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John Green

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John Green

John Green (born August 24, 1977, Indianapolis , Indiana , U.S.) is an American author who writes realistic fiction for young adults. Reviewers have praised Green’s work for his bright yet troubled characters and thoughtful treatment of difficult topics.

Green is the son of Mike Green, a business executive, media consultant, and producer of socially engaged films, and Sydney Goodrich Green, the daughter of Henry Goodrich, the onetime chairman and chief executive officer of Inland Container Corporation. He grew up in Orlando , Florida, and Birmingham , Alabama. Green attended the Indian Springs School near Birmingham before matriculating at Kenyon College in Ohio, where he double majored in English and religious studies. After graduating in 2000, he worked as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital and considered becoming an Episcopal priest. However, his experiences with the patients at the hospital and the sadness and loss they confronted helped him decide to become a writer. Green began his literary career working as a publishing assistant and production editor at the Chicago-based book review magazine Booklist . While in Chicago Green also wrote for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered as well as for public radio station WBEZ.

Green’s first published book, Looking for Alaska (2005), follows a teenage boy as he spends his junior year at a boarding school where he makes friends, falls in love, and deals with loss and death. Looking for Alaska won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature . Green’s next book, An Abundance of Katherines (2006), was named a Printz honour book in 2007. Its main character, Colin, has dated 19 girls named Katherine, and they have all broken up with him. Confused and angry about his dating past, Colin goes on a road trip with his friend Hassan. Along the way, Colin tries to create a mathematical equation that will predict the success of romantic relationships.

Paper Towns (2008) explores the relationship between high-school seniors Quentin and Margo. Quentin has secretly loved Margo for years. After joining Quentin in some pranks, Margo disappears. However, she leaves clues for Quentin to help him find her. Although the two are eventually reunited, they ultimately decide to go their separate ways. Paper Towns won a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award in 2009 for best young adult book. It was made into a film in 2015.

Green coauthored his next book, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), with David Levithan. The novel relates the story of two extremely different teenagers who are both named Will Grayson. Their lives become intertwined after they meet. Green’s next book, The Fault in Our Stars , was published in 2012 and was turned into a film in 2014. It explores the relationship between two teenagers battling cancer. Turtles All the Way Down (2017) deals with mental illness . The story is told from the perspective of Aza, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and comes to realize that she must learn to accept her illness in order to lead a fulfilling life.

Besides writing, Green has maintained a YouTube video blog with his brother, Hank, called VlogBrothers, which they created in 2007. In 2010 the brothers cofounded VidCon, an annual conference that allows the online video community to interact in person. The two also created an educational channel on YouTube called Crash Course. They and other hosts present lessons in such science and humanities fields as mythology, astronomy, chemistry, history, literature, and government, employing a fast-paced often humorous format that attracted an enthusiastic audience of teenagers. In an interview with Publishers Weekly in 2015, Green said of his approach to the channel: “I see Crash Course as an introduction, as a way to get kids excited about learning, not as an attempt to replace traditional classroom materials.”

He and his brother began hosting a podcast , Dear Hank & John , in 2015. From 2018 to 2020 Green had his own podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed . He adapted some of the podcast episodes into essays that he published in a book of the same name in 2021. Green’s wife, Sarah Urist Green, formerly curator of contemporary art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, is the author of You Are the Artist: Assignments to Spark Creation (2020) and the creator of The Art Assignment , an educational video series that seeks to demystify art and art history .

John Green Biography

Birthday: August 24 , 1977 ( Virgo )

Born In: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

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John Green Tells a Story of Emotional Pain and Crippling Anxiety. His Own.

john green biography

By Alexandra Alter

  • Oct. 10, 2017

Two years ago, the novelist John Green was unable to control his thoughts. His mind played relentlessly over the same fears and anxieties. At times, he couldn’t focus enough to read a menu or follow the plot of a television show, much less write a book.

It was a terrifying feeling, but a familiar one. Mr. Green, the author of the best-selling novel “ The Fault in Our Stars ,” has struggled with severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder for about as long as he can remember. He keeps it in check with medication and therapy, but every once in a while, it consumes him.

“I couldn’t escape the spiral of my thoughts, and I felt like they were coming from the outside,” Mr. Green said in an interview.

When he recovered after a few months, he started writing “Turtles All the Way Down,” a wrenching and revelatory novel that provides a window into what it’s like to live in constant fear of your own mind.

“Coming out of that, it was difficult to write about anything else,” he said. “The topic demanded itself.”

“Turtles All the Way Down,” published on Tuesday, Oct. 10, is Mr. Green’s most personal book yet. Its narrator, Aza Holmes, is a 16-year-old girl in Indianapolis who wrestles with anxiety and obsessive thought spirals. Aza has normal teenage preoccupations, and struggles to navigate the rites of adolescence: dating, fretting about college, calming her overbearing mother, appeasing her demanding best friend.

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John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska ,   An Abundance of Katherines , Paper Towns ,  The Fault in Our Stars , Turtles All the Way Down , and The Anthropocene Reviewed . He is one half of the vlogbrothers on YouTube and co-creator of educational series Crash Course . 

More about John

Turtles All the Way Down Movie streaming now on MAX!

john green biography

The movie adaptation of John Green’s book Turtles All the Way Down is now streaming as of May 2nd 2024 on MAX (or, for many of you not in the USA, HBO Max/some variant thereof). Turtles All the Way Down is brilliantly directed by Hannah Marks and stars Isabela Merced, Cree and Felix Mallard.

Find out more on the Turtles All the Way Down movie page and watch the trailer below!

Crash Course Lecture: Tuberculosis Explained

In this new kind of Crash Course, John dives deep on the deadliest infectious disease of all time. Tuberculosis is often thought of as an old-timey disease, but in reality, it continues to kill over a million and a half people per year, despite its known cure. How did we get here, to a world where decades of work toward a cure stalled in its dissemination around the globe? And how can understanding the history of TB point us toward a different future?

You can learn more about the TB Fighters Community at https://tbfighters.org

The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene Reviewed book is out now! The book is a a deeply moving and insightful collection of personal essays from #1 bestselling author John Green, adapted from his critically acclaimed podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed . Available now .

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John Green

John Green Biography

John Green is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska , An Abundance of Katherines , Paper Towns , The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All The Way Down . He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson . He was the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green's books have been published in more than 55 languages and over 24 million copies are in print. John is also an active Twitter user with more than 5 million followers.

John Green's website This bio was last updated on 11/14/2017. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

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Cris Beam is the author of Transparent and has written for public radio's This American Life, as well as for several national magazines. She has an MFA in writing from Columbia and teaches creative writing at Columbia, NYU, ... (more)

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john green biography

  • Born August 24 , 1977 · Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
  • Height 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a YouTube video-blogger, or "vlogger", with his brother, Hank Green . Their YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers, has over 2,500,000 subscribers as of May 2015. Perhaps more notably, John is also an author. His most recent book, released in January 2012, was adapted to film in The Fault in Our Stars (2014) . John and his wife Sarah have two children together, a son named Henry, and a daughter named Alice. The family resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Alongside his brother, Hank Green, John started an annual YouTube conference called "Vidcon" in 2010. Starting at only 1,400 attendee's in 2013 there were over 12,000 in attendance of the weekend long conference which celebrates the online video viewers, creators, and industry representatives worldwide, drawing thousands of attendees. - IMDb Mini Biography By: thinker3
  • Spouse Sarah Urist Green (May 21, 2006 - present) (2 children)
  • Relatives Hank Green (Sibling)
  • Extremely fast talking voice
  • Many of his protagonists are teenagers or young adults
  • Culver Creek, the fictional Alabama boarding school that Green's characters attend in his first novel, Looking for Alaska, is based on the real Alabama boarding school, Indian Springs School, from which Green graduated in 1995.
  • His son, Henry Green, was born on January 20, 2010.
  • Is brother of Hank Green .
  • He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel and reached number one on a New York Times Best Seller list with his latest in January 2012.
  • His daughter, Alice Green, was born early in the morning of June 3, 2013.
  • I did not want to sell the movie rights for 'The Fault in Our Stars'. It was a very personal story for me. Also, I'd had some unhappy experiences before, and I didn't want a movie that I didn't like being made from a book that's so important to me. Everyone was like, 'Oh, it's a 'Love Story' for a new generation!' And I was like, 'That was the worst thing you could've possibly said to me'. I wanted it to be a funny movie and a sweet movie, but I also wanted it to be about asking the question, What constitutes a good life? And whether it's possible to have a good and meaningful life, even if you have a short life.
  • So I am sometimes held up as an example of someone who is, like, changing the publishing paradigm or whatever because I have a lot of Tumblr followers and YouTube subscribers and I can speak directly to my audience and I don't need the value-sucking middleman of bookstores and publishers, and in the future everyone is going to be like me and no one will stand between Author and Reader except possibly an E-commerce site that takes just a tiny little percentage of each transaction. Yeah, that's bullshit.

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john green biography

Some Important Facts about John Green

Major works of john green, john green’s impacts on future literature, famous quotes, related posts:, post navigation.

John Green
Author
Age 43 years
Born August 24, 1977
Gender Male
Height 1.85m
Hair Blonde
"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?" — John Green

John Michael Green is an American writer of young adult fiction and a YouTube Vlogger and educator. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking For Alaska, and reached the number one on a New York Times Best Seller list with  The Fault in Our Stars  in January 2012.

  • 1 Early life and career
  • 2.1 Vlogbrothers
  • 2.3 Project for Awesome
  • 3 Personal life

Early life and career [ ]

Green was born in Indianapolis to Mike and Sydney Green and his family moved three weeks after he was born to Orlando, Florida. He attended Indiana Springs School, a boarding and day school outside of  Birmingham, Alabama  and graduated from  Kenyon College  in 2000 with a double major in English and Religious Studies.

After leaving college, Green spent five months working as a student  chaplain  in a children's hospital while enrolled at the  University of Chicago Divinity School  (although he never actually attended the school). He intended to become an  Episcopalian minister but his experiences of working in a hospital with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses inspired him to become an author, and later to write  The Fault in Our Stars .

