Sep 3

Sep 3 The Anthropocene Reviewed

Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

A deeply moving and insightful collection of personal essays from #1 bestselling author John Green, adapted from his critically acclaimed podcast.

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet — from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu — on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as "observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy." John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection that includes both beloved essays and all-new pieces exclusive to the book.

TL;DR Review

The Anthropocene Reviewed is a really beautiful, perfectly digestible collection of essays that reflect on the state of the world in a way that touches something deep inside you.

For you if: You are looking for something hopeful and moving.

Full Review

“To fall in love with the world isn’t too ignore or overlook suffering, both human or otherwise. For me anyway, to fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars. It is to hold your children while they cry and watch the sycamore trees leaf out in June. When my breastbone starts to hurt, and my throat tightens and tears well in my eyes, I want to look away from feeling. I want to deflect with irony or anything else that will keep me from feeling directly. We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.”

My friends: John Green has written us a collection that’s at once hopeful, beautiful, and empathetic without feeling rose-colored. In a series of very short essays, Green “reviews” dozens of aspects of this age of humanity, aka the anthropocene. From sunsets to Mario Kart, he takes each one and then reflects, relates, reframes, and rates it on a 5-star scale. Much of the book was written during the pandemic, and he does a really insightful, sensitive job of weaving in our collective fear, pain, and hope. In all honesty, it felt healing. I teared up several times.

I listened to this one on audio, which is read by the author, and I think that was the perfect medium. The essays aren’t long, so they fit perfectly into a lunchtime walk or drive across town. But they also flow in a way that you can listen to for hours, if you want. He is warm, kind, and moving.

I’m using a lot of adjectives here, but really, I loved listening to this book and I can’t recommend it enough. Very, very worth your time.