“Paper Towns”

Always read the book before watching the movie.

That is the rule. I bought John Green’s “Paper Towns” in January and meant to read it, but life got in the way. At the movies last month, I saw the trailer for John Green’s “Paper Towns” coming out in July and knew what I had to do. What better time to read the book than during summer break at the beach.

Plot: Green tells the story through the protagonist, Quentin “Q” Jacobsen, whose boring high school life is turned upside down by the adventurous neighbor and classmate, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Always secretly mesmerized by her from afar, during one strange night, Margo climbs into Q’s bedroom dressed like a ninja and asks him to join her on a mission of revenge. After their vengeful all-night quest, Q arrives at school the next morning anxious to talk to his new best friend only to find she has vanished. Q was the last one to see or hear from her. Margo leaves behind clues, and the story follows Q and his friends as they try to find their friend. This is a senior trip they will never forget.

Why you would recommend this book: This book was a breath of fresh air. The beautifully written plot balances mysterious comedy and diary-like stories told by seniors in high school. The honest and appealing voice of the characters are easy to relate and lead to life lessons that almost everyone has encountered. Anyone with social media can relate to how many paint such a glamorous, picture-perfect life for the world to see online and omit the bad. They hope people will see them as they wish they were, or as they think others would like them the most, instead of as they really are, imperfect. If you have ever wished for more, this book is for you.

That moment you were on the edge of your seat: Being told Margo was missing was heartbreaking. The mixture of fairy tale and suspense was antagonizingly beautiful although my lack of sleep would beg to differ. Every chapter had me more hooked than the previous, and I could not put the book down until I finished it.

Lasting impressions: As an English teacher, I am always looking for some hidden meanings, and that is what I love about this author; he never disappoints. I am still the nerd who annotates the books I read for pleasure and underline important details or highlight metaphors and similes. I know, who does that? But with all of the metaphors and connections to real-life, my annotating skills sure got a workout. I loved it.

The thought of ideals has stuck with me after finishing this book. Everyone sees things differently; the glass half full or empty thing. I am typically a realist and tend to judge things too harshly, but I found myself caught up in the suspense disguised as an optimist. I shocked myself and thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book also opened my eyes to people. I understand I will never know everything about everyone, even my close friends and family. Everyone is a little fake and a lot of real, or vice versa. People should not have to live up to anyone’s expectations and certainly not mine, and no one should force you to meet their expectations if they are not yours as well. How we perceive others is not necessarily how they really are, and that is something to think about.

In summary, this book may be sold on the young adult shelves, but the story rings true for everyone, young and old. There are too many important life lessons within the pages to not read it, and it was totally worth it. There’s beauty in John Green’s books that I don’t think I would have understood or appreciated as a teenager, so I think “Paper Towns” is a great book for all.

Don’t judge a book by its cover; you never know what you might miss out on. You may just be living in a paper town with paper people and not even know it.

What are you reading next?

“One Came Home” by Amy Timberlake