Green lived for several years in  Chicago , where he worked for the book review journal  Booklist as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing  Looking for Alaska. While there, he reviewed hundreds of books, particularly literary fiction and books about  Islam or  conjoined twins . He has also critiqued books for  The New York Times Book Review  and written for  NPR 's  All Things Considered   and  WBEZ , Chicago's public radio station. Green later lived in  New York City  for two years while his wife attended graduate school.

Other projects [ ]

Vlogbrothers [ ].

In 2007, John Green and his brother  Hank  began a video blog project called  Brotherhood 2.0  which would run from January 1 to December 31 of that year. The two brothers agreed that they would forgo all text-based communication with each other for the duration of the project, instead maintaining their relationship by exchanging  video blogs , each submitting one to the other on each alternate day. These videos were uploaded to a YouTube channel called vlogBrothers (as well as the brothers' own website) where they reached a wide audience. In the project's final video, the brothers revealed that they would extend their video correspondence indefinitely,and as of 2013 they have continued exchanging their unique vlogs.

Since the project's inception the duo have gained a wide reaching international fanbase whose members identify collectively as "Nerdfighters".The group, in collaboration with the two brothers, promote and participate in a number of humanitarian efforts, including the Project for Awesome, an annual charity fundraiser, a Nerdfighter lending group on the microfinancing website  Kiva which to date has loaned nearly $3 million to entrepreneurs in the developing world, and the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, the brothers' own charity.

In addition to the main vlogBrothers channel, the brothers have also created a number of side-projects. These include Truth or Fail, a YouTube game show hosted by Hank and a variety of guest hosts, HankGames (either "with..." or "without Hank"), which consists mostly of screen-capture footage of various videogames, and the Emmy award-winning  The Lizzie Bennet Diaries , a modernized serialization of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In 2012, following a grant from Google, the brothers launched a pair of short-format educational video series entitled  Crash Course , which presents AP level World History, American History, and Literature (hosted by John) and SciShow which presents AP level Chemistry and Biology (hosted by Hank).

VidCon  is an annual conference for the online video community. The conference was created by the Greens in 2010 in response to the growing online video community. Hank states, “We wanted to get as much of the online video community together, in one place, in the real world for a weekend. It's a celebration of the community, with performances, concerts, and parties; but it's also a discussion of the explosion in community-based online video.” The event draws many popular YouTube users, as well as their fans, and provides room for the community to interact. The event also contains an industry conference for people and businesses working in the online video field.

Project for Awesome [ ]

In 2007, the Greens introduced the charity project entitled the  Project for Awesome  (P4A), a project in which YouTube users take two days, traditionally December 17 and 18, to create videos promoting charities or non-profit organizations of their choosing. They raised a total of $483,446, surpassing their goal of $100,000.

Personal life [ ]

Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife, Sarah Urist Green, who works as the Curator of Contemporary Art at Indianapolis Museum of Art. Sarah is referred to as "the Yeti” in vlogBrothers videos due to the fact that while she is often referenced, and is believed to exist, she is never seen on camera. They have two children, Henry and Alice, as well as a West Highland Terrier named Fireball Wilson Roberts (also known as "The Dread Pirate Fireball Wilson Roberts", "Bubbles the Nerdfighting Puppy", or simply "Willy").

Green's first novel Looking for Alaska was published in 2005. It is a school based story largely inspired by his experience at Indian Springs. He won the Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association for this book. Green's second novel, An Abundance of Katherines  was published in 2006 and was a runner-up for the Printz Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

With fellow young adult authors, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Green collaborated  Let It Snow (published in 2008) which comprises of three interconnected short stories set in a small town on Christmas Eve. In 2009 Nov 27, this book reached number 10 on the New York Times Bestseller List for paperback children's books. Green's third solo novel, Paper Towns was released on October 16, 2008. It debuted at Number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller list for children's books.

Green and David Levithan collaborated on the Novel Will Grayson  in 2010. It was a runner up (Honour Book) for two of the annual ALA Awards, the Stonewall Book Award for Excellence in GLBT children's and YA literature and the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production.

In August 2009, Green revealed that he was writing a new book titled The Sequel which was later scrapped. Green's next book The Fault in Our Stars was released on January 10, 2012. The New York Times Bestseller List for children's books listed The Fault in Our Stars at Number 1 for the weeks of January 29 and February 5, 2012. Green revealed that various features of The Sequel were added in The Fault in Our Stars .

  • 1 Alaska Young
  • 2 Chip Martin
  • 3 Miles Halter

The 100 Most Influential People

  • Shailene Woodley

John Green TIME 100

Author and teen whisperer

Sure, John Green may write best-selling young-adult novels, manage a YouTube channel (vlogbrothers) and organize an annual conference for video bloggers (VidCon), but he’s more than just an author, an artist and an innovator. I would go so far as to call him a prophet. No, not a prophet in a biblical sense. Don’t freak out. More a prophet in a universal, all-things-connected sort of context. Some say that through his books, John gives a voice to teenagers. I humbly disagree. I think John hears the voices of teenagers. He acknowledges the intelligence and vulnerability that stem from those beautiful years when we are, for the first time, discovering the world and ourselves outside of our familial stories. But he doesn’t just listen to young adults. He treats every human he meets as their own planet, rather than simply one of his moons. He sees people with curiosity, compassion, grace and excitement. And he’s encouraging a huge community of followers to do the same. What a gift to be alive at the same time as this admirable leader.

Woodley stars in the film adaptation of Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (out June 6)

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(born 1977). American author John Green wrote realistic fiction for young adults . Reviewers praised his work for his bright yet troubled characters and his thoughtful treatment of difficult topics.

John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in Orlando, Florida, and Birmingham, Alabama. Green double majored in English and religious studies while at Kenyon College in Ohio. After graduating in 2000, he worked as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital and considered becoming a priest. However, his experiences with the patients at the hospital and the sadness and loss they confronted helped him decide to become a writer. Green began his literary career working as a publishing assistant and production editor at the book review magazine Booklist .

Green’s first published book was Looking for Alaska (2005). The story follows a teenage boy as he spends his junior year at a boarding school. There he makes friends, falls in love, and deals with loss and death. Looking for Alaska won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Green’s next book, An Abundance of Katherines (2006), was named a Printz honor book in 2007. The main character, Colin, has dated 19 girls named Katherine, and they have all broken up with him. Confused and angry about his dating past, Colin goes on a road trip with his friend Hassan. Along the way, Colin tries to create a mathematical equation that will predict the success of romantic relationships.

Paper Towns (2008) explores the relationship between high-school seniors Quentin and Margo. Quentin has secretly loved Margo for years. After joining Quentin in some revenge pranks, Margo disappears. However, she leaves clues for Quentin to help him find her. Although the two are eventually reunited, they ultimately decide to go their separate ways. Paper Towns won a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award in 2009 for best young adult book. It was made into a film in 2015.

Green wrote his next book, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), with David Levithan. The novel relates the story of two extremely different teenagers who are both named Will Grayson. Their lives become intertwined after they meet. Green’s next book, The Fault in Our Stars , was published in 2012 and was turned into a film in 2014. The book follows the relationship between two teenagers battling cancer . Turtles All the Way Down (2017) deals with mental illness . One of the main characters, Aza, has obsessive-compulsive disorder . The book tells from her perspective how she feels and experiences life. Ultimately she realizes that she must learn to accept her illness in order to lead a fulfilling life.

Besides writing, Green maintained a YouTube video blog with his brother, Hank, called VlogBrothers, which they created in 2007. In 2010 the brothers cofounded VidCon, an annual conference that allows the online video community to interact. The two also created an educational channel on YouTube called Crash Course. They and other hosts presented classes in such science and humanities fields as mythology, astronomy, chemistry, history, literature, and government. The brothers began hosting a podcast, Dear Hank & John , in 2015. From 2018 to 2020 Green had his own podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed . He adapted some of the podcasts into essays that he published in a book of the same name in 2021.

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1. Introduction

John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, and podcaster. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska , [ 1 ] and has had several of his subsequent books debut at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, including his most popular novel, The Fault in Our Stars . [ 2 ] The 2014 film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars opened at number one at the box office and was a commercial and critical success. [ 3 ] In 2014, Green was included in Time (magazine) magazine's list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World. [ 4 ] Another film based on a Green novel, Paper Towns , was released on July 24, 2015.

Aside from being a novelist, Green is well known for his online content creation, most notably his YouTube ventures. In 2007, he launched the Vlogbrothers channel with his brother, Hank Green. Since then, John and Hank have launched events such as Project for Awesome and VidCon and created a number of online series, including Crash Course , an educational channel teaching literature, history, science, and other topics. [ 5 ] John also hosts the weekly comedy podcast Dear Hank & John and hosted the essay podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed , both of which the brothers have gone on tour and performed live versions of.

