John Green’s Latest Book Will Change What You Think You Know About Tuberculosis

John Green is a best selling author of such popular books as The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska and Turtles All The Way Down. In Everything is Tuberculosis, he has turned his focus to a subject which I expect most North Americans rarely think about: Tuberculosis. If you had asked me before I read this book what the status of TB is, I would have said that it isn’t a thing anymore. And how wrong I would have been. In just 198 pages, Green takes us through the history of the disease, not only from a medical perspective but also from a socio-political viewpoint. You will be amazed at the number of famous people through the years who have succumbed to the disease, and almost more importantly, the social acceptance and curiosity about the afflicted.

The book came to life because of Green’s encounter with Henry, a young boy he met at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone where John and his wife were doing a tour of the neonatal facilities. At first, Green thought that Henry was an enthusiastic tour guide, but he was soon to discover that this boy was actually a teenaged tuberculosis patient. Henry and John became fast friends and this book pays homage to Henry and all of those who work tirelessly in often dire circumstances to help patients afflicted with TB.

The very heart of this book is a reflection and social commentary highlighting the great divide between the haves and have nots, the suffering and the greedy. It seems that those who don’t need the resources have an abundance and those who are desperate are out of luck. In spite of all of the progress we have made over the last few centuries on this planet, some of the most basic aspects of human nature never change.

Nancy C.
Library Assistant, John M. Harper Branch

Nancy has worked at the John M. Harper Branch as a Library Assistant for over 11 years. Her best days are when she can introduce readers, both young and not-so-young, to new authors/series. She feels like a kid in a candy store at the library, always amazed at the new finds that she discovers. She loves the wide selection of movies/TV series and has done a good number of the amazing puzzles that are in the collection. Nancy sings in a local choir and hits the stage with a theatre production company in New Hamburg. She is an avid reader, gardener, golfer, and newly back to skiing after a 30-year hiatus.