John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author andYouTuber. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, includingThe Fault in Our Stars (2012), which is one of thebest-selling books of all time. Green's rapid rise to fame and idiosyncratic voice are credited with creating a major shift in theyoung adult fiction market. Green is also well known for his work in online video, most notably his YouTube ventures with his younger brotherHank Green.
Green has characterized his upbringing by saying that "although he had a happy childhood, [...] he was not always a happy child."[16] Green has struggled with severeanxiety andobsessive–compulsive disorder his whole life.[5][17][18] He has also spoken about beingbullied during high school and how it made life as a teenager miserable for him.[8][5]
Green enrolled atKenyon College inGambier, Ohio, in 1995, graduating with a double major inEnglish andreligious studies in 2000.[5][12][19] While attending the school, he befriended and was in acomedy troupe withRansom Riggs.[20][21] After graduation, Green spent about half a year working as a studentchaplain atNationwide Children's Hospital inColumbus, Ohio, while enrolled at theUniversity of Chicago Divinity School, although he never actually attended the school.[12][22][23] He intended to become anEpiscopal priest, but the traumatic experiences of working in a hospital with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses and injuries made him reconsider his path. Parts of his experience inspired him to become an author, and later to writeThe Fault in Our Stars.[10][24][23][12] After his time as a chaplain, Green moved to Chicago where he briefly continued performing with his college comedy troupe.[8][10]
Career
Early career and novels (2001–2006)
Booklist magazine andLooking for Alaska
In 2001, Green was hired as an editorial assistant at the book review journalBooklist, later becoming a production editor.[25][26][3][12] Whilst there he reviewed hundreds of books, particularly on literary fiction,Islam, andconjoined twins.[27] He also wrote radio essays forNPR'sAll Things Considered and Chicago's public radio stationWBEZ.[25][27] He wrote essays for WBEZ after beginning an email correspondence withAmy Krouse Rosenthal, who became a close friend and mentor.[28]
While working atBooklist, Green met authorIlene Cooper, whose example persuaded him he could write a novel, saying, "I saw that real people like Ilene wrote books; they weren't written inivory towers."[26] Cooper invited Green to lunch to discuss his future. She set a deadline for Green to present her with a draft of his first book, which Green failed to present to her twice over.[29] Near the end of 2001, Green suffered from amental health crisis so severe he could not eat, and instead drank onlytwo-liter bottles ofSprite. He lived with his parents for a brief time while seeing a psychiatrist and going onmedication.[17][29] When he returned to Chicago, he began writingLooking for Alaska.[17] Green wrote the novel divided into "before" and "after" the character Alaska's death, with chapters denoted through the number of days before or after the death. The structure was partially inspired by Green's reaction to theterrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, months prior, and its status as a dividing line in history and in people's lives.[30]
Green presented the first draft to Cooper, who served as a mentor through the following two versions. Cooper sent the third draft toDutton Children's Books in early 2003, who awarded Green with apublishing contract and a small four-figure book deal.[10][29][26][17]Looking for Alaska was assigned to editorJulie Strauss-Gabel, which began their collaboration that has persisted through all of Green's books.[26][31][29] In a 2015 interview withThe New York Times, Green reflected, "In a publishing world that maybe doesn't have as many long-term relationships as it used to, she invested a lot of time in me before I ever earned a profit. I've never written a book without Julie. I wouldn't know how to do it."[31]
Looking for Alaska was published in March 2005.[32] The novel is acoming-of-ageschool story and teen romance about a boarding school student who gets bullied, partially inspired by Green's experiences at Indian Springs, Alabama, fictionalized as Culver Creek Preparatory High School.[10][19][33][34] The novel was well-received critically, but saw only modest sales at first.[5][26] The novel was awarded the annualMichael L. Printz Award by theAmerican Library Association (ALA), recognizing the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit."[5][26][35] Receiving the award caused book sales to rapidly rise, with Green describing his reaction upon hearing he had won the award as, "probably the purest moment of joy I've experienced. Even when my children were born it wasn't as raw and surprising."[26] It also appeared on the ALA's annual "Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults" and appeared on theNew York Times Best Seller list seven years later during a surge in Green's popularity after the release ofThe Fault in Our Stars.[26][36][10] Green left his job atBooklist after receiving the Printz Award.[5][37]
His second novel,An Abundance of Katherines, was released in September 2006.[45][12][46] Set in Chicago, the novel is about an extremely intelligent but depressed 17-year-old boy who is constantly dating (and being dumped by) girls named Katherine.[47][46][48] Reviewers noted that the book's tone was significantly more comedic and light thanLooking for Alaska.[12] It was runner-up for the Printz Award,[46] and a finalist for theLos Angeles Times Book Prize.[49] Green began writing his third solo novel while still living in New York.[5][12]
Green moved back to Indianapolis in June 2007 when Sarah began a position as a curator of contemporary art at theIndianapolis Museum of Art.[50][51][38][5] In an interview in October 2007, Green mentioned that his next solo novel's working title wasPaper Towns.[52]
Green's next novel was a collaboration with fellow young adult authorsMaureen Johnson andLauren Myracle titledLet It Snow: Three Holiday Romances, released in September 2008. The book consists of three interconnected short stories, including Green's "A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle", with each set in the same small town on Christmas Eve during a massive snowstorm.[53][54] In November 2009, the book reached number ten onThe New York Times Best Seller list for paperback children's books.[55]