2. Early Life and Career

Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana , to Mike (born 1950 [ 6 ] ) and Sydney Green (born 1952). [ 7 ] Three weeks after he was born, his family moved to Michigan, then later Birmingham, Alabama, and finally to Orlando, Florida. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] He attended Glenridge Middle School and Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando. [ 10 ] He later attended Indian Springs School outside of Birmingham, Alabama, graduating in 1995. [ 11 ] He used Indian Springs as the inspiration for the main setting of his first book, Looking for Alaska . [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Green graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with a double major in English and religious studies. [ 14 ] He has spoken about being bullied and how it had made life as a teenager miserable for him. [ 15 ]

After graduating from college, Green spent five months working as a student chaplain at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, while enrolled at the University of Chicago Divinity School, although he never actually attended the school. [ 16 ] He intended to become an Episcopal priest, but the traumatic experiences of working in a hospital with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses and injuries made him reconsider his path. Parts of his experience inspired him to become an author, and later to write The Fault in Our Stars . [ 17 ] [ 18 ]

Green lived for several years in Chicago , where he worked for the book review journal Booklist as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing Looking for Alaska. [ 9 ] While there, he reviewed hundreds of books, particularly literary fiction and books about Islam or conjoined twins. [ 19 ] He has also critiqued books for The New York Times Book Review and created original radio essays for NPR's All Things Considered and WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. [ 19 ] Green later lived in New York City for two years while his wife attended graduate school. [ 20 ]

3. Writings

Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska , published by Dutton Children's Books in 2005, is a school story and teen romance inspired by his experiences at Indian Springs, Alabama, fictionalized as Culver Creek Preparatory High School. The novel was awarded the annual Michael L. Printz Award by the American Library Association, recognizing the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit." [ 1 ] It also appeared on the ALA's annual list, "Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults." The film rights were purchased in 2005 by Paramount, which hired Josh Schwartz as writer and director, but five years later, with no progress on the project, Green told fans that, while he "desperately loved" the screenplay, there seemed to be little interest at Paramount. [ 21 ] As sales of Looking for Alaska continued to increase in 2011, Green showed mixed feelings about a movie, which he felt would threaten readers' "intense and private connection to the story." [ 22 ] In 2012, the book reached The New York Times Best Seller list for children's paperbacks. [ 23 ] In May 2018, it was announced that Looking for Alaska would be made into a Hulu series with Schwartz and others on board. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] The casting was announced in October 2018. [ 26 ] Looking for Alaska was released to Hulu on October 18, 2019. [ 27 ]

Green's second novel, An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton, 2006) was a runner-up for the Printz Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. [ 28 ] Starting with An Abundance of Katherines , each of Green's books contains the word "deadpan" exactly once as an easter egg. [ 29 ]

With fellow young adult authors Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Green collaborated on Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (Speak, 2008), which consists of three interconnected short stories, including Green's "A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle," each set in the same small town on Christmas Eve, during a massive snowstorm. In November 2009, the book reached Number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for paperback children's books. [ 30 ] It was adapted into a film, Let It Snow , by Netflix, which was released in 2019. [ 31 ]

In 2008, Green's third novel, Paper Towns , debuted at number five on The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books, and the novel was made into the 2015 film of the same name. [ 32 ] [ 33 ] In 2009, Paper Towns was awarded the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel [ 34 ] and the 2010 Corine Literature Prize. [ 35 ]

After this, Green and his friend, young-adult writer David Levithan, collaborated on the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson , [ 36 ] which was published by Dutton in 2010. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] The novel debuted on The New York Times children's best-seller list after its release and remained there for three weeks. It was the first LGBT-themed young adult novel to make it to that list. [ 39 ] [ 40 ] It was a runner-up (Honor Book) for two of the annual ALA awards, the Stonewall Book Award (for excellence in LGBT children's and young adult literature), [ 41 ] and the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. [ 42 ]

In August 2009, Green announced he was writing a new book entitled The Sequel , [ 43 ] which was later scrapped. His sixth book, The Fault in Our Stars , was released in January 2012. He crafted the novel by collaborating with Dutton editor Julie Strauss-Gabel. [ 44 ] Green explained that several parts of The Sequel were reworked into The Fault in Our Stars . [ 45 ] Green signed all 150,000 copies of the first printing and his wife and his brother applied their own symbols, a Yeti and an Anglerfish (known as the "Hanklerfish"), respectively. The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books listed The Fault in Our Stars at number one for two weeks in January and February 2012. [ 2 ] [ 46 ] The novel has been made into a major motion picture of the same name, released in the United States on June 6, 2014. [ 47 ] Green filmed a cameo role for the movie that was not included in the final cut of the film.

In late 2013, Green stated that he was writing a new book with the working title The Racket . [ 48 ] He sold 5,000 words of a rough draft on IndieGoGo for $10 each in order to raise money as part of the Project for Awesome charity event. [ 49 ] On November 16, 2014, Green wrote on his Tumblr page that he was not working on The Racket but was working on something else with a different title. [ 50 ]

In September 2015, Green announced that he would be taking a break from social media to focus on writing his next book. [ 51 ] In August 2016, Green stated that over the next ten months he would be limiting his public appearances in order to finish a draft of the new book. [ 52 ] But on September 20, Green took to his YouTube channel to say that he may not publish another book, citing his current writing experience as "this intense pressure, like people were watching over my shoulder while I was writing." [ 53 ]

On June 22, 2017, it was announced that Green's fifth solo novel would be entitled Turtles All the Way Down . It was released on October 10, 2017, [ 54 ] and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. [ 55 ] In December 2017, Green announced that a film adaptation was in development by Fox 2000 and Temple Hill Productions. [ 56 ] In May 2018, Green confirmed that the film adaptation would be written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the screenwriters for Love, Simon . [ 57 ]

Starting in January 2018, Green wrote essays for his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed , with each episode featuring Green reviewing "facets of the human condition on a five-star scale". [ 58 ] These essays were later adapted into a book, The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet , which was published by Dutton Penguin on May 18, 2021. The book was Green's first nonfiction book and sixth solo publication. [ 59 ] The book features revised versions of many of the essays from the podcast, as well as new original essays, ordered chronologically through Green's life to give the book the approximate structure of a memoir. [ 60 ] [ 61 ] [ 62 ] Green wrote about living through the COVID-19 pandemic in many of the essays. [ 63 ] [ 64 ]

4. Public Image

john green biography

Green's rapid rise to fame and idiosyncratic voice are credited with creating a major shift in the young adult fiction market. While reviewing the Andrew Smith young-adult novel, Winger , A. J. Jacobs of The New York Times used the term "GreenLit" to describe young adult books that contain "sharp dialogue, defective authority figures, occasional boozing, unrequited crushes, and one or more heartbreaking twists." [ 65 ] According to the Wall Street Journal , "[s]ome credit him with ushering in a new golden era for contemporary, realistic, literary teen fiction, following more than a decade of dominance by books about young wizards, sparkly vampires, and dystopia. A blurb or Twitter endorsement from Mr. Green can ricochet around the Internet and boost sales, an effect book bloggers call "the John Green effect." Zareen Jaffery, executive editor of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers said: "What I really like about what people are calling 'the John Green effect' is that there's more of an interest in authentic, genuine, relatable characters." [ 5 ]

Young-adult readers and authors, including Green himself, have been critical of the terms. [ 66 ] Green has voiced his disagreement with the idea that he is single-handedly responsible for launching or promoting any one individual's career. [ 66 ] Green has commented on these arguments: "My concern is that popular work by women receives far more vitriolic criticism from the public (like, in terms of several demeaning jokes...) than popular work created by men... Also, I would like to see equal attention given to the sexism in popular work by men, from Nicholas Sparks to, for instance J. D. Salinger. Catcher in the Rye —although I like it very much—is profoundly and disturbingly misogynistic and yet seems to get a critical pass both online and off. This happens a lot, I think, with books by men, and I don't want male writers (including me!) to get that pass." [ 67 ] Relating to this issue, Green has stated that he considers himself to be a feminist. [ 68 ]

Although his novels have earned mostly positive critical reception, Green had discussed what he believes to be flaws in his novels when he looked at them in retrospect. [ 69 ] Additionally, in response to a fan's tweet, Green apologized for using the word retarded in Paper Towns , stating, "Yeah, I regret it. At the time, I thought an author's responsibility was to reflect language as I found it. Still, now... eight years later, I don't feel like a book about humanizing the other benefited from dehumanizing language," adding, "it's not in the movie. I won't use the word again in a book or elsewhere." [ 70 ]

In 2015, a Tumblr post from user "virjn" generated media controversy, as it claimed Green is "a creep who panders to teenage girls so that he can amass some weird cult-like following." [ 71 ] [ 72 ] Other users commented on the post, criticizing his writing and tagging Green to bring the post to his attention. [ 71 ] [ 72 ] Green responded to the post, defending himself, stating, "Throwing that kind of accusation around is sick and libelous and most importantly damages the discourse around the actual sexual abuse of children." [ 72 ] Green added that he would use the social media website less often, stating, "I'm not angry or anything like that. I need some distance for my well-being." [ 70 ] Fellow young-adult authors Rainbow Rowell and Maggie Stiefvater came to Green's defense. Stiefvater wrote on Tumblr, "You can have your own opinions on Green's books and Internet presence, but the fact remains that he is a very real positive influence on thousands of teens. You're not just making sure you can't have nice things. You're taking away other people's nice things." In a subsequent email to USA Today , Stiefvater stated, "I had to say something. Not because of the nature of the posts, although they were distasteful and borderline libel. But because the grotesquerie was being force-fed to the author." [ 72 ]

On July 14, 2015, Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, proclaimed that that day would be "John Green Day" in his city. [ 73 ] That month, Teresa Jacobs, the mayor of Orange County, Florida, declared that July 17 would also be John Green Day. [ 74 ]

5. YouTube Career

john green biography

5.1. VlogBrothers

john green biography

In 2007, John and his brother Hank began a video blog project called Brotherhood 2.0 which ran from January 1 to December 31 of that year. The two agreed that they would forgo all text-based communication for the project's duration instead of maintaining their relationship by exchanging video blogs. Each submitted one to the other on each alternate weekday. These videos were uploaded to a YouTube channel called "vlogbrothers" (as well as the brothers' own website) where they reached a wide audience. [ 75 ] [ 76 ] In what would have been the project's final video, the brothers revealed that they would extend their video correspondence indefinitely, [ 77 ] and as of 2020, they have continued exchanging their unique vlogs.

