back flap. But John
Green has broken the fourth wall and has made himself not only recognizable but
relatable. Perhaps the most distinctive quality of John Green as a celebrity is
his willingness to share so much of his personal life with his fans. His videos
literally take audiences inside his home, have introduced them to his now
three-year-old son Henry from the time he was in the womb, and share stories
embarrassing, heartbreaking, and humorous.
But what does this mean
for the level of publicity or recognition expected from authors? While such
exposure does not necessitate success –just look at Hunger Games author,
Suzanne Collins, an exceptionally private person, or even classic literary
recluses like Harper Lee and J.D. Salinger—but in Green’s case, it sure didn’t
hurt.
While John and Hank
Green began vlogging in 2007, only in the past couple of years have the
brothers become a mainstream phenomenon. Without a doubt, their increased
online popularity has had an impact of John’s popularity as a writer. Looking for Alaska found its way onto
the New York Times Bestseller list for
the first time in July of 2012, seven years after it was first published.
He even caught the attention
of President Barack Obama, who allowed Green to interview him in January during
a livestream broadcast. In the interview, Green announced to President Obama
that he and his wife Sarah (an art curator Nerdfighters refer to as the “Yeti”)
were expecting their second child. The news sent fans into a social media
spiral of unbridled excitement, as if he had announced the impending arrival of
a new book rather than a new baby.
John Green spoke to
this level of passion so often ascribed to “nerds,” defending the particular
label in one of his online videos: “Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically
enthusiastic about stuff…Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like
jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people
call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is
just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle
of human consciousness.’” Nerd enthusiasts can even buy a print of this quote
at DFTBA.com (wow, a living author with his words branded on merchandise).
But the fandom that
surrounds Green has certain critics questioning the quality of his written work,
unconvinced that readers can distinguish between their love of the author and
their love of the book. After all, there is no publicity without backlash as
some online commentators accuse Green of being self-indulgent, overrated, and thematically
repetitive in his books.
However, many critics
believe that Green adds a semblance of legitimacy to the genre of young-adult
fiction so often dismissed as trite. The
New York Times book review for The
Fault in Our Stars, praised his “harrowing descriptions of pain, shame,
anger and bodily fluids of every type…These unpleasant details do nothing to
diminish the romance; in Green’s hands, they only make it more moving.”
A line from Green’s
book, Paper Towns, reads “What a
treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.” But what a
wonderful thing to believe an author can be more than an author…maybe even a
rock star.