Green's third solo novel,Paper Towns, was released in October 2008. Set in the suburbs of Orlando, Florida, the book is about the coming-of-age of the protagonist, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his search for Margo Roth Spiegelman, his neighbor and childhood sweetheart.[56][57] The story has often been described as a deconstruction of the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope, including by Green himself.[58][59] It debuted at number five onThe New York Times Best Seller list for children's books.[60]Paper Towns was awarded the 2009Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the 2010Corine Literature Prize.[61][62][63]
After this, Green and fellow young-adult writerDavid Levithan collaborated on the novelWill Grayson, Will Grayson, which was published by Dutton in April 2010.[64][65][66] Set in the suburbs of Chicago, the book's narrative is divided evenly between two boys named Will Grayson; Green wrote the odd chapters on the Will Grayson who is straight, and Levithan wrote the even chapters on the Will Grayson who is gay.[48][66] The novel debuted onThe New York Times children's best-seller list after its release and remained there for three weeks. It was the firstLGBT-themed young adult novel to make it to the list.[48][66][67] It was a runner-up for two of the annual ALA awards: theStonewall Book Award for excellence inLGBT children's and young adult literature,[68] and theOdyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production.[69][70]
Online video beginnings
(From left to right) The Vlogbrothers in 2008 andEsther Earl, with Hank and Earl performing the "Nerdfighter salute"
In 2007, John andhis brother Hank began a video blog project calledBrotherhood 2.0 which ran from January 1 to December 31 of that year and was published to their YouTube channel "Vlogbrothers". The two agreed that they would forgo all text-based communication for the project's duration and instead maintain their relationship by exchanging thesevlogs. Each submitted one to the other on alternating weekdays.[71][72][73] The brothers gained a large following during theearly years of YouTube, especially after Hank's video "Accio Deathly Hallows" was featured on the front page of YouTube.[71] In what would have been the project's final video, the brothers revealed that they would extend their video correspondence indefinitely.[74] As of August 2024[update], they have continued exchanging their vlogs and the channel has over 3.7 million subscribers and 1 billion views.[75]
Since the project's inception, the duo has gained a wide-reaching international fanbase whose members identify collectively as "Nerdfighters".[76][71] One prominent early Nerdfighter wasEsther Earl, who developed a bond with the Green brothers and the Nerdfighter community before she died in 2010 at the age of sixteen tothyroid cancer.[5][10][77] Green and the Nerdfighteria community continue to celebrate "Esther Day" each year on August 3, and support the non-profit foundation This Star Won't Go Out, founded by Esther's parents Wayne and Lori Earl.[5][77][78][79] Green wrote the introduction to Earl's biography and has stated that Earl was an inspiration for the main character Hazel inThe Fault in Our Stars.[5][80][81][82]
The group, in collaboration with the two brothers, promote and participate in several other humanitarian efforts and community events, including loaning more than $4 million throughKiva.org, as well as theProject for Awesome (P4A).[76][71] The Project for Awesome is an annualtelethon-style fundraiser begun in 2007. The event includes a 48-hourlivestream in which charities are voted on by the community while supporters pledge money and receive donated perks, such as artwork or digital content.[83][84] The livestream is hosted by the Greens and other YouTube personalities, includingDestin Sandlin andPhil Plait.[84] The event has continued annually, gaining support and higher donations over time, raising over $3 million in 2023[85][86][84][87] and over $3.5 million in 2024.[88]
Hank Green and Alan Lastufka co-foundedDFTBA Records (aninitialism for "Don't Forget to Be Awesome") in 2008, with John Green later becoming a co-owner.[89][90] Originally a record label, its main focus was music generated by prominent YouTube stars.[89][91] The company now focuses on selling merchandise.[90][92][93]
John and Hank Green at Vidcon 2012
In 2010, the brothers launchedVidCon as a conference for the online video community.[94][95] The Greens created the conference in response to the growing YouTube community. Hank stated, "We wanted to get as much of the online video community together, in one place, in the real world for a weekend. It's a celebration of the community, with performances, concerts, and parties, but it's also a discussion of the explosion in community-based online video."[96] The event drew many popular YouTubers, as well as their fans, and provided room for the community to interact. The event also contained an industry conference for people and businesses working in the online video field.[95] The convention was a success, leading to it becoming an annual event that was acquired byViacom in 2018.[94][97][95]
Breakout success (2012–2016)
The Fault in Our Stars and adaptations
Green had announced in August 2009 he was writing a new book titledThe Sequel.[98] The work was later scrapped, with parts integrated into his next book,The Fault in Our Stars, released on January 10, 2012.[48][99][100] Green's fourth solo novel, the story is about Hazel, a 16-year-old girl living in Indianapolis, Indiana, who hasthyroid cancer. She is forced by her parents to attend a support group where she meets and falls in love with 17-year-old Augustus Waters, an ex-basketball player, amputee, and survivor ofosteosarcoma.[101][102][103] Green was inspired by his friendship with Esther Earl, as well as his time working as a student chaplain in a children's hospital.[104][10][81][105] In an interview withThe Atlantic in 2013, he stated, "The kids I met [while working as a student chaplain] were funny and bright and angry and dark and just as human as anybody else. And I really wanted to try to capture that. I felt that the stories that I was reading sort of oversimplified and sometimes even dehumanized them. [...] I wanted to argue for their humanity, their complete humanity."[105] He crafted the novel in collaboration with his long-time editor Julie Strauss-Gabel.[106] Green signed all 150,000 copies of the first printing.[5][107]