Since the project's inception, the duo has gained a wide-reaching international fanbase whose members identify collectively as "Nerdfighters." [ 78 ] The group, in collaboration with the two brothers, promote and participate in several humanitarian efforts, including the Project for Awesome, an annual charity fundraiser, a Nerdfighter lending group on the microfinancing website Kiva which to date has loaned over $4 million to entrepreneurs in the developing world [ 79 ] and the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, the brothers' own charity. [ 80 ]

In addition to the main VlogBrothers channel, the brothers have also created several side-projects. These include Truth or Fail, a YouTube game show hosted by Hank and a variety of guest hosts, and HankGames (either "with..." or "without Hank"), which consists mostly of screen-capture footage of various videogames. [ 81 ]

5.2. Crash Course

Crash Course is a project made by Green and his brother, Hank Green, aimed to educate high school students, but it has diversified into another channel specifically aimed at children, called Crash Course Kids. [ 82 ]

In 2012, following a grant from Google, the brothers launched a pair of short-format educational video series entitled Crash Course , which presents series on World History, American History, European History (hosted by John), Literature (hosted by John), Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Ecology, Psychology, and Philosophy (hosted by Hank), Astronomy, Games, Big History, Economics, Intellectual Property, Physics, Film History, Mythology, Sociology and Computer Science (hosted by people other than the two brothers). [ 83 ] [ 84 ]

5.3. VidCon

john green biography

Green at VidCon 2012. https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?curid=1687750

VidCon is an annual conference for the online video community. The Greens created the conference in 2010 in response to the growing online video community. Hank states, "We wanted to get as much of the online video community together, in one place, in the real world for a weekend. It's a celebration of the community, with performances, concerts, and parties, but it's also a discussion of the explosion in community-based online video." [ 85 ] The event draws many popular YouTube users, as well as their fans, and provides room for the community to interact. The event also contains an industry conference for people and businesses working in the online video field. [ 86 ]

5.4. Project for Awesome

In 2007, the Greens introduced the charity project entitled the Project for Awesome (P4A), [ 87 ] a project in which YouTube users take two days, traditionally December 17 and 18, to create videos promoting charities or non-profit organizations of their choosing. In 2012, they raised a total of $483,446, surpassing their goal of $100,000. [ 88 ] The event has continued annually, gaining more support and higher donations each passing year. In 2015, the total of money raised was $1,546,384. [ 89 ] Money is raised through donations to an Indiegogo campaign where supporters can pledge money and receive donated perks like signed photographs, books, and art in return. The Green brothers also donate one cent for each comment made on a Project for Awesome video during the event. There is a live stream that lasts for the duration of the Project for Awesome, which is hosted by John Green, Hank Green, and other YouTube personalities.

5.5. Mental Floss on YouTube

Green was the host of the YouTube channel for the magazine Mental Floss from 2013 to 2018. He had previously been a contributing writer for the magazine for a period in the mid-2000s and had co-edited the book Mental Floss: Scatterbrained , to which his brother Hank had also contributed. [ 90 ] [ 91 ] Alongside other presenters, like Craig Benzine and Elliott Morgan, John Green presented "The List Show" in which he listed off interesting facts centered on one particular subject, such as "26 amusing facts about amusement parks". [ 92 ] These episodes were directed by Mark Olsen and produced by John and Hank Green and Stan Muller. A new format, titled Scatterbrained , was introduced on the channel in 2018; Green was joined by multiple hosts on a single episode each week, which tackled one topic from multiple angles. In 2019, Mental Floss brought its YouTube production in-house and ceased using Green as the host.

6. Podcasts

6.1. dear hank & john.

In June 2015, John Green and his brother Hank Green started a weekly podcast titled Dear Hank & John . [ 93 ] Taking a mainly humorous tone, each podcast consists of the brothers reading a series of questions submitted by listeners and offering their advice. The podcast closes with a news segment with two standard topics: Mars, presented by Hank, and AFC Wimbledon, presented by John.

6.2. The Anthropocene Reviewed

In January 2018, Green launched The Anthropocene Reviewed , a new solo podcast where he reviews different facets of the Anthropocene, the epoch that includes significant human impact on the environment, on a five-star scale. This can include completely artificial products like Diet Dr. Pepper, natural species that have had their fates altered by human influence like the Canada goose, or phenomena that only influence humanity such as Halley's Comet. Episodes typically contain Green reviewing two topics, accompanied by stories on how they have impacted his life. [ 94 ] Since November 2018 the podcast is produced by Complexly and was previously co-produced by WNYC Studios.

7. Other Projects

7.1. life's library book club.

In October 2018, Green founded the Life's Library book club with Rosianna Halse Rojas. [ 95 ] [ 96 ] [ 97 ] The book club reads a book approximately every 6 weeks, with online discussion occurring on the Life's Library Discord. Green and Rojas alternate choosing books, with guest curators occasionally making selections. [ 97 ] Life's Library is free to participate in, with paid subscription options available to receive digital or physical subscriptions, containing additional materials such as a discussion podcast, or a version of the book itself. All profits from Life's Library are donated to Partners in Health Sierra Leone to help reduce maternal mortality. [ 97 ]

7.2. Film Producing

Green served as an executive producer for the Paper Towns movie. He has also entered into a production deal with the film studio Fox 2000 (which made the adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars ). [ 98 ] Green announced that Fox 2000 will be making a movie about the formation of AFC Wimbledon, a soccer team that he supports. He will serve as producer along with Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen under their production banner Temple Hill Productions (who produced The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns ). [ 99 ]

8. Personal Life

Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his wife, Sarah Urist Green, whom he married on May 20, 2006. [ 100 ] She worked as the Curator of Contemporary Art at Indianapolis Museum of Art before leaving to start The Art Assignment , a web series with PBS. [ 101 ] In early videos on the VlogBrothers channel, Sarah Green is referred to as "the Yeti" due to her not appearing visibly on camera, though she no longer is referred to as such. [ 102 ] She made an appearance on YouTube in a Google Hangout video chat with President Obama, during which she and her husband asked the President whether they should name their unborn daughter Eleanor or Alice. [ 103 ] Green endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election and criticized Donald Trump on his policies. [ 104 ]

Green has stated that he is an Episcopalian Christian, [ 105 ] but mentioned in the tenth episode of his podcast, Dear Hank & John , that he was married in a Catholic church. [ 106 ] He has been an advocate for refugees, stating that "for those of you who share my faith, Jesus is awfully unambiguous about the poor, shelterless, and imprisoned". [ 107 ]

John is an avid fan of Liverpool F.C. of the Premier League and has publicly discussed English football. [ 108 ] As of 2015, John is also a shorts and stand sponsor of English League One club AFC Wimbledon, of whom he is also a keen admirer. [ 109 ] John has a gaming series on YouTube where he plays FIFA as the "Wimbly Wombles," a fictionalized version of AFC Wimbledon. Advertising revenue from the series is donated to the team. John has also stated that he is a casual supporter of his local American side Indy Eleven, and has been to some of their games. [ 110 ]

Green has obsessive-compulsive disorder [ 111 ] and has discussed his struggles with mental illness extensively on YouTube. [ 112 ] [ 113 ] [ 114 ] [ 115 ]

On November 6, 2018, Green announced in a Vlogbrothers video that he would be taking one year off all social media, stating, "My attention has become extremely fractured, and I feel this constant pull towards checking [social media]." [ 116 ]

  • Looking for Alaska (2005)
  • An Abundance of Katherines (2006)
  • Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances – with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (2008)
  • Paper Towns (2008)
  • Will Grayson, Will Grayson – with David Levithan (2010)
  • The Fault in Our Stars (2012)
  • Turtles All the Way Down (2017)
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet (2021)

9.2. Short Stories

  • "The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline," Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Artwork by Scott Hunt (2006)
  • "The Great American Morp," 21 Proms , eds. David Levithan and Daniel Ehrenhaft (2007)
  • "Freak the Geek," Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (2009)
  • "Reasons," What You Wish For (2011)
  • Double on Call and Other Short Stories (2012)
  • (2009) Thisisnottom , an interactive novel hidden behind riddles. [ 117 ] [ 118 ]
  • (2010) Zombicorns , an online Creative Commons licensed zombie novella. [ 119 ]
  • (2012) The War for Banks Island , a sequel to Zombicorns released via email to people who donated to P4A. [ 120 ] [ 121 ]
  • The Sequel , an unfinished novel, much of which was reworked into The Fault in Our Stars . The first 6,000 words are available via email to P4A donors.
  • (2013) Space & The Cat and the Mouse , a P4A book collating an extract from an early draft of his new novel and a short story from childhood.
  • (2014) An Imperial Affliction , extracts used as a prop in the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars and later released to P4A donors.

9.4. Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007–present Himself  
2012–present Himself/Host Also Writer and producer
2014 Jackie's Dad – Airport Scene Uncredited, Extended-cut only
2015 Becca's father (Voice) Uncredited, Also Producer
2017 himself Episode: "Teens & Your Least Favorite Soda."

9.5. As Producer

Year Title Notes
2013 Mental Floss Also writer
2014 The Art Assignment Executive Producer
2019 Executive Producer

