The true story of a remarkable young girl
Mary Humphreys
Webmaster
“This Star Won’t Go Out” was released on January 28, 2014 and tells the story of Esther Grace Earl, a young girl who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was 12 years old.
She passed away at the age of sixteen in 2010 and even though her life was short, she still inspired countless people she met. One of the individuals was young adult author, John Green, who dedicated his #1 New York Times bestseller, “The Fault In Our Stars,” to her.
While “The Fault In Our Stars” is greatly inspired by Esther, John Green has stated on several occasions that it is fiction and is not in anway Esther’s story. Esther’s story however, has been published now in “This Star Won’t Go Out.”
The book opens with introductions by John Green and Esther’s parents, Lori and Wayne Earl. The rest is filled with journal entries, photos, stories, artwork, letters, and blog posts by or about Esther. They tell the story of Esther from when she was a child to her final moments.
While Esther’s life may have been short-lived, she was wise beyond her years, something which is shown through her intellectual pieces of writing.
The book also shows how she touched the life of her family and friends, including a group of online friends which they called Cattitude, through letters that each of them wrote about Esther. She inspired so many people in her short time on this earth and it is touching to see those directly touched by her grace.
Her story is one full of ups and downs, laughs and cries. But while Esther is no longer with us, her legacy still lives on through these pages. “This Star Won’t Go Out” is very inspiring and relatable to any young adult like her, even if you are not living with cancer. It is uplifting to see just how positive one can be despite less than desirable situations and has lessons for anyone to learn.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Eagle Era 