The Fault in Our Stars was massively successful, creating a passionate fan base of readers.[10][108] Six months before the release of the book, before it had even been finished, online pre-orders led to the book being a number one seller onAmazon.com andBarnes & Noble.[10][109] After release, the book debuted at number one onThe New York Times Best Seller list for children's chapter books. It went on to spend forty-three total weeks at the number one spot and over two years in the top ten.[5][11][110]
Green himself also saw a significant increase in his fame, with theIndianapolis Business Journal noting that he had much more "visibility and presence in his fans' lives" than other contemporaneous authors with equal or greater book sales.[109] Upon the book's release, Green began a 17-city book tour, visiting largely sold-out venues across the country.[111] On the first anniversary of its release, John and his brother Hank performed a sold-out show atCarnegie Hall'sIsaac Stern Auditorium in New York City, which also featured appearances fromNeil Gaiman andThe Mountain Goats.[112][11] Green appeared onThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in March 2013. Green stated his anxiety leading up to the television interview prevented him from getting work done for weeks before.[113]
In late 2013, Green stated that he was writing a new book with the working titleThe Racket.[114] He sold 5,000 words of a rough draft of the work during that years Project for Awesome.[115] That same year, Green hired long-time NerdfighterRosianna Halse Rojas as hisexecutive assistant.[113]
Green at Vidcon in 2014
A film adaptation ofThe Fault in Our Stars was green-lit within three weeks of the book's release.[108] Green had initially been hesitant to sell the movie rights for the book, saying, "I'd had some unhappy experiences before, and I didn't want a movie I didn't like being made from a book that's so important to me. This book frankly is more important to me than my other books."[116] To that end, Green was involved in the movie's pre-production, and was on set for most of the film's shooting.[117][116]The Hollywood Reporter stated in May 2014 that even before the movie's release, its expected success was causing a shift in the types of films being made for teenagers, with Pouya Shahbazian, the producer of the dystopian science fiction filmDivergent, stating, "I've already had calls from studio execs who want to be on the list for small, intimate stories that previously would have been impossible to sell to their senior execs. Who would have believed a small-budget, YA teenage cancer love story would have rival studio execs calling it a potentialevent movie?" Additionally, the magazine reported that the film studio behind the movie, Fox 2000, would consider anything over $125million in box office earnings a huge success.[118]
On June 6, 2014,The Fault in Our Stars film was released, the first adaptation of one of Green's novels.[113][119] The film was massively successful, opening number one at the box office during its opening weekend and grossing $307million worldwide against a budget of $12million.[120] Green filmed a cameo role for the movie that was not included in the final cut of the film.[121] The profound success of the book and the movie further launched Green into mainstream culture, an experience he found emotionally fraught.[10] Green appeared onThe Colbert Report to promote the movie's release in June 2014.[122][123] Green was included inTime magazine's 2014Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[124] Thetrade paperback version ofThe Fault in Our Stars was the top selling novel of the year onPublishers Weekly's annual list.[125]
As part of the platform's "YouTube Original Channel Initiative", YouTube approached John and Hank with an opportunity to start a Google-funded channel. YouTube gave the brothers $450,000, which they used to launch theCrash Course YouTube channel.[104][133][134] The channel was launched in January 2012, with the first episode of itsWorld History series hosted by John Green.[135][5] The channel has since grown to 44 series covering topics including history, literature, and science. All of the content is available for free and many follow thecurricula for theAdvanced Placement program.[10][5] John has hosted several of the series, including the first onworld history, which he co-wrote with his high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer.[136][5][10]
After two years of producingCrash Course and Hank's science-related channelSciShow through the grants provided by YouTube, the Green brothers sought a more sustainable way to fund the projects. In 2013, they launchedSubbable, a subscription-based crowdfunding platform that would enable donators to pledge a monthly sum to creators and receive perks in exchange.[137][138][139] Among the platform's creators and channels were the Green brothers'Crash Course andSciShow, and YouTubersCGP Grey,MinutePhysics andWheezy Waiter.[140][137] The platform went on to be acquired by fellow subscription-based crowdfunding platformPatreon in March 2015. Patreon added Subbable's creators into its fold and the Green brothers became advisors at Patreon.[141][138][137]
John Green sporting a mustache during "Pizzamas" in 2020
Starting in 2012 and 2013, John and Hank began celebrating an event called "Pizzamas" in which they sold merchandise, including t-shirts, featuring "Pizza John": a white outlined image of John sporting a thick mustache, originating from a 2009 Vlogbrothers video that then became a popularmeme in the Nerdfighteria community.[142] Starting in 2014, John and Hank began uploading videos to Vlogbrothers every weekday for two weeks during Pizzamas, and began selling more varied merchandise, includingfan art of Pizza John printed on blankets, tote bags, and pizza-scented air fresheners. All the proceeds are donated to various charities, includingPartners In Health.[142]