10. Awards and Nominations

Year Award
Ceremony
Work Category Result Ref
2006 Michael L. Printz Award N/A Won ]
2007 N/A Nominated (Honor) ]
2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award Best Young Adult Novel Won ]
2010 Corine Literature Prize Young Adult Novel Won ]
2012 Indiana Authors Award N/A National Author Award Won ]
2013 Children's Choice Book Awards Teen Book of the Year Won ]
2013 Book Prize N/A Innovator's Award Won ]
2014 mtvU Fandom Awards N/A Visionary Award Won ]
  • "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". YALSA. American Library Association. Retrieved March 8, 2013. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners
  • Cowles, Gregory (January 29, 2012). "Best Sellers – Children's Chapter Books". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-01-29/chapter-books/list.html. 
  • Subers, Ray (June 8, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'Stars' Align for 'Fault,' Cruise Misses with 'Edge'". Box Office Mojo. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3855. 
  • "John Green | TIME.com". Time Magazine. April 23, 2014. http://time.com/70799/john-green-2014-time-100/. Retrieved April 25, 2014. 
  • Alter, Alexandria (May 14, 2014). "John Green and His Nerdfighters Are Upending the Summer Blockbuster Model". The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-green-and-his-nerdfighters-are-upending-the-summer-blockbuster-model-1400088712. 
  • Green, John (September 11, 2010). Giant Baby Attack (YouTube video). Vlogbrothers. Event occurs at 50 seconds in. Retrieved September 19, 2021. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4cSrkt54FmE
  • Green, John (2012). The Fault in Our Stars. London: Penguin. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-525-47881-2.  https://archive.org/details/faultinourstars00gree/page/316
  • "Brotherhood 2.0: May 16: Beating the EBO into the ground" on YouTube. VlogBrothers. May 16, 2007; 2:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdL6E17TclA#t=2m25s
  • "Biographical Questions – John Green". johngreenbooks.com. http://johngreenbooks.com/biographical-questions/. 
  • "John Green of 'Fault in Our Stars' found inspiration in Orlando" (in en). Orlando Sentinel. June 4, 2014. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-06-04/entertainment/os-john-green-fault-stars-orlando-20140604_1_john-green-nerdfighter-our-stars. 
  • "From the Head of School". https://www.indiansprings.org/podium/default.aspx?t=108790. 
  • Looking for Alaska at My High School. YouTube.com. VlogBrothers. August 6, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdjmNPlePVE
  • Carlton, Bob (June 4, 2014). "Before 'The Fault in Our Stars,' John Green was an 'awkward' student at Indian Springs in Alabama" (in en-US). AL.com. http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/long_before_the_fault_in_our_s.html. 
  • "About John Green". Book Series In Order. http://www.bookseriesinorder.com/john-green/. 
  • On Middle School Misery. VlogBrothers. YouTube.com. Retrieved November 22, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u90dGnKhhlk
  • Green, John (November 2, 2011). "Hospital Chaplain: The Miracle of Swindon Town #33". Hankgames. YouTube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1udWGw7KsIc. 
  • "Interview: John Green". Sydney Morning Herald. January 21, 2012. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/interview-john-green-20120119-1q71w.html. 
  • Jonathan Goldstein (7 October 2021). "#37 John" (Podcast). Gimlet Media. Retrieved 8 October 2021. https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight/j4hg2jz/37-john
  • "Author Interview: John Green". Book Wholesalers, Inc.. http://bwibooks.com/articles/john-green.php. 
  • "John Green Trivia: 30 interesting facts about the writer! | Useless Daily: The amazing facts, news & trivia free newsletter!" (in en-US). https://www.uselessdaily.com/world/john-green-trivia-30-interesting-facts-about-the-writer/#.Wo2Ywx-E6Hs. 
  • "Movie Questions". JohnGreenBooks.com. June 2010. http://johngreenbooks.com/movie-questions/. 
  • "What happened to a Looking For Alaska movie?". John Green Tumblr blog. October 26, 2011. https://fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com/post/11974825170/
  • Cowles, Gregory (July 29, 2012). "Best Sellers – Children's Paperback Books". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-07-29/paperback-books/list.html. 
  • Andreeva, Nellie. "Hulu Ordering 'Looking For Alaska' Limited Series From Josh Schwartz Based On John Green's Novel From Paramount TV". https://deadline.com/2018/05/hulu-looking-for-alaska-limited-series-josh-schwartz-based-john-green-novel-paramount-tv-1202386880/. 
  • Holstrom, Ashley. "share LOOKING FOR ALASKA Series is Coming to Hulu". https://bookriot.com/2018/05/10/looking-for-alaska-series/. 
  • Pena, Jessica. "Looking for Alaska: Casting Announced for Hulu Series Based on John Green Novel". https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/looking-for-alaska-casting-announced-for-hulu-series-based-on-john-green-novel/. 
  • Framke, Caroline (October 15, 2019). "TV Review: 'Looking for Alaska'". Variety. https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/looking-for-alaska-review-hulu-john-green-2-1203368328/. 
  • GradeSaver. "John Green Biography | List of Works, Study Guides & Essays" (in en). http://www.gradesaver.com/author/john-green. 
  • (in en) I am a small boat. It's Question Tuesday., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGTtFJe_9lI, retrieved 2021-05-11 
  • "Best Sellers – Children's Paperback Books". The New York Times. December 6, 2009. https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2009-12-06/paperback-books/list.html. 
  • Wiseman, Andreas. "Netflix Boards Christmas Rom-Com 'Let It Snow' From 'The Fault In Our Stars' Scribe & 'Planet Of The Apes' Producer". https://deadline.com/2018/12/netflix-christmas-let-it-snow-fault-in-our-stars-john-green-1202519430/. 
  • "Best Sellers – Children's Books – Chapter Books". The New York Times. October 24, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/books/bestseller/bestchildren.html. 
  • "Paper Towns MOVIE1 !! !11!" on YouTube. Vlogbrothers. October 24, 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lIOqGfZC1U
  • "2009 Edgar Award Winners". MysteryWriters.org. http://www.mysterywriters.org/files/2009_Edgar_Winners.pdf. 
  • Deakin, Kathleen; Brown, Laura A.; Blasingame, Jr., James (2015). John Green: Teen Whisperer. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4422-4996-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=hL9tCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA121. Retrieved October 13, 2015. 
  • "Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production 2011 | Teenreads" (in en). https://www.teenreads.com/features/awards/odyssey-award-for-excellence-in-audiobook-production-2011. 
  • "Interview with David Levithan". The Short Review. http://www.theshortreview.com/authors/DavidLevithan.htm. 
  • "Will Grayson, Will Grayson Hardcover by John Green & David Levithan". Amazon.com. https://amzn.com/0525421580
  • "Gay-themed novels for young readers enter the mainstream". June 24, 2010. https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2010/0624/Gay-themed-novels-for-young-readers-enter-the-mainstream. 
  • "Books With Gay Themes for Young Readers Take Off". March 25, 2015. https://www.foxnews.com/us/books-with-gay-themes-for-young-readers-take-off. 
  • "2011 – Stonewall Honor Books in Children and Young Adult Literature". American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/glbtrt/award/honored/#2011. 
  • "Search results - YALSA Book Finder". http://booklists.yalsa.net/directory/results?booklist=26&year=2011. 
  • "What I'm Working On". August 4, 2009. http://www.sparksflyup.com/2009/08/what-im-working-on.php. 
  • Ashley Ross, July 23, 2014, Time magazine, New If I Stay Trailer Ups the Romance, Retrieved April 14, 2015, "...focuses on the idea of teenage love being ever-inconvenient...Dutton Publisher Julie Strauss-Gabel edited both books...." http://time.com/3023652/if-i-stay-trailer-chloe-moretz/
  • Green, John. "Questions about The Fault in Our Stars". John Green Books. http://johngreenbooks.com/questions-about-the-fault-in-our-stars-spoilers/#process. 
  • Cowles, Gregory (February 5, 2012). "Best Sellers – Children's Chapter Books". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-02-05/chapter-books/list.html. 
  • Deutsch, Lindsay (October 8, 2013). ""The Fault In Our Stars Movie" announced release date". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/10/08/john-green-social-media-tfios/2944079/. 
  • Busbee, Jay (December 18, 2013). "Author John Green harnesses the power of YouTube for good". Yahoo! News. https://news.yahoo.com/author-john-green-harnesses-the-power-of-youtube-for-good-212620505.html. 
  • Green, John (December 16–21, 2013). "The Project for Awesome – John Green Writing Sneak Peak". IndieGogo. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-for-awesome--2. 
  • Green, John (November 16, 2014). "No. I'm trying to write. The thing I am trying to write has no title and will not come out next year.". Tumblr. http://fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com/post/102830853253/. 
  • Sims, Andrew (September 14, 2015). "John Green leaves social media to focus on next book". in Abramo, Donya. http://www.hypable.com/john-green-next-book-leaves-social-media/. 
  • Green, John. "My Body Is a Broken Temple". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Y6vozw1gU. 
  • Briones, Isis (September 21, 2016). "The Fault in Our Stars Author John Green May No Longer Publish Books". http://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-fault-in-our-stars-john-green-final-book. 
  • Lee Lenker, Maureen (June 22, 2017). "John Green's next novel is coming in October". https://ew.com/books/2017/06/22/john-green-new-book-turtles-all-way-down/. 
  • Green, John (October 10, 2017). "Young Adult Hardcover Books – Best Sellers – October 29, 2017". https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2017/10/29/young-adult-hardcover/. 
  • Ramos, Dino-Day (December 5, 2017). "Fox 2000 Options John Green's 'Turtles All The Way Down'". https://deadline.com/2017/12/fox-2000-john-green-turtles-all-the-way-down-movie-1202220793/. 
  • Lindquist, David (May 3, 2018). "5 insights from WFYI's Andrew Luck-John Green event, including the QB's anxious thoughts". https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2018/05/04/colts-andrew-luck-author-john-green-compare-notes-anxiety-pain-pbs-reading-event/574111002/. 
  • "The Anthropocene Reviewed : Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts" (in en). https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anthropocene-reviewed. 
  • Lindquist, David. "John Green's next book will be nonfiction. Here's what it will be about.". The Indianapolis Star. https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/08/27/john-green-reveals-plans-first-nonfiction-book/3445274001/. 
  • Rebolini, Arianna. "Check Out The Cover Of John Green's Debut Essay Collection" (in en). BuzzFeed News. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/john-green-anthropocene-reviewed-cover-reveal. 
  • Nelson, Samantha. "The Anthropocene Reviewed appraises everything from plagues to Dr Pepper" (in en-us). AV Club. https://aux.avclub.com/in-the-anthropocene-reviewed-john-green-appraises-ever-1846871525. 
  • Tuttle, Kate. "Author John Green explores the human experience through five-star reviews - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/16/lifestyle/author-john-green-explores-human-experience-through-five-star-reviews/. 
