Nonfiction

The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene Reviewed

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-24 08:31:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Green
  • ISBN：B08GL11MDJ
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Lorraine Campbell ，

This is such a delightful snapshot of the working of John Green's mind and of the world in general。 He can make us laugh and cry， in places， simultaneously。 There are many points where I agree and some I disagree， but every essay provides plenty of food for thought about our own place in this Anthropocene。 This is such a delightful snapshot of the working of John Green's mind and of the world in general。 He can make us laugh and cry， in places， simultaneously。 There are many points where I agree and some I disagree， but every essay provides plenty of food for thought about our own place in this Anthropocene。 。。。more

Tiffany Low ，

The Anthropocene Reviewed is refreshing and beautiful。 As someone living in the pandemic， experiencing loss that is out of my control， I have begun to search for answers to this seemingly terrifying existence。 Greene’s review of mundane items （from sunsets to Dr。 Pepper to whispering） shed a new light in life and existence。 This book has profoundly impacted my view of the world。 I love it with all my heart， like earth loving earth。 It is everything I needed to hear （and more）。 My favorite essay The Anthropocene Reviewed is refreshing and beautiful。 As someone living in the pandemic， experiencing loss that is out of my control， I have begun to search for answers to this seemingly terrifying existence。 Greene’s review of mundane items （from sunsets to Dr。 Pepper to whispering） shed a new light in life and existence。 This book has profoundly impacted my view of the world。 I love it with all my heart， like earth loving earth。 It is everything I needed to hear （and more）。 My favorite essay was Sunsets :） I give the Anthropocene Reviewed: 4。5 stars 。。。more

Max ，

Resisting review gag。。。 with great effort。 Favorite podcast turned into a favorite book。 This won't get 'removed from device' as it's so perfect for many revisits。 6*， seriously。 Resisting review gag。。。 with great effort。 Favorite podcast turned into a favorite book。 This won't get 'removed from device' as it's so perfect for many revisits。 6*， seriously。 。。。more

Carrie Griffin ，

Part memoir， part insights into the seemingly random， part review; John Green's first nonfiction book hit me a lot harder than I could have ever expected。 I have been following John for a very long time along with his brother Hank。 Whether that be from his Youtube videos or his novels。 He has been one of my favorite authors for years and I was excited when he said that he was coming out with a book like this。 I have always loved John's insight into the world around him。 His antidotes in his vide Part memoir， part insights into the seemingly random， part review; John Green's first nonfiction book hit me a lot harder than I could have ever expected。 I have been following John for a very long time along with his brother Hank。 Whether that be from his Youtube videos or his novels。 He has been one of my favorite authors for years and I was excited when he said that he was coming out with a book like this。 I have always loved John's insight into the world around him。 His antidotes in his videos have so much of himself in them along with so much information。 “。。。 I called my brother， Hank， and told him I was feeling frightened。 Hank is the levelheaded one， the sane one， the calm one。 He always has been。 We have never let the fact of my being older get in the way of Hank being the wise older brother。”: I just adore this quote so much。 Hank and John are some of my absolute favorite people to follow online。 Each of these essays felt so real to him as a person and I loved learning more and more about him。 Also， about so many cool things。 John is such a smart person with a mind that I envy especially the way he can write。 This is just one of the many examples。 My favorite essay was probably "Auld Lang Syne" if I had to pick one， but there were so many other great ones like "Harvey"。 Both of these essays had me in tears， with the grief he shared and the mental health struggles。 I loved how he put so much of himself and his life in each of these essays。 I cannot tell you how much I related to these essays especially。 I completely recommend picking this up especially the audiobook which he narrates。 It was such an amazing experience overall。 I rate The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars。 I rate John Green's writing five stars。 I rate the experience six stars because obviously， I want to break the system。 "We all know what it's like to feel alone。 We will all call out someday to someone who cannot answer us。" 。。。more