From 2013 to 2018, Green was one of the hosts of the YouTube channel for the magazineMental Floss, for whom he had worked when in New York.[40][143] Green presented "The List Show" in which he listed off interesting facts centered on one particular subject.[40] These episodes were directed by Mark Olsen and produced by John and Hank Green and Stan Muller. A new format, titled Scatterbrained, named after one of the books he had written forMental Floss, was introduced on the channel in 2018; Green was joined by multiple hosts on a single episode each week, which tackled one topic from multiple angles.[144][145][146] In 2019,Mental Floss brought its YouTube production in-house and ceased using Green as a host.[147]
On February 20, 2014, Sarah Urist Green launchedThe Art Assignment, aPBS andComplexly video series.[148][149] John served as an executive producer for the series.[150][151] In September 2019, Sarah Urist Green, in collaboration with John and thePoetry Foundation, launched the YouTube channelOurs Poetica.[152][153]
In June 2015, John Green and his brother Hank started a weeklypodcast titledDear Hank & John.[154] Taking a mainly humorous tone, each podcast consists of the brothers reading a series of questions submitted by listeners and offering their "dubious" advice. The podcast closes with a news segment with two standard topics:Mars, presented by Hank, andAFC Wimbledon, presented by John.[154][155][6][156]
EcoGeek LLC, a company founded by Hank Green to support his blog on environmental and science issues in the early 2000s, was renamed toComplexly in 2016.[157][158] Complexly became the umbrellavideo andaudio production company which produces and manages most of the Green brother's YouTube shows, as well as a number of other shows, podcasts, and projects.[159][160] John serves as the co-founder and strategic advisor for the company.[161]
Established author and internet personality (2017–2022)
Turtles All the Way Down
John and Hank Green and theirtour bus during the 2017 book tour forTurtles All The Way Down
In November 2014, amidst the intense success ofThe Fault in Our Stars, Green wrote on hisTumblr page that he was not working on his previously announced next project,The Racket, anymore, but was working on something else with a different title.[171][172] In September 2015, Green announced that he would be taking a break from social media to focus on writing his next book.[173] Around this time, Green experienced a period of severe anxiety, partly due to the perceived burden to follow up the massive success ofThe Fault in Our Stars. He worried he might never write another book.[17][174] He stopped taking his prescribed medications hoping to reinvigorate his creativity and his mental health suffered, with him later describing the experience saying, "I can't think straight—I can only think in swirls and scribbles." After he recovered in late 2015, he began writingTurtles All the Way Down.[17]
In August 2016, Green stated that over the next ten months he would be limiting his public appearances in order to finish a draft of the new book.[175] But on September 20, Green took to his YouTube channel to say that he may never publish another book, citing his current writing experience as, "this intense pressure, like people were watching over my shoulder while I was writing."[174][176] He eventually submitted a draft to his editor Strauss-Gabel, and they worked on the book together for another year.[17]
On June 22, 2017, it was announced that Green's fifth solo novel would be titledTurtles All the Way Down. It was released on October 10, 2017,[177] and debuted at number one on theNew York Times bestseller list.[178] The story centers on 16-year-old Aza Holmes, an Indianapolis high school student withobsessive–compulsive disorder andanxiety, and her search for a fugitive billionaire as she begins a relationship with that billionaire's son.[179][180][174] Speaking about the novel, Green said, "This is my first attempt to write directly about the kind of mental illness that has affected my life since childhood, so while the story is fictional, it is also quite personal."[181][17] Like his previous books, Green signed the first 200,000 copies of the book, as part of the initial run of 1.5 million copies.[182]
Upon the release of his book, he and his brother Hank went on abook tour.[183][184] In May 2018, Green was interviewed by then-quarterback for theIndianapolis Colts,Andrew Luck, afterTurtles All the Way Down was named a selection for the Andrew LuckBook Club. They discussed the book and their relationships with anxiety and stress for the event that promoted thePBS seriesThe Great American Read.[185]
In January 2018, Green launchedThe Anthropocene Reviewed, a solo podcast where he reviews different facets of theAnthropocene, theepoch that includes significanthuman impact on the environment, on afive-star scale. This can include completely artificial products likeDiet Dr. Pepper, natural species that have had their fates altered by human influence like theCanada goose, or phenomena that only influence humanity such asHalley's Comet. Episodes typically contained Green reviewing two topics, accompanied by stories on how they have impacted his life.[183][186] At the end of 2018, the Green brothers partnered withWNYC Studios to bring all of their podcasts, includingThe Anthropocene Reviewed, to the distributor.[154]
Green adapted the essays into a book,The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, which was published by Dutton Penguin on May 18, 2021. The book was Green's first nonfiction book and sixth solo publication.[183][7] The book received positive reviews and debuted at number one onThe New York Times Best Seller list.[187][188][189]The book featured revised versions of many of the essays from the podcast, as well as new original essays, ordered chronologically through Green's life to give the book the approximate structure of a memoir.[190][191][192] Green wrote about living through theCOVID-19 pandemic in many of the essays.[193][194] As he had done with many of his previous books, Green signed all 250,000tip-in sheets of the first printing for the United States and Canada. He wrote a review of the experience on the final signed page.[195] This review was later revised and expanded on for an episode of the podcast released on the same day as the book.[196] Green subsequently ended the podcast in August 2021 after 36 episodes.[197][198]
