This Star Won't Go Out

Review:

Title: This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl

Authors: Esther Earl (With Lori and Wayne Earl)

{Introduction by John Green}

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication Date: January 28th, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Nonfiction, YA

Rating: ✎✎✎✎✎

Blurb:

A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell Esther’s story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green who dedicated his #1 bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars to her.

My Thoughts and Reflection:

I heard about Esther Earl early on in my journey as a nerd fighter*.  I read about her story and friendship with John Green and thought that it was one of the most beautiful things in the world.  I also learned that John Green dedicated his acclaimed novel The Fault in Our Stars to her.
For those of you who don't know, The Fault in Our Stars is a book about teenagers with cancer, which  is exactly the situation that Esther was in when she died.  The Fault in Our Stars focuses a lot on the romance of the characters.  That detail became increasingly meaningful as I read This Star Won't Go Out, hearing the wishfulness in Esther as she dreamt of having that sort of relationship.
Anyways, besides the connection with John Green, This Star Won't Go Out was an incredibly impressive book.  I'm not one to be a fan of nonfiction typically, but of course I was going to read this book.  Every nerd fighter would. I preordered it around Christmas and was absolutely delighted when it arrived in January; it was so long!!
This Star Won't Go Out was a fantastic mix of the words of Esther, along with the words of her parents, her siblings, her friends, and other people in her life.  The personal narration and emotion in the book brought me so close to Esther that even though I did not know her, I feel like I did.
The pictures, poetry, stories, simply everything about this book was fantastic.  It seemed to gather everything that was Esther and bring it altogether on these pages.
I was brought to tears towards the end of the book, when the narration began to focus on the time when Esther was nearing her end.  Those pages and words were so meaningful, so heartfelt.  I felt all of the grief and shock that the people knew her must have.
My favorite part of the book was at the very end, where there were several unfinished stories of Esther's.  She had a raw talent for writing, and it's a shame that those stories were never finished.  However, she did get her dream of being a published author, and the fact that I supported that makes me smile.
Read this book if you love true stories.  Read this book if you love John Green.  Read this book if you love the internet.  Read this book if you love amazingly happy people, who, even in the darkest of times, still love Harry Potter and can see the light.

~Remy