  • Frank, Adam. "Author John Green Explores How To Live In Uncertainty In 'The Anthropocene Reviewed'" (in en). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997793426/author-john-green-explores-how-to-live-in-uncertainty-in-the-anthropocene-review. 
  • Pentland, Courtney (2021-08-01). "The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet". https://www.libraryjournal.com/?reviewDetail=the-anthropocene-reviewed-essays-on-a-humancentered-planet-1783415. 
  • Jacobs, A. J. (May 10, 2013). "Uneven Field". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/books/review/winger-by-andrew-smith.html. 
  • Fitzpatrick, Anna (June 4, 2014). "Intro to Nerdfighters 101: A John Green Primer". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/intro-to-nerdfighters-101-a-john-green-primer-20140604. 
  • Romano, Aja (February 20, 2014). "Young Adult publishing and the John Green effect". The Daily Dot. http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/john-green-young-adult-publishing-overshadows-women-criticism/. 
  • Greco, Patti (May 29, 2014). "Fault In Our Stars Author John Green Has a "Badass Feminist Mom"". Cosmopolitan. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/news/a25973/john-green-feminist/. 
  • Bruno, Audrey (May 25, 2015). "John Green on What He Would Change About His Novels If He Had the Chance". Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/john-green-on-what-he-would-change-about-his-novels.html. 
  • "Author John Green Lashes Out Against 'Accusations of Pedophilia'; Apologizes for Using the 'R' Word". People. June 12, 2015. http://www.people.com/article/john-green-denies-sexual-abuse-allegations-apologizes-r-word. 
  • "You want me to defend myself against the implication that I sexually abuse children?". Tumblr. June 11, 2015. http://fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com/post/121316109713/. 
  • Ahmed, Tanaz (June 15, 2015). "John Green responds to accusations of sexual abuse on Tumblr". USA Today. http://college.usatoday.com/2015/06/15/author-john-green-responds-to-sexual-abuse-accusations-on-tumblr/. 
  • Lindquist, David (July 16, 2015). "Indianapolis shows local love to author John Green". Indianapolis Star. http://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/movies/2015/07/16/green-paper-towns-dftba-wolff-delevingne-indianapolis-lost-found/30166091/. 
  • Boedeker, Hal (July 23, 2015). "John Green Day in Orange County: Hooray!". Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-john-green-day-orange-county-20150723-post.html. 
  • Amy Schatz (September 28, 2007). "Local Politics, Web Money", Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119092762951941696
  • "Brothers Reconnect Using Video Blogging", All Things Considered, npr.org; January 20, 2008. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18272166
  • "Dec 31: Goodbye Brotherhood 2.0" on YouTube. VlogBrothers. December 31, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3meQ-1OAoAU
  • Dean, Michelle (March 13, 2013). "A NOTE ON NERDFIGHTERS". The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/03/a-note-on-nerdfighters.html. 
  • "Nerdfighters". Kiva.org. http://www.kiva.org/team/nerdfighters
  • "About". The Foundation to Decrease World Suck. http://fightworldsuck.org/?page_id=7. 
  • Poletick, Rachel (August 22, 2013). "How 'The Lizzie Bennet Diaries' Won Over an Audience and the Emmys Jury". Yahoo! TV Emmys Blog. https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/emmys/how--the-lizzie-bennet-diaries--won-over-an-audience-and-the-emmys-jury-235634599.html. 
  • "Hank and John Green's Vlogbrothers debuts new kid-focused science channels" (in en-US). Screener. 2015-02-25. http://screenertv.com/news-features/hank-and-john-greens-vlogbrothers-debuts-new-kid-focused-science-channels/. 
  • Green, John; Green, Hank. "Crash Course!". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse. 
  • Talbot, Margaret (2014-06-02). "The Teen Whisperer" (in en). The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/09/the-teen-whisperer. 
  • Hank Green (December 31, 2009). VidCon Questions Answered. VidCon. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7iSXDq6qqo
  • Wilkinson, Amy (June 25, 2016). "John Green recalls once begging brother Hank to stop doing VidCon". Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/article/2016/06/25/vidcon-2016-john-green-brother-hank/. 
  • Green, John; Hank Green (2011). "Project For Awesome". Project4Awesome 2011. http://www.projectforawesome.com. 
  • Gutelle, Sam (December 21, 2012). "Vlogbrothers Raise $483,446 With Project For Awesome". TubeFilter. http://www.tubefilter.com/2012/12/21/vlogbrothers-project-for-awesome-fundraising/. 
  • "Project For Awesome 2015". http://www.projectforawesome.com/. 
  • Scatterbrained. Collins. October 13, 2009. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-06-088250-1. https://archive.org/details/scatterbrained00rigg/page/n3/mode/2up. Retrieved 2 April 2021. 
  • "11 Mental Floss Contributors Who Wrote Great Books". Mental Floss, LLC. http://mentalfloss.com/article/48854/11-mental-floss-contributors-who-wrote-great-books. 
  • 26 Amusing Facts About Amusement Parks. August 20, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EXqKLeE_C8
  • "Dear Hank & John". https://soundcloud.com/dearhankandjohn. 
  • "The Anthropocene Reviewed". https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-anthropocene-reviewed/id1342003491?mt=2. 
  • Maughan, Shannon. "A New Book Club from John Green and Rosianna Halse Rojas". Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/78429-a-new-book-club-from-john-green-and-rosianna-halse-rojas.html. 
  • Polson, Emily (2018-10-23). "John Green Launches Book Club with Rosianna Halse Rojas" (in en-US). https://bookriot.com/2018/10/23/john-green-book-club/. 
  • "About Life's Library - Free, Online Discussion Groups" (in en-US). https://www.lifeslibrarybookclub.com/about/. 
  • Mike Fleming Jr (July 21, 2015). "Author John Green Seals First-Look Deal With Fox 2000". Deadline. https://deadline.com/2015/07/john-green-fox-2000-the-fault-in-our-stars-paper-towns-1201482837/. Retrieved April 8, 2017. 
  • Mike Fleming Jr (March 31, 2016). "'Fault In Our Stars' Author John Green Plots British Soccer Pic On AFC Wimbledon". Deadline. https://deadline.com/2016/03/john-green-the-fault-in-our-stars-british-football-team-afc-wimbledon-1201729325/. Retrieved April 8, 2017. 
  • "sarah.mov". YouTube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gwg_ejE78#t=16. 
  • "Sarah Green exiting IMA to develop PBS series". The Indy Star. September 25, 2013. http://www.indystar.com/article/20130924/THINGSTODO03/309240029/Sarah-Green-exiting-IMA-develop-PBS-series?nclick_check=1. 
  • Talbot, Margaret (June 9, 2018). "The Teen Whisperer". The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/09/the-teen-whisperer. 
  • Obama's 2013 Google+ Fireside Hangout – Complete. The Daily Conversation. YouTube.com. Event occurs at 43:38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gU09bWifFo&t=43m38s
  • "The time I met Joe Biden". vlogbrothers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFLAjv4BXJs. 
  • "Interview: John Green". Marc McEvoy (The Sydney Morning Herald). July 12, 2009. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/interview-john-green-20120119-1q71w.html. "I was enrolled in divinity school and thought I was going to become a minister – I'm Episcopalian – but I was disavowed of that notion pretty quickly while working at the hospital." 
  • Green, John; Green, Hank (August 11, 2015). "010 – When Your Friend Likes Ayn Rand..." Dear Hank and John (Podcast). Event occurs at 19:19. Retrieved October 2, 2015. we got married in a Catholic church https://soundcloud.com/dearhankandjohn/010-when-your-friend-likes-ayn-rand
  • Justice, Jessilyn (January 28, 2016). "Best-Selling Author Drops Faith Bombshell With Bible Tweet" (in en). Charisma News. http://www.charismanews.com/culture/54783-best-selling-author-drops-faith-bombshell-with-bible-tweet. "In a Twitter series advocating for refugee support, Green tweeted "And for those of you who share my faith, Jesus is awfully unambiguous about the poor, shelterless, and imprisoned," with a link to Matthew 25." 
  • "Men In Blazers podcast: International break (bring back the Premier League) edition! Plus, John Green's return" (Podcast). NBCSports.com. September 9, 2014. http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/09/men-in-blazers-podcast-international-break-bring-back-the-premier-league-edition-plus-john-greens-return/related/. 
  • "John to sponsor Dons kit". July 9, 2014. http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/john-green-deal-1731273.aspx. 
  • Green, John (September 13, 2016). "Let's try again". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOBBrmHNF1Q. 
  • Green, John (November 20, 2015). "On Mental Illness (and the end of Pizzamas)". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_y4CACK-9g. 
  • Green, John (October 29, 2013). "Perspective". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ooCeoh6608. 
  • Green, John (July 14, 2015). "On Exhaustion". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KDmXQDd1S4. 
  • Green, John (February 19, 2013). "Doing Things, On the Importance of". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCDz1e9_yVg. 
  • Green, John (August 3, 2015). "I Love You, Hank. Esther Day 2015". Google Inc.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai1ktmahvAk. 
  • vlogbrothers (November 6, 2018). Taking a Year Off (video). Event occurs at 00:26 – via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zlYoOmoH5U
  • Thisisnottom thisisnottom.com https://web.archive.org/web/20100220114116/http://thisisnottom.com/
  • Thisisnotforums – The Unofficial Thisisnottom Forums thisisnotforums.com https://web.archive.org/web/20090403084542/http://thisisnotforums.com/
  • "Didn’t get your chance to get your hands on John Green’s Zombie Apocalypse Novella?" . EffYeahNerdFighters.com. http://effyeahnerdfighters.com/post/2835409604/didnt-get-your-chance-to-get-your-hands-on-john
  • "John Green's NEW Exclusive Zombie Short Story eBook PRE-ORDER". DFTBA Records LLC. http://dftba.com/product/ze/John-Greens-NEW-Exclusive-Zombie-Short-Story-eBook-PRE-ORDER. 
  • Green, John (August 15, 2012). "I just finally finished THE WAR FOR BANKS ISLAND, the stupid (and very bad) zombie apocalypse story that's six months late". Twitter.com. https://twitter.com/realjohngreen/status/235774235681886208. 
  • "2006 Printz Award". Young Adult Library Services Association. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/06printz. 
  • "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". Young Adult Library Association. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners.cfm. 
  • "Margos Spuren" (in de). Bayerische Buchpreis. Bayerischen Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft und Medien, Energie und Technologie. http://www.corine.de/chronik/detail.php?id=103&year=2010. 
  • "2012 Indiana Authors Award Recipients Honored". PR Newswire. October 26, 2012. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2012-indiana-authors-award-recipients-honored-175958841.html. 
  • "Jeff Kinney, VlogBrother win Children's Choice Book Awards". Global Post. May 14, 2013. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/well-being/130514/jeff-kinney-vlogbrother-win-childrens-choice-book-awards. 
  • Kellogg, Carolyn (April 11, 2014). "Jacket Copy: The winners of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes are ...". LA Times. https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-winners-los-angeles-times-book-prizes-20140411,0,4418200.story. 
  • Wickman, Kase (July 21, 2014). "John Green To Be Honored With 'The Visionary Award' At This Year's Fandom Awards". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/1874146/john-green-visionary-award-fandom-awards-sdcc/. 