In May 2021, Green hosted a virtual book tour forThe Anthropocene Reviewed, with guestsClint Smith,Latif Nasser, Sarah Urist Green, Hank Green, andAshley C. Ford making appearances at the various shows.[199] In April 2022,The Anthropocene Reviewed was chosen to be the 2022common read at theUniversity of Mississippi.[200] Green gave akeynote address at the university's annual fall convocation.[201][202]
Green had sold the film the rights forLooking for Alaska in 2005 to Paramount, which hiredJosh Schwartz as writer and director. However, after five years with no progress on the project, Green told fans that, while he "desperately loved" the screenplay, there seemed to be little interest at Paramount.[203][204] In 2012, the book reachedThe New York Times Best Seller list for children's paperbacks.[205] Finally, in May 2018, it was announced thatLooking for Alaska would be made into aHulu series with Schwartz and others on board.[206] The casting was announced in October 2018.[207]Looking for Alaska was released to Hulu on October 18, 2019.[208] The series was critically well-received, with Kathryn VanArendonk ofVulture calling it a "rare adaptation that dismantles the original in order to build something that works better."[209][210][211]
In 2017, Green authorized astage play adaptation ofThe Fault in Our Stars. The play was written by theatre director Tobin Strader ofBrebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis and four students at the high school. It was performed in 2019.[212] In 2019,Let It Snow was adapted intoa film of the same name byNetflix.[213][214] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[215]
In August 2014, India'sFox Star Studios announced it would adaptThe Fault in Our Stars into an IndianHindi-language film, with the working title ofKizie Aur Manny.[216] The adaptation ages up the characters and changes the main setting to India. The title of the movie was later changed toDil Bechara ("The Helpless Heart") and is named after one of the original songs written for the movie. Music composerA. R. Rahman composed the background music and songs of the movie.[217][218][219] The film was scheduled to be released on May 8, 2020, after having been initially scheduled in November 2019, but was later postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in India. It was released on July 24, 2020, onDisney+ Hotstar and was met with mainly positive reviews.[220]
The 2020 Chinese filmA Little Red Flower has been noted for having significant similarities toThe Fault in Our Stars, which was never theatrically released in China.[221][222] A Chinese remake ofThe Fault in Our Stars had been in development byFox International Productions in 2016. In 2018, a notice was released by theChina Film Administration for a project with a similar premise and the same writers and producers to the original remake, and in 2020,A Little Red Flower was released with no credit given to Fox.[222][223]
Partners In Health
Since the mid-2010s, John and Hank Green and their families have supported the international public health nonprofitPartners In Health (PIH). Beginning with the annual Project for Awesome fundraiser in 2013, Partners In Health received $50,000 as one of the community-chosen charities. The charity was first selected as one of the "designated charities" the following year, meaning Green and the other organizers had chosen for it to receive a large portion of the funds raised, totaling $291,000. It was again selected as a designated charity in 2016 before becoming a permanent designated charity in every iteration of the fundraiser since 2018.[224][225][226][84]
In October 2018, Green founded the Life's Library book club withRosianna Halse Rojas.[227][228] The book club read a book approximately every 6 weeks, with online discussion occurring on the Life's LibraryDiscord. Green and Rojas alternated choosing books, with guest curators occasionally making selections.[228][227] Life's Library was free to participate in, with paid options available to receive digital or physical subscriptions, containing additional materials such as a discussion podcast, or a version of the book itself. All profits from Life's Library were donated to Partners In Health Sierra Leone.[228][227] The Life's Library project ended in March 2022.[229]
John and Sarah Urist Green visited Sierra Leone in April 2019 after John was inspired by a December 2017 profile inThe New Yorker on PIH co-founderOphelia Dahl.[230][231][232] In October 2019, Green announced that he, Hank, and their families would be donating $6.5 million toSierra Leone's branch of Partners In Health, as part of an initiative to raise $25 million over the following five years. The goal of the initiative is to help fightmaternal mortality, specifically in the country'sKono District, where the money will be used to staff and support the Maternal Center of Excellence, among other primary care centers and health workers.[231] The Maternal Center of Excellence broke ground in April 2021, with a planned opening in 2023.[233]
In August 2019, John and Hank performed live versions of their own podcasts on stage, with John presenting a new episode ofThe Anthropocene Reviewed, as well as a live episode of their shared podcastDear Hank & John, with all profits going to Partners In Health.[234] The live performances returned in March 2020 with a planned three-city tour including stops inColumbus, Ohio, andCarmel, Indiana, with a third performance set forAnn Arbor, Michigan. However, the third performance was cancelled due to the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[234][235] In September 2021, Green continued his advocacy for refugees, writing an op-ed inThe Independent on the need for education forrefugee children.[170]
After receiving $429,000 from the Project for Awesome in 2021 and over $100,000 from that year's Pizzamas, Partners in Health received over $1 million during the 2022 Project for Awesome.[142][224][84] The week prior to the 2022 Project for Awesome, Partners In Health co-founderPaul Farmer unexpectedly died at the age of 62. Green wrote a tribute to Farmer forThe Washington Post.[84][236]
Subscription services and Good Store
