Reading Chapter One of The Fault in Our Stars
2011-10-28 · story · John · 30:22 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Books & writing · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: self promotion, song or performance, heavy topic, community lore
John, in lieu of a regular video and with Hank's permission, reads aloud Chapter 1 of his forthcoming novel The Fault in Our Stars, in which Hazel meets Augustus at a cancer support group, then plugs signed pre-orders and reports signing progress.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Greeting; a live-show video instead of a real one, with Hank's permission; earlier deleted attempt; ask to live viewers; dedication to Esther Earl
- ★★ John tells Nerdfighters not to punish him: Hank permitted this longer-than-four-minutes, unedited video, which saves him time for signing books. (playful) — 00:00:14 · Nerdfighteria, Hank Green, Punishment, Four-minute rule
- ★★★ Instead of a real video, John reads the first chapter of The Fault in Our Stars as a live-show video, something he has long wanted to do. — 00:00:26 · The Fault in Our Stars
- ★ John says he tried this reading a few months ago but deleted that live show because he wanted to change things; this one stays. — 00:00:33 · The Fault in Our Stars
- ★ John asks live viewers to tell newcomers they have not missed it, since the reading is recorded and can be replayed. — 00:00:54
- ★★ John says The Fault in Our Stars is dedicated to his friend Esther Earl. — 00:01:12 · The Fault in Our Stars, Esther Earl
00:01:19 — Reading the epigraph (Peter Van Houten, An Imperial Affliction) and the author's note on fiction
- ★★ In the author's note John says the book is fiction and that hunting for facts inside a story attacks the idea that made-up stories can matter, 'sort of' our species' foundational assumption. (hedged) — 00:02:16 · The Fault in Our Stars
00:02:35 — Reading Chapter 1: Hazel's 'depression', depression as a side effect of dying, the support group and Patrick
-
★★ Hazel Grace Lancaster: In the novel, Hazel says depression is not a side effect of cancer but of dying, as is cancer and almost everything else. (fiction) — 00:03:10 · Hazel Grace Lancaster
“Depression is a side effect of dying.”
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★★ Hazel Grace Lancaster: Hazel describes the weekly church-basement support group: leader Patrick retells his survival story, and members compete to outlast one another. (fiction) — 00:03:52 · Hazel Grace Lancaster
00:05:41 — Aside: the narrator is 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster read by a 34-year-old man
00:06:07 — Reading Chapter 1 continued: Isaac, meeting Augustus Waters, fear of oblivion and Hazel's speech, 'literally' in the heart of Jesus, the unlit cigarette metaphor
- ★★ Hazel Grace Lancaster: At group, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, 17, who had osteosarcoma, came at his friend Isaac's request, and says he fears oblivion. (fiction) — 00:13:59 · Augustus Waters, Hazel Grace Lancaster
- ★★★ Hazel Grace Lancaster: Hazel answers that a time will come when everyone is dead and all human work forgotten; if that worries you, ignore it, as everyone else does. (fiction) — 00:15:55 · Hazel Grace Lancaster
- ★★ Augustus Waters: Augustus tells Hazel she is beautiful, likens her to V for Vendetta-era Natalie Portman and invites her to watch the film at his house. (fiction) — 00:20:54 · Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters
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★★ Augustus Waters: Augustus explains his unlit cigarette as a metaphor: holding the killing thing between your teeth without giving it the power to kill; Hazel then goes to the movie with him. (fiction) — 00:26:29 · Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters
“They don't kill you unless you light them”
00:27:13 — What the book is about; pre-order links for signed copies; signing progress on the TFIOS-ometer; thanks
- ★★★ John says the book is the story of Hazel and Augustus trying to come to terms with Hazel's opening soliloquy that everything will end in oblivion, and of their life together. — 00:27:15 · The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters
- ★★ John points to doobly-doo links to pre-order a signed copy; all copies will be signed, nobody should feel obligated, and he prefers they reach Nerdfighter homes. — 00:27:40 · The Fault in Our Stars, doobly-doo, Nerdfighteria
- ★★ Showing the TFIOS-ometer, John says he is very nearly up to 135,000 signatures, with roughly 15,000 to 20,000 to go; he has not counted recently. (hedged) — 00:27:42 · The Fault in Our Stars
- ★★ John thanks viewers for making it possible to sign all these books, after three months of TV, audiobooks and signing; it has been fun and he is grateful. — 00:28:13 · Nerdfighteria
00:28:32 — No punishment (cleared with Hank); Maureen Johnson's dirty texts; Target joke; inside jokes ('watch out for bears', French the llama); sign-off
- ★★ John says Maureen Johnson sends him an unrepeatably filthy text-message joke every time he does a live show. (playful) — 00:28:58 · Maureen Johnson
- ★★ John closes with an inside joke he says viewers will get, 'French the llama', running straight into thanks for making his career possible by watching into the 36th minute. (playful) — 00:30:01 · French the llama, Nerdfighteria
Threads in this video
- rule change · Four-minute rule for vlogbrothers videos (2007) — John says Hank permitted this unedited, longer-than-four-minutes live-show video, so Nerdfighters should not punish him; he repeats this at the end. (00:00:14)
- milestone · The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — John reads Chapter 1 of The Fault in Our Stars on the channel from a page proof, including its dedication to Esther Earl, epigraph and author's note. (00:00:26)
- restate · Can things that humans made up (sports, money, borders, rules) really matter? — In the book's author's note John writes that hunting for facts inside a story attacks the idea that made-up stories can matter, which he calls sort of the foundational assumption of our species. (00:02:23)
- reminder · John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John again points viewers to doobly-doo links to pre-order a signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars, adding that nobody should feel obligated. (00:27:40)
- progress update · John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John shows the TFIOS-ometer: very nearly 135,000 signed, roughly 15,000-20,000 to go; all pre-ordered copies will be signed. (00:27:50)
- callback · Maureen Johnson's unrepeatable dirty texts during John's live shows (2011) — During the live show Maureen Johnson texts John a dirty joke; he says she does this every time he does a live show. (00:28:49)
- callback · 'French the llama': John's misreading of FTL as an exclamation of amazement (2009) — John uses the inside joke 'French the llama', apparently in place of 'thank you', in his closing thanks to viewers. (00:30:01)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — kept; last: recalled, 2024-12-31
- The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-22
- Four-minute rule for vlogbrothers videos (2007) — last documented in 2023 (looked back on in 2025)
Mentioned
Central: Augustus Waters · Hazel Grace Lancaster · The Fault in Our Stars
Also: death anxiety · doobly-doo · Esther Earl · Four-minute rule · French the llama · Maureen Johnson · Punishment · Target Corporation
Later videos replying to this one
- 2011-11-25 · Chapter TWO of The Fault in Our Stars (John) — continues (milestone on The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011)) — John reads Chapter 2 of The Fault in Our Stars on the channel with Penguin's permission, following his Chapter 1 reading; the book comes out January 10th. (00:00:07)