John Green

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john green biography

About John Green

American author.

Quick Facts

John Green is a noted Young Adult fiction writer, perhaps best known for his books ‘ The Fault in our Stars’ and ‘ Paper Towns ,’ adapted into successful movies. He is also a high-profile social media user. He uses his platform to educate and provoke thought about contemporary issues.

  • John Green was born in 1977 in Indianapolis.
  • John is married to Sarah Green, who has been jokingly given the nickname “the yeti” as she is seldom seen on camera.
  • Green suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  • Due to the pressure it was putting on him, John Green took a year away from social media in 2018.
  • John has a strong friendship with his brother Hank, a writer who collaborates on their many YouTube projects.

Interesting Facts

  • Before becoming a writer, he was training to become a priest.
  • John Green is a soccer fan and has a stand at AFC Wimbledon named after him due to his “support” for the club. Although he is technically a Liverpool fan.
  • Green has talked about how being bullied at school made his life miserable.
  • The inspiration behind Green writing ‘ The Fault in our Stars’ was his time working in a hospital with terminally ill children.
  • Before making it as a writer, Green also worked as a prolific book reviewer.

Famous Books by John Green

Green does not have a massive back catalog of novels. While he is known for his writing, a great deal of his time is taken up with his various social media projects . That being said, what he has written has been highly successful.

The Fault in our Stars

Perhaps Green’s most famous work. This is partly because of the film adaptation, but it is fair to say the book was a sales phenomenon long before it was brought to the big screen. This was Green’s 6th novel and detailed the life of two teenage cancer sufferers. One of them, Gus, is in remission but lost a leg due to his cancer. The other, Hazel Grace, looks certain to die from her lung cancer. The two are pretty different in terms of outlook but fall in love and try to seek out their favorite author together. The novel is a real tear-jerker and worth reading even if you have seen the film.

Paper Towns

This is a classic coming-of-age/road trip story about Q, the nerdy boy who falls in love with his neighbor, wild child Margo Roth Spiegelman. They go on a wild revenge mission together before Margo vanishes. Q and his friends then attempt to track Margo down and travel across the country, searching for clues to do just that.

Green was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His parents were Mike and Sydney Green. Soon after being born, they moved to Michigan, Followed by Birmingham, Alabama, and finally Orlando, Florida. The experience of living in these different areas has informed Green’s writing.

He was a successful student, although he endured a problematic school career facing bullying issues. This did not stop John from achieving a double major in English and religious studies.

After graduating from college, he began training to become a priest. He enrolled in school to train but never actually attended. During this period, he spent five months working in a children’s hospital in Ohio. This was to become the inspiration behind ‘ The Fault in our Stars ‘.

Green then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a book reviewer. While doing this, he set about writing his first novel.

Literary Career

Green began his career with a bang as his first novel, ‘ Looking for Alaska ‘, published by Dutton Children’s Books, became an instant hit. Among his merits for the work, Green received a Michael L. Printz Award. The novel was praised for its literary content and signified a move away from YA fiction being themed around the supernatural.

Green’s second novel was ‘ An Abundance of Katherines ‘ and was nominated for but didn’t win a second Michael L. Printz Award.

Green then collaborated on a novel with two other YA authors. The book was called ‘ Let it Snow’ and contained three interconnected stories. This was adapted for the big screen, thanks to Netflix. Shortly after this, Green’s third solo effort, and one of his best-known works, ‘ Paper Towns ‘ , was produced. It earned him several awards and made the Times bestseller list as well as being adapted into a movie.

Green’s next book was another collaboration. This time with David Levithan. Together the pair penned the fantastic ‘ Will Grayson, Will Grayson’ . This spent time on the bestsellers list and was nominated for several awards. It was especially acclaimed for LGBTQ themes.

In 2012, he produced ‘ The Fault in our Stars’ . It spent two weeks at number one on the New York Times children’s bestseller list. He and his brother hank personally signed 150 thousand copies of the novel (the entire first print) These two were adapted for the big screen and proved a massive movie hit as well.

Green went through a period of struggling with his writing. He cited the pressure of expectation for these struggles. His next project would not come to fruition until 2017 when he released ‘ Turtles All the Way Down ‘. This, too, will be adapted for the screen.

Green’s sixth book is a non-fiction piece based on his podcast show and carries the title ‘ The Anthropocene Reviewed’.

Hank and John

Fans of John Green are more often than not fans of his brother Hank by proxy. The pair have a lot in common and carry similar personas. Hank has also become a writer, and the two regularly collaborate on projects together. Included in these projects are the brother’s YouTube channels. Crash Course involves “mini-lessons” covering everything from world economics to European history. There is also the channel “vlogbrothers” where the pair record regular videos aimed at one another detailing their thoughts on the world, life, or whatever happens to be in their heads at the time.

Influence from other Writers

Green cites Toni Morrison as being a significant influence on his career. He stated he has always wanted to be a writer but considered books to be something written by people who were no longer alive, so having someone alive and writing books was a huge source of inspiration to a young Green.

He also points to J.D. Salinger . The influence of Salinger’s ‘ Catcher in the Rye ‘ is obvious in Green’s writing.

Literature by John Green

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Biography of John Green

An accomplished young adult author, John Green has won numerous accolades for his six novels – Looking for Alaska , An Abundance of Katherines , Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle), Paper Towns , Will Grayson , Will Grayson and The Fault in Our Stars – and his short stories.

His debut novel, Looking for Alaska, was awarded the American Literary Association’s annual Michael L. Printz award; An Abundance of Katherines was a runner-up for the same award and a finalist for Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s third book, Paper Towns , debuted at number five on the New York Times bestseller list in 2008 and was later awarded 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the Corine Literature Prize in 2010. Published in 2010, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the result of collaboration with Green’s friend and fellow young adult author, David Levithan. The novel was a runner-up both for Stonewell Book Award, for excellence in LGBT in children’s and young adult fiction, and the Odyssey Award for excellence in Audiobook Production. Green’s most recent publication, The Fault in Our Stars , was Number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2012 and was released as a major motion film in June 2014.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 24th, 1977, John Green spent his childhood in Orlando, Florida. He attended Indian Springs School in Indian Springs Village, Alabama, which served as the basis for Culver Creek Preparatory School in Looking for Alaska . He graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with degrees English and Religious Studies. Post-college, Green intended to become an Episcopal priest. He spent several months working with hospitalized children as a student chaplain in Chicago. It was during this time that he decided to become a writer; he later published The Fault in Our Stars , which deals with adolescents with life-threatening illnesses.

Besides writing, Green works on other projects, mainly through online videos. In 2007, Green and his brother Hank started Brotherhood 2.0, a yearlong project in which the two brothers agreed to cease all forms of communication except video blogs. Using a Youtube channel, “VlogBrothers,” they posted videos to each other on alternating days. Although intended to be a year long and fairly private affair, the channel spawned a following of people around their world calling themselves "Nerdfighters." In 2013, the channel reached 1 million subscribers. Through the years since 2007, "Nerdfighteria" has followed the lead of John and Hank Green to give to charity, create and follow educational YouTube channels, and celebrate the VlogBrother motto "DFTBA," or "Don't Forget To Be Awesome."

John Green currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Sarah Urist Green, his children, Henry and Alice, and dog, Willy.

GradeSaver will pay $15 for your literature essays

Study Guides on Works by John Green

An abundance of katherines john green.

An Abundance of Katherines (2006) is a novel by John Green who is a highly regarded Young Adult (YA) Fiction author. He maintains a substantial online following especially on Youtube where he and his brother Hank make videos, such as the popular...

  • Study Guide

The Fault in Our Stars John Green

The Fault in Our Stars is John Green's sixth novel. Green drew inspiration from his time working as a chaplain at a children's hospital and from his friendship with Esther Earl, a friend of Green's to whom the book is dedicated.

The book was...

  • Lesson Plan

Looking for Alaska John Green

Looking for Alaska was published in 2005 by Dutton Children’s Books. It was John Green’s first novel. Inspired by his own education at Indian Springs School in Alabama, the book is set at the fictional Culver Creek Preparatory School, an upscale...

Paper Towns John Green

Paper Towns is John Green's third novel, published in 2008. It deals with similar elements of his previous works, including the presence of a beautiful yet eccentric female and a gawky, uncertain male. It is compared to his 2005 novel Looking for...

Turtles All the Way Down John Green

Turtles All the Way Down is entrepreneur and author John Green's 2017 follow-up to his 2012 smash-hit The Fault in Our Stars . In the book, we follow a high school student named Aza Holmes. She is wicked smart but struggles with mental health—...

Will Grayson, Will Grayson John Green , David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a novel written by David Levithan and The Fault in Our Stars author, John Green. The writing process between both authors was split in half, with Green writing the odd-numbered chapter and Levithan writing the...

john green biography

A Short Biography of John Green

John green’s writing style, creation of characters, characters of sentiments, sentence structure, informal language and slangs.

One of the major characteristics of Green’s writing style is his use of imagery. He makes the scene. He tries to refer to nature. He makes the characters feel in nature and then moves in the shadow of nature because it is nature that affects and motivates the characters for life. Another major effect of using imagery as a device is that this nature gives the sense of life to its characters because nature is not always favorable for humans as well. 

Allusions and Paradoxes

Works of john green.