In November 2020, John and Hank started the "Awesome Socks Club", a monthlysubscription service where members receive a pair of socks designed by independent artists. All post-tax profits are donated to the charity, in a business model similar toNewman's Own products.[159] As of October 2022[update], the Awesome Socks Club had over 40,000 members.[159][237] In March 2022, the brothers started the "Awesome Coffee Club", with an identical business model and goal to the Awesome Socks Club.[237] The coffee isethically sourced from Colombia via the brothers' sourcing partner Sucafina.[233] In August 2022, Hank Green reported that the Awesome Socks Club had over 40,000 subscribers and the Awesome Coffee Club had over 10,000 subscribers.[159] A third subscription, called "Sun Basin Soap", was announced in April 2023.[238] These products were brought under the common branding and website of "Good.Store" in August 2023.[239]
As of August 2025, Good Store had donated over $10 million in operating profits. This included $75,000 donated to theCoral Reef Alliance.[240]
Appearances and other projects
On January 1, 2017, Green began a YouTube series titled "100 Days" in collaboration with his friend Chris Waters. The pair endeavored to get fit and establish healthy habits, while avoiding emphasis onweight loss.[241][242] Near the end of the effort, Green fundraised for a10Kcharity run forExodus Refugee Immigration, an Indianapolis-based refugee resettlement organization.[1]
At the end of 2018, John Green chose to leave social media for a year, including Twitter, where he had more than 5 million followers.[243][244] In January 2019, Green wrote anop-ed forThe Washington Post on his decision, saying, "I had noticed over the past couple of years that my attention had become more fractured. I found it harder to lose myself in a book, for instance, without feeling the urge to check my phone or open my laptop."[245] Green created aTikTok account in 2020, which has over 2 million followers and 48 million views as of October 2022[update].[246][247][248][249] In December 2022, Green left Twitter in response to the policy changes madeafter Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter.[250]
In mid-2023, Green was a leading figure in a successful campaign to persuade pharmaceutical companyJohnson & Johnson (J&J) to allowgeneric versions of thetuberculosis drugbedaquiline to be produced, allowing increased global access to the drug.[258] In May, Green published an op-ed inThe Washington Post on the subject.[259] A deal with theStop TB Partnership was formed after J&J'severgreening of the patent received public backlash from anawareness campaign started by Green in June; J&J stated they had decided to allow generics to be produced the month prior.[260][261][262][263] Two months later, Green urgedCepheid, an American molecular diagnostics company owned byDanaher Corporation, tolower the cost of the cartridges used in their GeneXpert machines to $5, hoping to save lives by giving more people access to early detection of tuberculosis.[264][261] The pressure campaign was again partially successful, with Danaher reducing the price of one of the most critical tests by one-fifth and committing to make no profit on the sale of that test to lower and middle income countries.[265]
On September 22, 2023, Green attended, and briefly spoke at, a high-levelUnited Nations meeting on tuberculosis.[266] In March 2024, the Green brothers announced that they and their families were pledging $1 million a year through 2027 alongside $10 million provided byUSAID and $11 million matched by theDepartment of Health in the Philippines to address tuberculosis inthe Philippines.[267][268][269][270] That same month, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named John Green a 2024 "TB Elimination Champion" and he published another op-ed inThe Washington Post on the need for greater access to tuberculosis diagnostics in poorer countries.[271][272]
Henry, a young tuberculosis patient profiled by Green inEverything Is Tuberculosis, shown at 16 (left) and four years later (right) after a new treatment regimen
In January 2023, John and Hank announced thatCrash Course would be offering college courses on YouTube, in continued partnership withArizona State University and Google, with the project's main goal being to lower the monetary barriers to receive college credit.[281][282][283]
In May 2023, Hank announced he hadHodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects thelymphatic system. While Hank receivedchemotherapy and recovered, John took over Hank's role as CEO for their companies DFTBA and Complexly.[284][285] Laura Joukovski took over the role of CEO at DFTBA in August 2023, and Julie Walsh Smith took over the role of acting CEO at Complexly in October 2023.[286][161][287]
Green had announced in December 2017 thata film adaptation ofTurtles All The Way Down was in development by Fox 2000 andTemple Hill Productions.[288] In May 2018, Green confirmed that the film adaptation would be written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the screenwriters forLove, Simon.[289] In January 2019, it was announced thatHannah Marks would direct the movie.[290] After Fox 2000 was closed as part of theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the film was put on hold. In March 2022, it was announced the film had switched studios toNew Line Cinema and would be released on thestreaming serviceHBO Max. The film, starringIsabela Merced, began filming in April 2022.[291] Green and Rosianna Halse Rojas served as executive producers.[292]Turtles All the Way Down was released onMax on May 2, 2024.[293][267] Green makes a cameo appearance in the film as Mr. Adler, a gym teacher at the protagonists' high school.[294]
Influence and reception
Books
Green at VidCon 2012
All of Green's books have received positive critical reception and appeared on theNew York Times Best Seller list.[295][26][296][297] Green's books have been translated into 55 languages with more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, includingThe Fault in Our Stars, which is one of thebest-selling books of all time.[298][17][4] Green's idiosyncratic voice and rapid rise to fame in 2014 are credited with creating a major shift in the young adult fiction market. While reviewing the Andrew Smith young-adult novel,Winger,A. J. Jacobs ofThe New York Times used the term "GreenLit" to describe young adult books that contain "sharp dialogue, defective authority figures, occasional boozing, unrequited crushes, and one or more heartbreaking twists."[299][17] According toThe Wall Street Journal, "[s]ome credit him with ushering in a new golden era for contemporary, realistic, literary teen fiction, following more than a decade of dominance by books about young wizards, sparkly vampires, and dystopia. A blurb or Twitter endorsement from Mr. Green can ricochet around the Internet and boost sales, an effect book bloggers call 'the John Green effect'." Zareen Jaffery, executive editor ofSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers said: "What I really like about what people are calling 'the John Green effect' is that there's more of an interest in authentic, genuine, relatable characters."[10][300] Some readers and authors have been critical of the terms.[301] Green himself voiced his disagreement with the idea that he is single-handedly responsible for launching or promoting any one individual's career.[301][302][303]
