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A review by briannethebookworm
This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Lori Earl, Wayne Earl, Esther Earl
4.0
The story of Esther Earl is told by her own journal entries, her parents, and her online friends. In middle school, Esther is diagnosed with a rare cancer, changing the lives of her parents and four other siblings drastically. Esther loves to write and begins journaling about her life through her eyes, which after her passing has been used to share her story in this book. The piece also includes entries from a blog created by her parents to update the public on Esther’s health, online conversations with Esther’s friends, and pictures of Esther throughout her childhood. By the telling of her own story, you get to see Esther as more than just a cancer victim; you see a teenage girl whose love for life left an eternal mark on everyone who came in contact with her.
This book was unique because as mentioned, many different types of writing is compiled from many different people who knew Esther to really paint a picture of who she was. I liked the inclusion of Esther’s own journal entries because I think it was the most helpful in getting to know her. By the end I was crying (on an airplane, so had to play it cool) because of the impact that Esther left on her family, friends, and even people who didn’t know her that well. John Green writes the introduction to the book and is mentioned throughout, and it made sense that while John Green had already started writing The Fault in Our Stars, that Esther inspired him to keep going. I saw a lot of Esther in Augustus and Hazel, though Green may not have said she inspired those characters. It was a heartbreaking story that puts life into perspective.
This book was unique because as mentioned, many different types of writing is compiled from many different people who knew Esther to really paint a picture of who she was. I liked the inclusion of Esther’s own journal entries because I think it was the most helpful in getting to know her. By the end I was crying (on an airplane, so had to play it cool) because of the impact that Esther left on her family, friends, and even people who didn’t know her that well. John Green writes the introduction to the book and is mentioned throughout, and it made sense that while John Green had already started writing The Fault in Our Stars, that Esther inspired him to keep going. I saw a lot of Esther in Augustus and Hazel, though Green may not have said she inspired those characters. It was a heartbreaking story that puts life into perspective.