John Green Height, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

John Green

Full NameJohn Michael Green
Profession(s)• Author
• YouTube content creator
• Producer
Famous ForHis celebrated novel "The Fault in Our Stars;" published on January 10, 2012, by Dutton Books.
Heightin centimeters
in meters
in feet & inches
Eye ColourDark Blue
Hair ColourDark Ash Blonde
Debut Looking for Alaska (2005)

Looking for Alaska (2019)

Vlogbrothers (2007)


• Looking for Alaska (2005)
• An Abundance of Katherines (2006)
• Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (2008)
• Paper Towns (2008)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson – with David Levithan (2010)
• The Fault in Our Stars (2012)
• Turtles All the Way Down (2017)
• The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021)
Awards, Honours, Achievements • Won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006 for his book Looking For Alaska (2005)
• Won Edgar Allan Poe Award in 2009 for his book Paper Towns (2008) in Best Young Adult Novel category

• Won Corine Literature Prize in 2010 for his book Paper Towns (2008) in Young Adult Novel category

• Won Indiana Authors Award in 2012 in the category of National Author Award
• Won Children's Choice Book Awards in 2013 for his book The Fault in Our Stars (2012) as Teen Book of the Year
• Won Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2013 in the category of Innovator's Award
• Won MTV Fandom Awards in 2014 in the category of Visionary Award
Date of Birth24 August 1977 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2020)
BirthplaceIndianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Zodiac signVirgo
Signature
NationalityAmerican
HometownIndianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
School• Glenridge Middle School
• Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando
• Indian Springs School Alabama, Pelham, AL, USA (1995 Batch)
College/UniversityKenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
Educational QualificationDouble Major in English and Religious Studies
ReligionChristianity (Episcopalian Christian)
According to John Green, he sometimes feels uncomfortable to consider himself as a Christian.
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian
Political InclinationHe considers himself a Moderate and an Independent.
AddressJohn Green, 8330 Claridge Road,
Indianapolis, IN 46260, U.S (mailing address)
HobbiesFishing, Reading
ControversyIn 2015, an anonymous Tumblr user allegedly accused John Green of being a paedophile. In the post, the user wrote,

Later, John Green retaliated with a post on Tumblr in which he wrote,
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage DateMay 21, 2006 (Sunday)
Wife/SpouseSarah Urist Green (Art Museum Curator and the host of the PBS program The Art Assignment, a YouTube series.)
Children - Henry Green

- Alice Green
Parents - Mike Green (State Director of the Nature Conservancy)
- Sydney Green (Housewife)
Siblings - Hank Green (Producer & Author)
Character"Radar" form the book Paper Towns
Writer(s)Salinger, Toni Morrison, Lorrie Moore, David Foster, Markus Zusak
Salary According to Forbes, as of 2014, he earned a yearly paycheck of $9 Million for his book 'The Fault in Our Stars.'
Net Worth (approx.)$10 Million as of 2016

John Green in a conference.

Some Lesser Known Facts About John Green

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green’s Instagram post about his re-visit to one of his schools

  • Although John has become an established author, earlier, he wanted to become an Episcopalian minister.
  • John Green’s literary influences during his college days were Gary Paulsen’s novel Hatchet, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and Ann Martin’s Babysitters Club books, which are based on young girls.
I spent a long time with my mentor and editor at Booklist, Ilene Cooper, writing and re-writing drafts of Looking for Alaska. It was three years of that. Just writing and re-writing and re-writing. And she did know someone at Dutton that she thought would be interested in the book. But she really wanted the manuscript to be something that she felt like she could say “I like this,” but also that she thought that the publisher would. Sent it to the publisher. It sat for a long time. It sat for six months. I guess there were a lot of conversations internally about the various strengths and weaknesses of it. And then one day I got a call, and yeah”.
  • During his job at Booklist Magazine, he also wrote for National Public Radio’s show “All Things Considered” and for Chicago Public Radio Station’s show WBEZ 91.5 FM.
  • He has reviewed many books during his job; at Booklist Magazine, his special interests were literary fiction and books about Islam and conjoined twins. His book reviews and criticisms have also been published in The New York Times Books Review.
The main thing is, tell either Eleanor or Alice not to forget to be awesome.”

Certificate from the city Indianapolis Mayor proclaiming John Green Day

Certificate from the city Indianapolis Mayor proclaiming John Green Day

  • He started a YouTube channel, “Vlogbrothers,” with his brother Hank Green in 2007. They started this channel as a virtual substitute for writing letters to each other; they start the video by referring to each other by their names i.e. “Dear Hank” and “Dear John.” The channel has 3.33M subscribers with 1886 videos (as of 2020).

Project For Awesome 2018 Live

John Green at VidCon 2016 with his wife

  • He was a writer for the Mental Floss magazine during the 2000s and later, he was a frontman in collaboration with Mental Floss magazine’s YouTube series “The List Show” from 2013 to 2018, which was focused on showcasing interesting facts about different things.

John Green at Wimbledon vs Liverpool game

Yes, I do. My hardcore badass feminist mom told both my brother and me that we were feminists from the time we were like two years old, so if she ever heard me saying I wasn’t a feminist she’d fly to my house and smack me upside the head.”

Chetan Bhagat Age, Wife, Family, Children, Biography & More

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COMMENTS

  1. John Green

    John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTuber, podcaster, and philanthropist.His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which is one of the best-selling books of all time.Green's rapid rise to fame and idiosyncratic voice are credited with creating a major shift in the young adult fiction market.

  2. Bio

    Bio — John Green. John Green is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Turtles All the Way Down. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

  3. John Green

    John Green (born August 24, 1977, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an American author who writes realistic fiction for young adults.Reviewers have praised Green's work for his bright yet troubled characters and thoughtful treatment of difficult topics. Green is the son of Mike Green, a business executive, media consultant, and producer of socially engaged films, and Sydney Goodrich Green, the ...

  4. John Green Biography

    Learn about John Green's life, career, and achievements as an American author of best-selling young adult novels and a YouTube star. Find out how he started writing, his influences, his awards, his projects, and his controversies.

  5. John Green Tells a Story of Emotional Pain and Crippling Anxiety. His

    Green, 40, who lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Sarah Urist Green, and their two children, Henry, 7, and Alice, 4, is one of the publishing industry's biggest stars, and over the past decade ...

  6. John Green

    John Green. John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns , The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. He is one half of the vlogbrothers on YouTube and co-creator of educational series Crash Course .

  7. John Green

    John Michael Green is an American author, YouTuber, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which is one of the best-selling books of all time. Green's rapid rise to fame and idiosyncratic voice are credited with creating a major shift in the young adult fiction market.

  8. John Green author biography

    Learn about John Green, the bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and other novels. Find his books, read-alikes, website and more on BookBrowse.

  9. John Green

    John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and Turtles All the Way Down.. His books have received many accolades, including a Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and an Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

  10. John Green

    John Green. Producer: Paper Towns. John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a YouTube video-blogger, or "vlogger", with his brother, Hank Green. Their YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers, has over 2,500,000 subscribers as of May 2015. Perhaps more notably, John is also an author. His most recent book, released in January 2012, was adapted to film in The Fault in ...

  11. John Green

    John Green was born on the 24 th of August in 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His parents are Mike Green and Sydney Green. Soon after his birth, the family was in a constant move; first, they shifted to Michigan. Then to Birmingham before settling in Florida. He also spent his childhood in Orlando, where his parents helped him improve his ...

  12. John Green

    John Michael Green is an American writer of young adult fiction and a YouTube Vlogger and educator. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking For Alaska, and reached the number one on a New York Times Best Seller list with The Fault in Our Stars in January 2012.

  13. John Green

    John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American writer. He writes young-adult fiction novels. He is also a YouTuber, who is known for making Crash Course and other videos. Career. His first novel, Looking For Alaska, was published by Dutton Children's Books in 2005. It won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award.

  14. John Green by Shailene Woodley: TIME 100

    Sure, John Green may write best-selling young-adult novels, manage a YouTube channel (vlogbrothers) and organize an annual conference for video bloggers (VidCon), but he's more than just an ...

  15. John Green

    John Green. (born 1977). American author John Green wrote realistic fiction for young adults. Reviewers praised his work for his bright yet troubled characters and his thoughtful treatment of difficult topics. John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in Orlando, Florida, and Birmingham, Alabama.

  16. Everything You Want to Know About John Green and His Books

    John Green was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 24, 1977 to Mike and Sydney Green. He grew up in Orland, Florida although his family moved from three previous states.

  17. John Green Biography

    John Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis (Indiana), the USA in the family of Mike and Sydney Green. Three weeks after the birth of little John, his family moved to Michigan, then to Birmingham and eventually decided to stay in Orlando, Florida. John attended the Highland Preparatory School in Orlando and the Indian Springs School ...

  18. John Green

    John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, and podcaster. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska,[1] and has had several of his subsequent books debut at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, including his most popular novel, The Fault in Our Stars.[2] The 2014 film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars open

  19. About John Green

    Quick Facts. Notable Works: The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, Paper Towns. Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult Fiction. John Green is a noted Young Adult fiction writer, perhaps best known for his books ' The Fault in our Stars' and ' Paper Towns ,' adapted into successful movies. He is also a high-profile social ...

  20. John Green Biography

    John Green. John Green was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 24, 1977. Green's family often moved when he was a child, first living in Michigan than Alabama and Florida. Green attended Kenyon College in Ohio and graduated with a degree in English and Religious studies in 2000. After graduating, Green worked for a short time as a student ...

  21. John Green Biography

    Learn about John Green, a young adult author of six novels and short stories, including The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. Find out his background, awards, projects, and personal life.

  22. John Green's Writing Style and Short Biography

    John Michael Green is a popular name of young adult fiction. He is an American author; YouTube content creator, actor and producer. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on 24th August 1977. Besides writing novels, he creates many educational online videos. He is a passionate author who talks and discusses the people in real situations.

  23. John Green Height, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

    John Green with his brother Hank Green started VidCon in 2010, which is an annual conference for the online video community, it welcomes online creators from various regions worldwide such as Abu Dabi, London, Asia, Australia, Mexico, São Paulo, and the U.S. They have been organising the event in Southern California every year since 2010 ...