Critics have also noted Green's evolution as an author. With the release of theTurtles All the Way Down in 2017, several reviewers referenced a dismissive perception of Green's now very popularœuvre as "sad teen books", which had emerged since the success ofThe Fault in Our Stars. Despite this, they praisedTurtles All the Way Down as truthful and authentic enough to transcend these imagined drawbacks. Matt Haig ofThe Guardian wrote, "[Turtles All the Way Down] often dwells in cliché, but only as pop songs and epic poems do, mining the universal to create something that speaks to the familiar rhythms of the heart. It might just be a new modern classic."[304][18][305] Likewise, with the release ofThe Anthropocene Reviewed book in 2021, Scott Neumyer ofShondaland wrote that, "Green may have made his name by writing fiction (and for good reason), but this first foray into nonfiction is his most mature, compelling, and beautifully written book yet."[306]
Green has received criticism for his perceived writing of "Manic Pixie Dream Girls", a term coined byNathan Rabin to describe a female character that, "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures".[58][59][307]Paper Towns and the character of Margo Roth Spiegelman have often been cited as a deconstruction of the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope, and Green has stated he specifically wrote her as such. In October 2022, Green tweeted, "I think basically all criticisms of my work are correct and justifiable other than the most popular one, 'he writes manic pixie dream girls,' which is just so stupid. [...] THE WHOLE POINT OF THE NOVELS is the danger of such misimagining, hence the eventual revelation: 'Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.' It's not like I made it subtle." Despite this, some critics have questioned whether the story adequately deconstructed the trope, or merely perpetuated it.[58][59] Green has readily discussed what he believes to be flaws in his novels when he looked at them in retrospect.[308] Additionally, in response to a fan'stweet, Green apologized for using the wordretarded inPaper Towns, stating, "Yeah, I regret it. At the time, I thought an author's responsibility was to reflect language as I found it. Still, now... eight years later, I don't feel like a book about humanizing the other benefited from dehumanizing language."[309]
Book banning
Several of Green's books have been the subject ofbook banning attempts.[310][248][311]Looking for Alaska was named the most challenged book of 2015 by the American Library Association, with some people complaining about the book's "offensive language" and "sexually explicit descriptions".[311] In September 2022, a group of parents attempted to ban the novel from all school libraries inOrange County, Florida, a district Green had attended as a child.[248][312][313]
In August 2023,The Fault in Our Stars was removed from the young adult section at a library in theIndianapolis suburb ofFishers, Indiana, and moved to the general collection after a policy decision was made by the library's board that targeted "language about sexuality and reproduction, profanity and criminal acts." Green responded with a letter to the board, stating the library should "walk this awful policy back and allow the real experts to decide where to shelve my books and those of my colleagues." A Twitter post he made stating, "You Won't Catch Me Alive or Dead in Fishers, Indiana" was turned into a t-shirt by a local clothing company, with proceeds being donated to theKurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.[314][315][316] After the move received significant attention, the board decided to move the novel back to the Young Adult section, later suspending the policy responsible all together.[317] In October, Green discussed book banning at an event hosted by Indiana State SenatorAndrea Hunley at theIndianapolis Central Library.[318]
As John and Hank Green began uploading YouTube videos regularly in 2007, they became part of the early culture of YouTube as the modern content creator industry was born from theYouTube Partner Program.[159][90]The New York Times noted John as having "[an] uncanny knack for channeling the voice of marginalized but smart, self-identifying nerds, a gift he has turned into a YouTube empire."[11] Many others have come to regard the brothers and their YouTube empire as pioneering in the online video space.[322][11][143] In 2011,The Daily Dot named the Green brothers as the most important people on YouTube.[323]
The Vlogbrothers' content has received positive reception from commentators and fans, especially for the shared values expounded by their videos. Amelia Thomson-Deveaux writing forThe American Prospect commented that, "what makes Nerdfighteria so potent does seem to be the moral imperative that the Brothers Green throw at theirbajillion viewers' feet: to take their weirdness and anxiety and turn it into empathy. It's become kind of a culture."[324] TheCrash Course project has also been successful in its reach, with the John Green-hosted "World History" series alone having attracted millions of viewers.[325][326][327]
Green is anEpiscopalian,[328] and was married in a Catholic church.[329][14] He is married to Sarah Urist Green, with whom he has two children.[330][5][17] John and Sarah met when they both attended the same preparatory school inIndian Springs, Alabama.[5][14] They became reacquainted eight years later in Chicago, when Green began dating Sarah's boxing partner; after they broke up, John became friends with Sarah.[5] The two became engaged in April 2005[14] and married in May 2006.[331][5] In early videos on the VlogBrothers channel, Sarah is referred to as "theYeti" due to her not appearing visibly on camera, though she is no longer referred to as such.[5]