Jacan ，

There were a lot of emotions this book made me feel， and a lot of them I didn't enjoy。 All of them were valuable， though。 I don't know， I'm reviewing a book about reviews。 John Green has， for a decade now， felt like an older sibling who has an earnest desire to share things that will help me grow， be less conceited and frustrating as a person， and stuff。 This book did just that， but it was often maudlin or harrowing。 I guess when you try to keep your emotions at arms length because you're living There were a lot of emotions this book made me feel， and a lot of them I didn't enjoy。 All of them were valuable， though。 I don't know， I'm reviewing a book about reviews。 John Green has， for a decade now， felt like an older sibling who has an earnest desire to share things that will help me grow， be less conceited and frustrating as a person， and stuff。 This book did just that， but it was often maudlin or harrowing。 I guess when you try to keep your emotions at arms length because you're living with a great deal fear and near isolation， introspective discursions which explore just how terrifying that is， shaped by the exact same phenomena， can hurt。 But even so， John doesn't offer mealy clichés about silver linings， he acknowledges the genuine pain， and explores the difficult but necessary struggle of finding hope and meaning in spite of fear for yourself， and the terrifying things happening in the wider world。 It also made me laugh a few times。 I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four stars。 。。。more

Darcey ，

I give John Green's "The Anthropocene Reviewed" 5 stars。 I give John Green's "The Anthropocene Reviewed" 5 stars。 。。。more

Penny Landon ，

The Anthropocene Reviewed is the sort of emotionally resonant non-fiction book that you didn't know you were looking for until you stumble upon it。 Each of the reviews regarding a facet of the human-centered planet has a subtle way of reaching inside you and pulling out that which you try to bury deep -loneliness， depression， nihilism- until it connects with that small spark of hope which you keep alive despite the rest。 I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars。 The Anthropocene Reviewed is the sort of emotionally resonant non-fiction book that you didn't know you were looking for until you stumble upon it。 Each of the reviews regarding a facet of the human-centered planet has a subtle way of reaching inside you and pulling out that which you try to bury deep -loneliness， depression， nihilism- until it connects with that small spark of hope which you keep alive despite the rest。 I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars。 。。。more

Nicole ，

So most （or maybe all， I don’t know） of these essays started off on John Green’s podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed， and I do honestly like that format a little better—it’s soothing in a way， whereas reading this sometimes my mind would wander。 Whether because I had already heard one of the essays， or whether Green’s writing was too poetic for me in the moment （poetry turns my brain off）， or whether I had a memory or something that pertained to one of his stories。But I really liked this。 I liked So most （or maybe all， I don’t know） of these essays started off on John Green’s podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed， and I do honestly like that format a little better—it’s soothing in a way， whereas reading this sometimes my mind would wander。 Whether because I had already heard one of the essays， or whether Green’s writing was too poetic for me in the moment （poetry turns my brain off）， or whether I had a memory or something that pertained to one of his stories。But I really liked this。 I liked the footnotes at the bottom， interjecting little anecdotes or facts （I’m a huge sucker for footnotes lol）。 I like that Green gives voice to his fears and insecurities which mirror some of my own that I’m too much of a coward to verbalize。 I like the dry humor that punctuates some of the writing， as I found myself chuckling a few times。 I like that this sounds like the John Green that I’ve been a fan of through Vlogbrothers and Dear Hank and John。I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four and a half stars。 。。。more

Rebekah ，

Loved the premise and the framing of this memoir。 My favorite essay was on Green’s friendship with Amy Krause Rosenthal。 I also loved the notion from the essay in the Bonneville Salt Flats about needing a “third thing” in your relationship。 The entire set of essays was framed around Covid and the uncertainty of life， which is interesting to read and think back on as we are， hopefully， nearing the end of it。 🤞

