BOOK STATS
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Title: The Anthropocene Reviewed
Author: John Green
Genre: Nonfiction/Essays
Audience: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: John Green
Length: 10 hours (293 pages)
Publisher: Dutton; Penguin Random House Audio
Release Date: May 17, 2021
Source: libro.fm influencer ALC
Content Warnings: mental illness, death, grief, medical content, chronic illness, suicidal thoughts, pandemic
SYNOPSIS
A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green
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 ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet – from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley’s Comet to Penguins of Madagascar – 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’, with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.
MY THOUGHTS
Who knew a series of essays by John Green about seemingly random topics including everything and nothing was exactly what I needed?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why this book is so effective. It’s about humanity, human nature, human experiences, and our impact on the planet and each other. It’s about history, pop culture, science, ecology, family, and so much more. It’s an artifact of its time, from reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic to the use of the star rating system. It’s about John Green and things that are important to him or have affected him. But it’s also about all of us and our collective experience as humans on this planet right now.
All I know is that multiple essays brought me to tears, and anyone who ever feels unsure of themselves or our world and their place in it should read this book. Or better, listen to the audiobook narrated by John Green himself.
I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars.
Thank you to the publisher and libro.fm for the gifted ALC.
