John Green facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Green
Green in 2024
Born	John Michael Green (1977-08-24) August 24, 1977 (age 47) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Occupation	Author vlogger philanthropist
Alma mater	Kenyon College (BA)
Period	2005–present
Genre	Young adult fiction bildungsroman romance
Notable works	Looking for Alaska (2005) The Fault in Our Stars (2012) Turtles All the Way Down (2017) The Anthropocene Reviewed (2018–2021) Vlogbrothers (2007–present) Crash Course (2012–present)
Notable awards	Michael L. Printz Award 2006 Looking for Alaska Edgar Award 2009 Paper Towns
Spouse	Sarah Urist Green ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	2
Relatives	Hank Green (brother)
Signature

John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTuber, and philanthropist. He is famous for his books, especially The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. John Green's unique writing style changed the world of young adult fiction. He is also well known for his online videos with his brother Hank Green.

John was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in Orlando, Florida, and later went to a boarding school in Alabama. He studied English and religious studies at Kenyon College. After college, he worked for six months at a children's hospital. This experience later inspired him to write The Fault in Our Stars.

He started working at Booklist magazine and began writing his first novel. His first book, Looking for Alaska (2005), won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award. In 2007, John and his brother Hank started their popular Vlogbrothers YouTube channel. They posted videos to each other every other weekday. This led to a huge online community called Nerdfighteria.

John moved back to Indianapolis in 2007. He published more books, including Paper Towns (2008) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), which he wrote with David Levithan. The Green brothers also launched VidCon, a big conference for online video creators, and Crash Course (2011–present), an educational YouTube channel.

His 2012 novel, The Fault in Our Stars, became a massive hit. A film based on the book was released in 2014 and was also very successful. Time magazine even named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. John's later books, Turtles All the Way Down (2017) and The Anthropocene Reviewed (2018–2021), explored his experiences with anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder. He has also become a strong supporter of global health causes, especially fighting tuberculosis.

Early Life and School

John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His family moved several times, living in Michigan, Alabama, and finally Orlando, Florida. He went to Glenridge Middle School and Lake Highland Preparatory School. When he was 15, he attended Indian Springs School in Alabama, graduating in 1995.

John has shared that he had a happy childhood but struggled with severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder throughout his life. He also spoke about being bullied in high school. This made his teenage years difficult.

In 1995, John started at Kenyon College, where he studied English and religious studies. He graduated in 2000. After college, he worked for about six months as a student chaplain at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He had planned to become a priest, but his experiences with children facing serious illnesses made him rethink his path. These experiences later inspired him to become an author and write The Fault in Our Stars.

Career Highlights

Starting as a Writer

Booklist Magazine and First Novel

In 2001, John Green started working at Booklist, a magazine that reviews books. He reviewed many books, especially fiction and books about Islam. He also wrote essays for NPR.

While at Booklist, he met author Ilene Cooper. She encouraged him to write his first novel. After a difficult time in his life, John started writing Looking for Alaska. Cooper helped him with the book, and it was eventually published by Dutton Children's Books. This began his long partnership with editor Julie Strauss-Gabel.

Looking for Alaska was released in March 2005. It's a story about a boarding school student who gets bullied. The book was partly inspired by John's own time at Indian Springs. It won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006, which is given to the "best book written for teens." Winning this award helped the book become very popular. John left his job at Booklist after receiving the award.

An Abundance of Katherines

In 2005, John moved to New York City. He worked at Mental Floss magazine and continued writing his second novel. He also reviewed books for The New York Times Book Review.

His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, came out in September 2006. The story is about a very smart but sad 17-year-old boy who keeps dating girls named Katherine. Reviewers noticed that this book was funnier and lighter than Looking for Alaska. It was a runner-up for the Printz Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Online Videos and More Books

Paper Towns and Other Books

John Green at The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, in 2008

John moved back to Indianapolis in 2007. His next book, Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances, was released in September 2008. He wrote it with fellow young adult authors Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. It's a collection of three connected short stories set during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve.

His third solo novel, Paper Towns, was published in October 2008. It's a coming-of-age story about a boy named Quentin "Q" Jacobsen who searches for his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. The book quickly became a bestseller and won the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel.

After this, John worked with writer David Levithan on the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It came out in April 2010. The story is split between two boys named Will Grayson. John wrote the chapters for the straight Will Grayson, and David wrote for the gay Will Grayson. This book was one of the first LGBT-themed young adult novels to become a bestseller.

Starting Online Videos

(From left to right) The Vlogbrothers in 2008 and Esther Earl, with Hank and Earl performing the "Nerdfighter salute"

In 2007, John and his brother Hank started a video blog project called Brotherhood 2.0. They posted videos to their YouTube channel "Vlogbrothers" every other weekday. They quickly gained a large following. The brothers decided to continue making videos indefinitely. As of November 2022, their channel has over 3.5 million subscribers.

Their fans call themselves "Nerdfighters". One early Nerdfighter was Esther Earl, who became close with the Green brothers. She passed away in 2010 from thyroid cancer. John and the Nerdfighteria community celebrate "Esther Day" every year on August 3. They also support a non-profit foundation in her name. Esther inspired the main character Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars.

The Nerdfighter community also supports many charity efforts. One big event is the Project for Awesome (P4A), an annual fundraiser. During a 48-hour livestream, people vote for charities and donate money. The event has raised millions of dollars for good causes.

In 2010, John and Hank launched VidCon, a conference for the online video community. It brings together popular YouTubers and their fans. The event became a big success and is now held every year.