Andrew Bulthaupt ，

I listened to this book via Audible。This was certainly an interesting book by John Green。 I'm aware of the fact that he and his brother have made YouTube videos and podcasts for quite a while， but they've never been something I've made time to check out。 My understanding is that this book is an offshoot of a podcast， and I found the concept very novel and intriguing。The idea of taking the period of time defined by humanity's existence on Earth and reviewing a wide swath of things， experiences， a I listened to this book via Audible。This was certainly an interesting book by John Green。 I'm aware of the fact that he and his brother have made YouTube videos and podcasts for quite a while， but they've never been something I've made time to check out。 My understanding is that this book is an offshoot of a podcast， and I found the concept very novel and intriguing。The idea of taking the period of time defined by humanity's existence on Earth and reviewing a wide swath of things， experiences， and ideas is a very human thing to do。 Each review is clearly personal to the author， but also gives general context and insight that helps inform the reader on the topic as well。 It's a nice balance of education and emotion。Clearly it would be impossible to review everything that ever happened in the Anthropocene， or even everything that happened in John Green's lifetime。 That's not really what this book is about。 It's almost an autobiography or memoir of sorts， giving you a look into the author's life through the lens of how he feels about different things。 I appreciate getting to see him as such an open book， and it makes me value his other works more highly， knowing now how personal they are as well。If you saw a new book came out by John Green and were hoping for another fantastic young-adult read， you might be disappointed here。 But you should still read The Anthropocene Reviewed anyway， because it is an insightful and personal look into both our society and the author， and one I thoroughly enjoyed。I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars。 。。。more

olivia ，

is this book alone worth five stars？ probably not tbh， but it’s just so comforting to me and definitely a new favorite and something that i will reread。 the audiobook is also really great， john green narrates it himself。

William ，

This might be my favorite John Green yet: nonfiction John Green。 "I give TAR five stars。" This might be my favorite John Green yet: nonfiction John Green。 "I give TAR five stars。" 。。。more

Rach ，

I give The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green four and a half stars。What a pleasant surprise this book was！I haven’t enjoyed a John Green book this much since I read the Fault in Our Stars when I was in the throes of teenagery angst。 I am not a current listener of the podcast but am considering that will change soon。 Also， I feel like you don’t have to know a lot about John Green in order to enjoy this book。 He talks about what it means to be a person by giving the reader glimpses at his loved I give The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green four and a half stars。What a pleasant surprise this book was！I haven’t enjoyed a John Green book this much since I read the Fault in Our Stars when I was in the throes of teenagery angst。 I am not a current listener of the podcast but am considering that will change soon。 Also， I feel like you don’t have to know a lot about John Green in order to enjoy this book。 He talks about what it means to be a person by giving the reader glimpses at his loved experience。 He doesn’t shy away from all of the sicknesses， heartaches， and joys。 I think there was a good balance， too， I don’t generally like books that just manipulate me to cry by using flowery poetic language。 In short， it’s delightful！ It makes you reflect。 It’s nostalgic without being sappy。 。。。more

Aud Bryniarski ，

Surprisingly while reading this， I did not sob uncontrollably in the way I did when listening to the podcast。 （the most cathartic crying i've done over the past year has been while listening to Googling Strangers， Sycamore Trees， and Auld Lang Syne。） That said， I loved this in print form and I'd give this book 6 stars if I could。 I've always been in JG's "target audience" and loved his novels as an adolescent， but this is such a refreshing and exciting way to experience his words。 He manages to Surprisingly while reading this， I did not sob uncontrollably in the way I did when listening to the podcast。 （the most cathartic crying i've done over the past year has been while listening to Googling Strangers， Sycamore Trees， and Auld Lang Syne。） That said， I loved this in print form and I'd give this book 6 stars if I could。 I've always been in JG's "target audience" and loved his novels as an adolescent， but this is such a refreshing and exciting way to experience his words。 He manages to give language to so many things that feel incommunicable。 It's relevant， it's real， it's raw， it's right now。 He gets it right over， and over， and over。 John PLEASE write more nonfiction I am BEGGING ！！！！ ok bye have a good day 。。。more

