Book Battle: World War Z vs The Fault In Our Stars

A few weeks ago, I was roaming around Barnes and Noble looking for a book someone at work asked me to read, and I stumbled upon another book that sounded interesting. I didn’t want to buy both and I had some extra time on my hands, so I decided to start reading both books. I went back to Barnes & Noble a few days ago to read a bit more from each book before deciding which one I liked more.


World War Z by Max Brooks:

First trip: Sometimes we need to step outside our comfort zone. That is what I was doing by agreeing to read World War Z. It’s about zombies. If you know me, that’s enough for me not to pick up the book. But I gave it a shot. The story begins with news reports from all over the world of illnesses and disappearances, but no one can offer an explanation. Things seem to be worse in third world countries, but whatever is wrong is spreading all over the world. The storytelling is wonderfully written, almost like it’s for a movie script (in fact, the movie World War Z just came out). At the beginning of the book, the reader is not overwhelmed with zombies. Maybe that is why I was tempted to keep reading.

Second trip: I only read another fifteen pages before putting the book back on the shelf. There were more reports and opinions of the problem at hand. It was getting repetitive. I kept flipping the pages expecting something different to happen. I also thought it was becoming a bit too descriptive for my liking. Frankly, I got bored.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green:

First trip: This book is about a teenage girl, Hazel, who is struggling to survive cancer. She meets this guy in one of her group therapy sessions and they begin a high school type relationship (even though she doesn’t go to school anymore). As a gift, she gives him her favorite book to read (by the way, the book is not a real book).

Second trip: The boy, Gus, loves the book. It turns out the book she gives him is about a girl who has cancer. The book abruptly ends when she presumably dies. Literally the book ends in a middle of a sentence. Hazel has been writing to the author for years, with no response, asking about all the other characters in the book. After reading the book, Gus writes an e-mail to the author and gets a response. Hazel makes contact with the author who invites them to visit him in Amsterdam. Gus, is able to use his Make-A-Wish for this trip. That's where I stopped reading because it isn't real life anymore. Somewhat annoyed because the beginning was fairly good.

The Winner:
The purpose of the battle was to take one book home. Neither was outstanding and I left empty-handed. If I had to pick a winner, it'd be The Fault In Our Stars (but not by much). I have no intention of finishing either book, which is a better indication of my true thoughts.

P.S. I like this concept of “Book Battling”, so maybe we’ll do it more often. Who knows.