Huge Success with The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars and Movies

John Green's fourth solo novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was released on January 10, 2012. The story is about Hazel, a 16-year-old girl with thyroid cancer, who falls in love with Augustus Waters, a 17-year-old cancer survivor. John was inspired by his friendship with Esther Earl and his time working at a children's hospital. He wanted to show the full humanity of young people dealing with serious illnesses.

A tour van decorated for The Fault In Our Stars book tour in 2012

The book was incredibly successful. Even before it was finished, it became a number one seller online. After its release, it debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. Its popularity also made all of his previous novels bestsellers.

A film based on The Fault in Our Stars was released on June 6, 2014. John was involved in making the movie. The film was a huge hit, earning over $307 million worldwide. Its success changed the types of movies being made for teenagers. John appeared on TV shows and was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

John Green at Vidcon in 2014

In 2015, a film adaptation of Paper Towns was released. John was an executive producer for this movie. Other adaptations of his work include the Hulu series Looking for Alaska (2019) and the Netflix film Let It Snow (2019). An Indian film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, called Dil Bechara, was released in 2020.

Focusing on Education

The Crash Course YouTube channel was created by the Green brothers in 2012. YouTube asked them to launch one of its first funded channels. John Green hosted the first series on world history. The channel now has over 44 series covering topics like history, literature, and science. All the content is free and helps students with their studies.

John Green with a "Pizza John" shirt in October 2020

In 2013, the Green brothers launched Subbable, a platform where people could subscribe to support creators like them. This helped fund Crash Course and Hank's science channel, SciShow. In 2015, another platform called Patreon bought Subbable.

From 2013 to 2018, John Green hosted "The List Show" on the Mental Floss YouTube channel. He shared interesting facts on different subjects. In 2014, John's wife, Sarah Urist Green, launched The Art Assignment, a video series where artists give creative challenges. John is an executive producer for this series.

In June 2015, John and Hank started a weekly podcast called Dear Hank & John. They answer listener questions and give "dubious" advice. The podcast ends with news about Mars (from Hank) and AFC Wimbledon (from John).

In 2016, Hank Green's company, EcoGeek LLC, was renamed Complexly. This company now produces most of the Green brothers' YouTube shows and podcasts. John is a co-founder and advisor for Complexly.

Later Works and Advocacy

Turtles All the Way Down

John and Hank Green and their tour bus during the 2017 book tour for Turtles All The Way Down

After the huge success of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green felt a lot of pressure to write his next book. He took a break from social media to focus on writing. He also struggled with severe anxiety during this time.

His fifth solo novel, Turtles All the Way Down, was released on October 10, 2017. It quickly became a number one bestseller. The story is about Aza Holmes, a 16-year-old student with obsessive–compulsive disorder and anxiety. John said this book was his first attempt to write directly about the mental health issues that have affected his own life.

The Anthropocene Reviewed

In January 2018, John launched The Anthropocene Reviewed, a solo podcast. In it, he reviewed different parts of the Anthropocene (the time when humans have greatly impacted the Earth) on a five-star scale. He reviewed things like Diet Dr. Pepper and Canada geese, sharing how they related to his own life.

John turned these essays into a book, The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, which was published in May 2021. This was his first nonfiction book and it also became a number one bestseller. The book included updated essays from the podcast and new ones, arranged to tell a story about his life. John ended the podcast in August 2021.

Helping Global Health

Since the mid-2010s, John and Hank Green have strongly supported Partners In Health (PIH), a non-profit organization that helps public health around the world. They have raised millions of dollars for PIH through their annual Project for Awesome fundraiser.

John Green in the Kissy Psychiatric Hospital (now known as Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital) in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in April 2019

In 2018, John and Rosianna Halse Rojas started the Life's Library book club. All profits from this club were donated to Partners In Health Sierra Leone. In 2019, John and his wife visited Sierra Leone. John, Hank, and their families pledged $6.5 million to PIH's work in Sierra Leone to help reduce maternal mortality.

John became a member of the board of trustees for Partners in Health in 2022. In 2023, he led a successful campaign to convince a pharmaceutical company to allow cheaper versions of a tuberculosis drug to be made. This helps more people around the world get the medicine they need. He also pushed another company to lower the cost of tuberculosis tests. In March 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named John Green a "TB Elimination Champion."

John's second nonfiction book, Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, is planned for release in March 2025.

Personal Life and Interests

John Green with his wife Sarah Urist Green in 2008

John Green is married to Sarah Urist Green. They have two children, Henry (born 2010) and Alice (born 2013). John and Sarah met at the same school when they were younger. They reconnected years later and got married in 2006.

John has lived in Indianapolis since 2007. He often writes about the city in his novels and speaks about his love for it. In 2015, the mayors of Indianapolis and Orange County, Florida, even declared "John Green Day" in his honor.

John is a big sports fan. He supports the English football club Liverpool F.C. and is an official sponsor of A.F.C. Wimbledon. He even drove the pace car at the 2016 Indianapolis 500 race.

Works

Books

• Looking for Alaska (2005)
• An Abundance of Katherines (2006)
• Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (2008) – with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
• Paper Towns (2008)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010) – with David Levithan
• The Fault in Our Stars (2012)
• Turtles All the Way Down (2017)
• The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet (2021)
• Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (planned 2025 release)

Short Stories

• "The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline", Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Artwork (2006)
• "The Great American Morp", 21 Proms (2007)
• "Freak the Geek", Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (2009)
• "Reasons", What You Wish For: A Book for Darfur (2011)

Other Projects

• Thisisnottom (2009), an online interactive novel.
• Zombicorns (2010), a zombie novella.
• The War for Banks Island (2012), a sequel to Zombicorns.
• This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl (2014), John wrote the introduction.

Film and TV Appearances

Awards and Honors

Images for kids

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  John Green's signature

See Also

In Spanish: John Green para niños

• List of YouTubers