Tyson ，

The Anthropocene Reviewed is by far my favorite podcast so naturally I was excited when this book was announced。 The essays in the book are mostly the same as the podcast， which was somewhat disappointing。 I was also dismayed to see that my favorite Anthropocene Reviewed segment， the Kauai-oo was missing from the book as well as the potato seeds of Leningrad。 I was hoping that the book would contain new， different essays and expand upon the existing ones to a greater degree than it does。 That be The Anthropocene Reviewed is by far my favorite podcast so naturally I was excited when this book was announced。 The essays in the book are mostly the same as the podcast， which was somewhat disappointing。 I was also dismayed to see that my favorite Anthropocene Reviewed segment， the Kauai-oo was missing from the book as well as the potato seeds of Leningrad。 I was hoping that the book would contain new， different essays and expand upon the existing ones to a greater degree than it does。 That being said， the essays are so well written and interesting that they provide a different experience than listening to them in podcast format。 With this book， John Green has shown that he can write well for an audience beyond YA and this is in my view his best book。 Overall， I would recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more

AC ，

John Green， god damn。 This book is full of history lessons I didn't know I wanted or needed。 I feel like I needed this book。 I've been reading some heavy and/or depressing books as of late。 This book， while at times heavy and/or depressing， kept the mood light and warm as a whole。 I wanted to rush through this book but slowly savor every word at the same time。 I'm not a fan of his fiction writing， I'll fully admit that， but I love every bit of this book。 This is the writing I've been waiting for John Green， god damn。 This book is full of history lessons I didn't know I wanted or needed。 I feel like I needed this book。 I've been reading some heavy and/or depressing books as of late。 This book， while at times heavy and/or depressing， kept the mood light and warm as a whole。 I wanted to rush through this book but slowly savor every word at the same time。 I'm not a fan of his fiction writing， I'll fully admit that， but I love every bit of this book。 This is the writing I've been waiting for from John， this seems like such a natural way for him to write。 I love how his family and friends are naturally present in this book， and how honest and authentic it reads。 I'm quite poor at reviewing things when I'm over the moon excited about them， I can't string words together properly。 The tl;dr is that I love this book and will recommend it to about anyone I talk to for the next month or so。 John， I think you've found your calling。 Review the rest of the anthropocene， please。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

This is the exact book I needed in this precise moment。

Jessica White ，

My obsession with John Green started while I was in a reading slump。My sister handed me a copy of The Fault in Our Stars， told me the ending， and walked away。 Since then I've read literally all of his books。 I've cried with Pudge。 I laughed with Tiny。 I've gone searching for Margot。 I once wrote a research paper called "The Fault in Our Schools，" where I talk about the dangers of book banning。 So that being said， I will buy every single book John Green publishes。The Anthropocene Reviewed isn My obsession with John Green started while I was in a reading slump。My sister handed me a copy of The Fault in Our Stars， told me the ending， and walked away。 Since then I've read literally all of his books。 I've cried with Pudge。 I laughed with Tiny。 I've gone searching for Margot。 I once wrote a research paper called "The Fault in Our Schools，" where I talk about the dangers of book banning。 So that being said， I will buy every single book John Green publishes。The Anthropocene Reviewed isn't a teen novel。 It's a collection of essays on a human-centered planet。 Pretty much， it's nearly 300 pages of John Green reviewing various things in his life。 Everything from Super Mario Kart to Canada Geese to The Notes App on an iPhone。 He talks about becoming a father， the secrecy of a whisper， his pandemic research， even how to defeat a groundhog。It just feels like John Green。If you've ever watched his vlogs， you'll love this book。His voice is so recognizable， it'll make the book easy to read。I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars。This review and reviews for all of John Green's books can be found at A Reader's Diary！ 。。。more

Abby ，

4。5I love this book。

Lisa Marie ，

What can I say about the beauty and clarity with which John Green plumbs the depths of mental illness？

