John Green Biography

(Author, Vlogger)

Birthday: August 24, 1977 (Virgo)

Born In: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

John Green is an American author, vlogger, producer, and editor. He is the New York Times’ bestselling author of the novels ‘Looking for Alaska,’ ‘An Abundance of Katherines,’ ‘Paper Towns,’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’ His books have been translated and published in more than 55 languages, and over 24 million copies have been printed. Green, who has won several awards for his books, is a major critic of his own books. Critics have credited him for creating a new direction in the young adult fiction world. Some even credit him for ushering in a new golden era for realistic teen fiction. In fact, ‘The New York Times’ used the term "GreenLit" to describe his young adult books. The mayor of Indianapolis proclaimed July 14, 2015, as "John Green Day" in his city and the mayor of Orange County declared July 17 as “John Green Day”. Besides his best selling books, he is also famous for his YouTube projects. Green and his brother stopped textual communication, and began to talk through videos, and with these videos was born the ‘VlogBrothers’ YouTube channel. Later they launched ‘Crash Course for Kids,’ an educational YouTube channel, and both the channels have a large number of subscribers and views. He is also an active Twitter user with more than 5 million followers.
82
Quick Facts

Also Known As: John Michael Green

Age: 47 Years, 47 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sarah Urist Green (m. 2006)

father: Mike Green

mother: Sydney Green

siblings: Hank Green

children: Alice, Henry

Novelists American Men

Height: 6'1" (185 cm), 6'1" Males

U.S. State: Indiana

City: Indianapolis, Indiana

  • 1

    What are some popular books written by John Green?

    Some popular books written by John Green include "The Fault in Our Stars," "Looking for Alaska," "Paper Towns," "Turtles All the Way Down," and "An Abundance of Katherines."
  • 2

    What is the genre of John Green's novels?

    John Green is known for writing young adult fiction novels that often explore themes of love, friendship, mental health, and coming-of-age.
  • 3

    Has John Green ever collaborated with other authors on a book?

    Yes, John Green has collaborated with author David Levithan on the book "Will Grayson, Will Grayson," which features two interconnected stories written by each author.
  • 4

    Are there any movie adaptations based on John Green's books?

    Yes, several of John Green's books have been adapted into movies, including "The Fault in Our Stars," "Paper Towns," and "Looking for Alaska."
  • 5

    Does John Green have a YouTube channel?

    Yes, John Green is one half of the popular YouTube channel "Vlogbrothers," which he co-created with his brother Hank Green. The channel features a wide range of content, including educational videos and discussions on various topics.
Childhood & Early Life
John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Mike and Sydney Green. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Michigan, then later to Birmingham, Alabama, and finally to Orlando, Florida. His younger brother is William Henry Hank Green II.
He attended Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, and Indian Springs School in Alabama. Green graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with a double major in English and Religious studies.
After his graduation, he worked as a student chaplain at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for a few months. He enrolled at the University of Chicago Divinity School, but he never attended it.
He wanted to become a priest, but his experiences at the hospital where he worked and witnessed children suffering from life-threatening diseases inspired him to become an author, and later he wrote the book ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ based on these experiences.
Recommended Lists:

Recommended Lists:

Continue Reading Below
Career
John Green began his career working as a publishing assistant and production editor for Booklist, a book review journal in Chicago. Besides reviewing books, he created radio essays for Chicago's public radio station and NPR's All Things Considered. During this period, he started writing the book ‘Looking for Alaska.’
Published in 2005 by Dutton Children's Books, ‘Looking for Alaska’ was his first novel. It was about teen romance inspired by his experiences at his school, Indian Springs. Paramount purchased the film rights in 2005, but even after five years no film was made. Sales of the book continued to increase over the years and in 2012, it reached The New York Times Best Seller list for children's paperbacks.
His second novel, ‘An Abundance of Katherines,’ was released in 2006. It was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a runner-up for the Printz Award. It is a young adult novel, about some complex equations the main character Colin uses to analyze his romantic relationships.
In 2007, he started the YouTube channel VlogBrothers with his brother, Hank Green. Over the years they launched projects and events like Project for Awesome and VidCon, and at least 11 online series, including the most popular one, Crash Course, which aims at educating high school students. As of July 2017, the VlogBrothers channel had amassed over 3 million subscribers, and more than 700 million views.
Following VlogBrothers’ inception, the brothers gained a wide reaching fanbase, which turned into a group called Nerdfighters. The group participates in a number of humanitarian efforts, like Project for Awesome, an annual charity fundraiser.
The Green brothers have also created a number of side-projects, including ‘Truth or Fail’, a YouTube game show, and VidCon, an annual conference for the online video community.
The brothers started the Project for Awesome, in which YouTube users take two days in December to create videos promoting charities or NGOs. In 2015, the grand total of money raised was $1,546,384.
In 2008, he co-authored the novel ‘Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances.’ In November 2009, the book reached No.10 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
His third novel, ‘Paper Towns’ (released in 2008) reached No. 5 on The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books in 2009, and it was also made into a film in 2015 with the same name. Green was the executive producer of the movie. Although his novels have all received positive reviews, his fans criticized ‘Paper Towns,’ and Green had to apologize for using the word “retarded” in the book.
In 2010, Green and his friend David Levithan co-authored the novel ‘Will Grayson, Will Grayson’ which was published by Dutton Juvenile. The novel reached The New York Times children's best-seller list, and remained there for three weeks. It is the first LGBT-themed young adult novel to make it to that list.
In 2012, his sixth book, ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ was released, and it peaked at No.1 in The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. The book is inspired by his experiences in a hospital, where he witnessed the sufferings of children with life-threatening illnesses. It is a romantic story about a 16-year-old girl who suffers from cancer. It was made into a film which released in 2014.
In 2012, the Green brothers’ Crash Course channel received Google funds, and was diversified into a new channel called Crash Course Kids. It taught various subjects from literature and science to mythology and film history. As of July 2017, it had 158k subscribers and 11 million views.
In 2015, the Green brothers started a weekly YouTube podcast called ‘Dear Hank & John’. It has a humorous tone, and includes segments, such as poem reading and answering viewers’ questions. It ends with a news segment.
His fifth solo novel, titled ‘Turtles All The Way Down,’ is scheduled to be released in October 2017.
Major Works
The novels ‘Looking for Alaska’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ are both his major works as they became immensely popular. The latter reached the No. 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list in January 2012.
His YouTube channel VlogBrothers and Crash Course for Kids have also attained much popularity, creating a huge fanbase across the globe for John Green.
Awards & Achievements
In 2006, ‘Looking for Alaska’ was awarded the Michael L. Printz Award by American Library Association, and was recognized as the best book written for teens in 2005.
In 2009, ‘Paper Towns’ was awarded the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel; the book also won the 2010 Corine Literature Prize.
In 2013, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ won the Children's Choice Book Award for Teen Book of the Year.
Personal Life
John Green and Sarah Urist got married on May 21, 2006. She was the curator at Indianapolis Museum of Art before she started a web series, ‘The Art Assignment’.
They have two children—son Henry Green was born on January 20, 2010, and daughter Alice Green was born on June 3, 2013. They also have a pet dog, Willy.
He loves football, and is an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club of the Premier League. He is a sponsor of English League One club AFC Wimbledon.
Green has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and has extensively discussed his struggles to cope with this illness on his YouTube channel.
Facts About John Green
John Green studied English and religious studies in college before becoming a successful author.
John Green is known for his engaging and witty online presence, often interacting with fans on social media.
John Green co-created the popular YouTube channel "Vlogbrothers" with his brother Hank, where they discuss a wide range of topics.
John Green is a strong advocate for mental health awareness and has openly shared his own struggles with anxiety and OCD.
John Green is a passionate supporter of education and literacy, and has donated millions of dollars to support libraries and literacy programs around the world.

How To Cite

Article Title
- John Green Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-green-31809.php

People Also Viewed

Hank Green Biography
Hank Green
(American)
 
Janet Mock Biography
Janet Mock
(American)
 
Elijah Daniel Biography
Elijah Daniel
(American)
 
Ava Dash Biography
Ava Dash
(American)
 
Bernard Malamud Biography
Bernard Malamud
(American)
 
Monique Truong Biography
Monique Truong
(American)
 
Norman Mailer Biography
Norman Mailer
(American)