Green was born inIndianapolis, Indiana, and has lived there since 2007. The city has served as the setting for several of his novels, and he wrote a review of it in his podcast and book of essaysThe Anthropocene Reviewed. Green often speaks of his love for the city.[332][38][333][334] On July 14, 2015,Greg Ballard, themayor of Indianapolis, proclaimed that that day would be "John Green Day" in his city.[335] That month,Teresa Jacobs, themayor of Orange County, Florida, declared that July 24 would also be John Green Day.[336]
Green is an avid sports fan.[156][249] Green drove thepace car at the 2016Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and was honorary co-chairman of the500 Festival Host Committee that year.[337][338] He is also a supporter of the Englishfootball clubLiverpool F.C. of thePremier League and an official sponsor of the EnglishLeague One clubAFC Wimbledon, whosekit have featured a Nerdfighters emblem on the back of their shorts since 2014.[156][339] Starting in 2011, Green had a gaming series on YouTube where he playedFIFA, first as the "Swoodilypoopers", a fictionalized version ofSwindon Town F.C., and then, starting in 2013, as the "Wimbly Womblys", a fictionalized version of AFC Wimbledon. Advertising revenue from the series was donated to the team.[340][156][341] In January 2025, Green facilitated the transfer ofMarcus Browne to Wimbledon, partially from earnings from his livestreaming.[342]
The War for Banks Island (2012), a sequel toZombicorns, released as a Project for Awesome donation perk.[360][361]
The Sequel (2012), an unfinished novel, much of which was reworked intoThe Fault in Our Stars.[99] The first 6,000 words were released as a Project for Awesome donation perk.[98]
Space andThe Cat and the Mouse (2013), stories released as Project for Awesome donation perks[362]
An Imperial Affliction (2014), extracts used as a prop in the film adaptation ofThe Fault in Our Stars and later released as a Project for Awesome donation perk.[363]
^Thompson, Madeleine (April 3, 2014)."On the record: Ransom Riggs".The Kenyon Collegian.Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. RetrievedMarch 23, 2023.
^Green, John (May 13, 2007)."Floating Away".The New York Times Book Review.Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2022.
^abGoldstein, Jonathan (October 7, 2021)."#37 John by HEAVYWEIGHT" (Podcast). Gimlet Media.Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 22, 2022.
^"Interview: John Green".Sydney Morning Herald. January 21, 2012.Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2012.
^Theiss, Evelyn (July 6, 2006)."Book leads way through party patter".Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Newhouse News Service. p. 45.Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. RetrievedOctober 14, 2022.
^Green, John (May 14, 2006)."Fighting for Their Lives".The New York Times Book Review.Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2022.
^Green, John (November 7, 2008)."Scary New World".The New York Times.Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2022.
^Bradbury, Kelsey (October 17, 2007)."Meet John Green".The Buffalo News. p. 51.Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. RetrievedNovember 8, 2022.
^Standiford, Natalie (January 13, 2012)."The Tenacity of Hope".The New York Times.Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. RetrievedMarch 27, 2023.
^abGuy Raz (January 16, 2023)."Complexly: Hank and John Green".How I Built This with Guy Raz (Podcast). Event occurs at 57:56.Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2023.
^Ross, Ashley (July 23, 2014)."New If I Stay Trailer Ups the Romance".TIME. RetrievedDecember 12, 2024....focuses on the idea of teenage love being ever-inconvenient...Dutton Publisher Julie Strauss-Gabel edited both books....
^Peter Houston (May 11, 2021)."Mental Floss EIC Erin McCarthy on the title's 20-year mission to make readers smarter".Media Voices Podcast (Podcast).Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. RetrievedOctober 13, 2022.Then we also took over the YouTube channel, which we had worked on in partnership with John and Hank Green's team, brought that production in-house. – Erin McCarthy
^Owen, Lindsey (September 3, 2009)."Recession-resistant jobs".Missoula Independent. Archived fromthe original on August 8, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 9, 2016.
^Green, Hank (October 7, 2016)."Changing Our Business a Bit".Vlogbrothers. YouTube.Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. RetrievedMarch 12, 2018.
^Justice, Jessilyn (January 28, 2016)."Best-Selling Author Drops Faith Bombshell With Bible Tweet".Charisma News. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2016.In a Twitter series advocating for refugee support, Green tweeted "And for those of you who share my faith, Jesus is awfully unambiguous about the poor, shelterless, and imprisoned," with a link to Matthew 25.
^Corbett, Sue (November 7, 2019)."Q & A with Maureen Johnson".PublishersWeekly.com.Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. RetrievedOctober 11, 2022.
^Standiford, Natalie (January 15, 2012)."The Tenacity of Hope".The New York Times.Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2012.
^"Interview: John Green".Marc McEvoy. The Sydney Morning Herald. July 12, 2009.I was enrolled in divinity school and thought I was going to become a minister – I'm Episcopalian – but I was disavowed of that notion pretty quickly while working at the hospital.
^Green, John; Green, Hank (August 11, 2015)."010 – When Your Friend Likes Ayn Rand..."Dear Hank and John (Podcast). Event occurs at 19:19. RetrievedOctober 2, 2015.we got married in a Catholic church
^Earl, Esther; Earl, Lori; Earl, Wayne; Green, John (2014).This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl. New York, New York.ISBN978-0525426363.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Margos Spuren".Bayerische Buchpreis (in German). Bayerischen Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft und Medien, Energie und Technologie. Archived fromthe original on October 31, 2013. RetrievedMarch 24, 2014.
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