Author John Green returns to Iowa City to discuss new book at Englert Theatre

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Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

John Green has enjoyed a great deal of success as a young adult novelist. The Indianapolis native, who remains in his hometown, has written a number of entertaining and idiosyncratic novels that have connected with a teen audience. Green has sold more than 50 million copies of his books, which include such best-sellers as "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Looking for Alaska."

Green, 47, figured he was on his way to crafting another piece of young adult fiction when he veered in a surprising direction just prior to the pandemic. In 2019, Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. Green became close with Henry.

"This had a huge impact on me since Henry should have been receiving the type of care that I would have received," Green said. "It's terrible."

Green was shocked that tuberculosis is still wreaking havoc despite the fact that a vaccine has been around since 1921.

"I was shocked that tuberculosis was still a thing," Green said while calling from his Indianapolis home. "I had no idea that it's still our deadliest infectious disease. I had a hard time coming to terms with that."

The way Green processes is through writing. "That's just normal for me," Green said. "I couldn't help but write about it."

Green had unwittingly started writing his second nonfiction book, "Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection," which hit shelves Tuesday, March 18.

Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment. "This is an amazing story since tuberculosis has been curable for so many years, and we're allowing so many people to die every year from tuberculosis," Green said.

According to Green's research, 1.5 million people die every year from the disease. "It's just devastating," Green said. "I struggle not to break down in tears over this. I'm afraid what's going to happen next with all of the recent shocking healthcare decisions made by the United States government. Those numbers could rise dramatically."

Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar, who is an associate professor and director of English and Creative Writing at the University of Iowa, will join Green on Saturday at the Englert Theatre to discuss "Everything is Tuberculosis" and answer audience questions.

"Kaveh is such a joy to be around and be onstage with," Green said. "I think his book ‘Martyr’ is one of the great books of our time. It's always an amazing experience with Kaveh."

Expect some blunt and unpredictable discourse about tuberculosis, the state of America and more when Green and Akbar hit the stage.

"We'll talk about this moment and what it means," Green said. "I admire Kaveh's work. I love how honest Kaveh is. Reality is brutal right now, but what I hope is that people will leave this show with hope. I'm hoping things get better since I have children that are 11 and 14 years old."

Green always enjoys returning to Iowa City. "There are so many reasons to go back to Iowa City, but the biggest reason is to just be with Kaveh again," Green said. "He is such a force of nature. The other reason I love going back to Iowa City is because I'm a book nerd, and you guys have a great book store (Prairie Lights Books and Cafe)."

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It's been 8 years since Green's last young adult novel, "Turtles All the Way Down," which debuted at number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list in the "Young Adult Hardcover" category and stayed at the top of the Best Seller list for 15-weeks.

"I enjoy fiction and I would like to write more fiction down the road," Green said. "I enjoy it and the response from readers has been amazing."'

There will probably be quite a few fans with copies of "Looking for Alaska," in the Englert audience hoping for a signature. The coming-of-age novel explores themes of grief, hope and teen relationships, which were inspired by Green's experience at a boarding school.

"Looking for Alaska" just turned 20, and it's still in print and that's remarkable," Green said. "I'm so grateful that people still enjoy that book."

Perhaps Green will craft fiction again soon. However, his focus is on heavy topics, such as tuberculosis and the state of America.

"It's horrible how many people will die from tuberculosis if things don't change," Green said. "We have to do better in this country. It's so hard to build systems, but it's so easy to destroy them. We're living in a moment of destruction. We'll talk about that and what this moment means."