Madison ，

I give The Anthropocene Reviewed 4 stars。

Kit ，

The whole conceit of this book is that one cannot write a review without putting oneself into it。 I mean， a review is an opinion of something， and all the things that have happened to a person and the identities they hold inform an opinion （and even what they decide to have an opinion on）。 So， in shamelessly being himself， John Green's latest is as much memoir as it is traditional， factual essays on the anthropocene， or this geologic age shaped by humankind。As anyone who has read anything I have The whole conceit of this book is that one cannot write a review without putting oneself into it。 I mean， a review is an opinion of something， and all the things that have happened to a person and the identities they hold inform an opinion （and even what they decide to have an opinion on）。 So， in shamelessly being himself， John Green's latest is as much memoir as it is traditional， factual essays on the anthropocene， or this geologic age shaped by humankind。As anyone who has read anything I have written on here knows， I have been a big believer in acknowledging my experiences and identities in my own reviews for a very long time。 Before this book came out-- before I knew there would be a book-- I binge-listened to the podcast。 This took over place mid-quarantine， when， like everyone else on the planet， I was very stressed and looking for comfort。 The vlogbrothers， and John Green in particular， have provided me with some comfort ever since I was a preteen。 I went from binge-watching their videos to reading John's books with the fervor of a convert to a new cult to not really engaging with their content， or maybe even rolling my eyes at it （by college， I thought I was Much Too Cool）。 Still， I would sheepishly watch old videos now and then， and even went to a stop on the tour for Turtles All the Way Down-- for "nostalgia's sake。" The Green brothers have always prioritized hope and thoughtfully engaging with mankind。 The podcast （and book） The Anthropocene Reviewed prioritizes these same two elements， without ever being saccharine。 I liked hearing about John spending as much time as possible outside to remain sane during covid， or quoting Edna St。 Millay when describing debilitating depression。 It makes it all the sweeter to hear about the joy a child experiences on seeing an oak leaf for the first time， or finding yourself in Iceland after their first Olympic win。 Of course， you end up learning interesting bits of trivia， like about the real inventors of Monopoly or how the track for the Indy 500 was entirely paved with bricks。 But really， it's John's connection to himself and to humanity at large that makes this book wonderful。That being said， I couldn't distinguish much in the way of new content here， compared to the podcast。 In fact， I am certain that they cut some essays （to be fair， pre-covid John had an obsession with disease that post-covid me could not bear， so I am grateful for not being asked to engage）。 Still， I did expect more new content。 All in all I found the podcast itself more soothing-- having come of age listening to John Green talking into a camera， I find it comforting-- and I think that's what I wanted for this book。I give the Anthropocene Reviewed four stars。 。。。more

Sadaf ，

I give this book 4 stars！ 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Joce ，

RemarkableI don't generally review the books I read。 These essays touched my heart center。 They made me smile or laugh out loud AND left me with a lump in my throat。 Then I read an essay or two to my son， who first shared John Green's books with me。 Each essay sparked the most remarkable conversations。 You should stop what you are doing and go read this book。 RemarkableI don't generally review the books I read。 These essays touched my heart center。 They made me smile or laugh out loud AND left me with a lump in my throat。 Then I read an essay or two to my son， who first shared John Green's books with me。 Each essay sparked the most remarkable conversations。 You should stop what you are doing and go read this book。 。。。more

Claire ，

Of course it seems ironic to rate a book like this， which is about ratings on a 5-star scale， on a 5-star scale， but it earns my most sincere 5 stars。 I think John Green is extremely well-suited to nonfiction writing， especially in this essay format。 I don't even know how much stuff I underlined or put exclamation marks next to。 Extremely moving， educational， funny， and entertaining。 My favorite ones were about Canada geese， Auld Lang Syne， and the one about the world's biggest ball of paint。 Th Of course it seems ironic to rate a book like this， which is about ratings on a 5-star scale， on a 5-star scale， but it earns my most sincere 5 stars。 I think John Green is extremely well-suited to nonfiction writing， especially in this essay format。 I don't even know how much stuff I underlined or put exclamation marks next to。 Extremely moving， educational， funny， and entertaining。 My favorite ones were about Canada geese， Auld Lang Syne， and the one about the world's biggest ball of paint。 Thoroughly recommend to anyone。 The bits about anxiety， OCD， and depression really struck home for me。 。。。more

