The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green is a non-fiction book that brilliantly encapsulates many of the wonderful facets our planet has to offer through a compilation of 5-star reviews. But before I can continue this review, I must first define what the word “Anthropocene” means to those who are uninitiated. The Anthropocene is the time period in which humans had a profound influence on the Earth. Green masterfully analyzes how humans have impacted the Earth whether that be through topics that range from seemingly insignificant subjects such as his love of Diet Dr. Pepper to more weighty topics like comparing the black plague to our pandemic or more obscure issues of the ‘Yips’. No matter what topic it is, Green produces intriguing stories that always allow its readers to be drawn in.
Green typically opens each review with a personal anecdote usually of his past experiences with a certain topic. These personal anecdotes create more meaningful and personal connections between the author and their audience which helps Green introduce his thoughts and feelings about the topic. For instance, in many of Green’s essays, he would connect many of his stories to our contemporary world and especially about the pandemic. As a result, the theme of death became not uncommon, yet when it does come up, Green brings solace to the reader by telling them to cherish the memories they’ve had with their loved ones and the great moments we’ve had with them. Even though Green calls each 5-star review “essays”, they are much more interesting than what the word implies. The 5-star review Green does at the very end of each chapter also adds a personal touch like a yelp review on their experience at a restaurant.
What I love about this book is that it made me contemplate our influence on the planet and how we progressed during our time on Earth. One of my favorite quotes that shows Green’s thoughts about how special human life is, “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.” Many of Green’s perceptions of life can be pessimistic at times, but he would always try to comfort the reader soon afterward. Optimism, especially in the current state of our world, is very difficult to have; however, Green wants the reader to love our world and notes how lucky we have been to experience it, “What an astonishment to breathe on this breathing planet. What a blessing to be Earth loving Earth.”
There are many amusing and unique aspects of the book that drew me in. For example, right after the “contents” section, there is a small mini review on “half-title pages” where the page would simply state the main title without the author’s name or other subtitles. He’d claim that they are useless since the reader already knows about the title and gave half-title pages two and a half stars. You can tell that he put a lot of care into the design of this book because he pays attention to the reactions of his readers to even the smaller details such as the book’s half-title page. I also found it both amusing and ironic that in the back of the book there is a book ad on John Green’s previous works, and he writes a review of that book ad and found it “a bit gauche.”
I believe that this truly is a “good book” of both literary value and reader interest because it causes the reader to contemplate their time on Earth and how we progressed. We can see this through Green’s diction and his beautiful use of the English language. During Green’s review of the song, “Auld Lang Syne,” he talks about the hellish landscape of WWI and how British soldiers would repeat the phrase, “We’re here because we’re here” in the tune of Auld Lang Syne. Even though the story is dark, Green believes that the soldiers are not misguided and that “We might never know why we are here, but we can still proclaim in hope that we are here.” Our existence is truly a marvel to behold, and Green helps the reader understand that idea and made me contemplate on the preciousness of life and I believe that it will do so too for you.
I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four and a half stars.
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