Here on the blog it is common knowledge, at this point, that I am a sucker for a John Green novel. I have said it before and I will say it again, I will read anything that he writes regardless of the plot, genre, or synopsis. He is the original member of my elusive "favorite authors club" and I have read and re-read most of his works two and three times over. So, needless to say, I have been anticipating the release of his new book "The Anthropocene Reviewed" for months now and I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on my signed copy last week (courtesy of my mom and Amazon Prime, of course!).
"The Anthropocence Reviewed" is New York Times bestselling author, John Green's debut nonfiction novel. It was released on May 18th, 2021 and it became and instant #1 Bestseller. If you would like to purchase a copy of "The Anthropocene Reviewed", you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
You can find the author, John Green, through his website, his instagram, and on Goodreads.
Beyond his novels, John Green and his brother Hank started a Crash Course in 2011. Crash Course is a fun, free, and inventive way to provide students with a lot of information on a particular subject in a few minutes. John does Crash Course videos for history while his brother Hank does science videos. The channel has grown and included: Economics, psychology, organic chemistry, and geography (just to name a few). I find myself still utilizing this content as a college student and highly recommend that you check it out, even if you aren't a student! You can find Crash Course on Youtube. I say all of this to kind-of segue into the fact that John Green is very knowledgeable about all kinds of subjects and that is what makes his new book so exciting!
The Anthropocene is the current geological age, for those of you who (like me) may not have known. John Green's book, "The Anthropocene Reviewed", is a collection of essays on a vast array of topics which have been adapted from his podcast by the same name. If you love podcasts, love John Green, or just want to learn some new and cool stuff, I highly reccomend that you check out his podcast. You can find his podcast, "The Anthropocene Reviewed" on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.
Like I stated before, this novel is a collection of essays written by John Green. He mentions in the introduction that after presenting his wife with the first drafts of these essays, she told him he wasn't incorporating enough of his own personal experiences with each topic. He took her critique and I think the result is perfect. He does a really phenomenal job of balancing objective and subjective information throughout this book. There is lots of interesting information and facts presented about each topic but he intertwines all of the information in with his own personal experiences. For example, one of the essays is about Halley's Comet. In the essay, John Green talks about the background of Halley's Comet. He goes into detail about the discovery, the history, and the significance and various spellings of the name but he also writes about watching Halley's Comet with his father when he was younger. He presents each topic but also explains why it was significant in his life and I love it.
Each essay has a Some of the topics are more serious while others are a little more on the lighthearted side. Some of the essay topics include: Diet Dr. Pepper, Halley's Comet, The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and the QWERTY Keyboard. There was not an essay in this book that I didn't enjoy reading. I don't particularly enjoy reading non-fiction books, but this one kept me hooked. Also, the essays are good length--wise. None of them are too long to the point that they ramble on and loose your interest, but none are too short either where you don't remember what you just read. It is a good book for those of you who may be interested in reading but don't have much time to actively sit down and read or don't enjoy reading for long periods of time. You can pick up the book and read one essay a day, or specifically pick an essay that piques your interest. I, personally, enjoy the flexibility that this book provides in that aspect. The essays aren't tied together so you can pick and choose the order in which you read them. I read them in order, but I appreciate the concept of being able to pick and choose the order in which you would like to read them!
Perhaps my favorite part of the whole book is the way that each essay ends, "I give (insert essay topic here) four and a half stars". As an amateur book reviewer myself, I really love this little touch. It goes back to what I was saying about his intertwining of objective facts and his own subjective opinions on these topics. I like that he is actually reviewing each of these topics and rating them. That may seem silly because that is such a small addition, but I really think it adds something to the each essay and to the book as a whole. Another small addition that I loved was the footnotes on certain pages. Seriously, read this book and you'll understand!
With all books that I read, I make a playlist to go along with the book. These playlists are full of songs which encapsulate the feeling of the story as a whole, capture the essence of a particular scene, or just remind me of one of the characters. You can find my playlist for "The Anthropocene Reviewed" on Apple Music or Spotify.
This is a book that I think everyone should read at least once in their adult-life. I very much enjoyed it. I truly hope that John Green explores potentially writing and publishing another book of essays in the future, but regardless of whatever he releases next I know that I will be reading it. Until then, I will be binge-watching Crash Course videos, re-reading his books, and listening to his podcast!
I give John Green's "The Anthropocene Reviewed" 4 and a half stars.
As always, thank you for reading!
XO,
Madison
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