Emily ，

Gorgeous， loved it。 Also the first book I ever annotated。

Tessa ，

rating this book makes no sense。 a vibes-based review follows as thus: it's the "internet personality writes a witty and irreverent essay collection/memoir/rumination on the human condition in the 21st century ！" thing， but like listen it's pretty cute and earnest and self aware and fun and stuff。 very Figuring by Maria Popova。 slightly Bo Burnham Make Happy。 quite Catcher in the Rye （when this one isn't even a bildungsroman omg）。 kinda Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller。 super rambling and quo rating this book makes no sense。 a vibes-based review follows as thus: it's the "internet personality writes a witty and irreverent essay collection/memoir/rumination on the human condition in the 21st century ！" thing， but like listen it's pretty cute and earnest and self aware and fun and stuff。 very Figuring by Maria Popova。 slightly Bo Burnham Make Happy。 quite Catcher in the Rye （when this one isn't even a bildungsroman omg）。 kinda Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller。 super rambling and quote-filled and postmodern。 very lovely 🤧 thanks， john 。。。more

Dan Nolte ，

I really liked this book - but I knew what I was getting myself into since I listen to and consistently enjoy the podcast it's based upon。 I think John Green and I have a similar worldview and disposition， and so I tend to relate deeply to his musings and observations that some of my friends are probably justified in characterizing as overly-earnest or sentimental。In fact， I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I relate to his worldview because over the past 10 years， he and Hank have pl I really liked this book - but I knew what I was getting myself into since I listen to and consistently enjoy the podcast it's based upon。 I think John Green and I have a similar worldview and disposition， and so I tend to relate deeply to his musings and observations that some of my friends are probably justified in characterizing as overly-earnest or sentimental。In fact， I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I relate to his worldview because over the past 10 years， he and Hank have played a large role in *shaping* mine - probably more than anyone I know in real life。 I've watched almost every vlogbrothers video since I found the channel in high school， and over the years many of their aphorisms have worked their way into my fundamental belief system about the world。 They've influenced my thinking on what role art ought to play in one's life， how to navigate hardships and locate hope in times of despair， how to be un-ironic and unabashed about the things you love， and how to （try， at least， to） be analytical without failing to be present。 It's probably because of them that I even think about these things in the first place。 JG writes in the introduction that he was drawn to the Yelp-style review format because he wanted to be more mindful and deliberate about what he pays attention to - and that researching and writing these anthropological deep dives required sustained focus as a sort of cure for his fractured attention。 For me， the experience of *reading* these essays also induced the sort of trance-like focus that I recall once being abundantly available， but which has eluded me during most of the pandemic。 For that I'm grateful。Like JG， I am also drawn to the review format。 I love reading reviews， and of the writing projects I have myself completed， all of my favorites are book or movie reviews。 I never really interrogated this fact until reading this book - where John cites his wife's contention that all reviews are to some extent *memoirs*， in the sense that they are one particular person's firsthand account of experiencing some work of art。 In this way， they can't help but be deeply personal， even though they purport objectivity and analytical distance。 I loved that instead of trying to obscure this fact， JG leans into it here by weaving his own life experiences into each review。 I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love writing reviews because they let me pretend that I'm writing about something external to myself when I really am not。 Or maybe less selfishly: I love reading reviews because they are constantly telling subtle personal stories of their reviewers in between the lines - and it's compelling to try to discern something fundamental about the reviewer when the message is refracted through the medium of a review。 JG often says "you are what you pay attention to" and so you really ought to pay attention to what you are paying attention to。 I'm glad that I spent the last few days paying attention to this book。 。。。more

Vanessa Dang ，

Incredible and perfect。 Thank you for the sobs and the laughter。

Carrie Schupack ，

One of my favorite things to exist ever