The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
A deeply moving collection of personal essays from John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down.
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Readers say John Green’s *The Anthropocene Reviewed* offers beautifully crafted, intimate essays blending humor, emotion, and reflection. Reviewers ag...
There are times I find a kinship with Green. His focus on the right person, the right time, the beauty of snow, the desire to do very little on a trip. He loves to garden and found it soothing to his soul-so so I. But as many similarities exist-the differences are starkly harsh.
The writing is flawless-really beautiful prose and you can hear John Green’s voice throughout the pages. That’s the three ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️. But-and this is a big but-the negativity is sometimes overwhelming. The whining about America is off-putting, especially from a man that has made his fortune in writing books that sell as a result of capitalism. He seems to complain constantly and the only essays that have more than three stars are those that he has personal triumphs- as if that which doesn’t appease him is not relevant. While he does turn a phrase of that which is good in humans, they exist only to counterbalance what he’s written and they often feel forced-even trite. It’s as if to say-there is good in the world, but the bad far outweighs it.
There are a few good gems here and there, and a few essays of worth, but this book actually just made me feel sad for him and his inability to capture what is good in the world. I realize he wrote this during the pandemic, and the pandemic certainly challenged our world in away those of living have only read about in books, but for someone to write a line like, “For humans, uncharted territory is often good news, because our charted territory is so riddle with disease, injustice, and violence,” is a gross generalization of human history. And it pretty much put me off the book. Right up there with his comments about “white privilege and male privilege” as he writes as a white privileged male. I understand he wasn’t always, but he certainly is now and I don’t fault him for so I don’t get why he faults himself?
John Green is an excellent writer and this book won’t stop me from enjoying his prose or even showing some of his Crash Course videos in class (I’m a teacher), however, it greatly challenges my perspective of him and his views of the world. He seems to be a very sad man, and that’s unfortunate given that’s he’s living high in the hog in a country he deems so unfit.
The writing is flawless-really beautiful prose and you can hear John Green’s voice throughout the pages. That’s the three ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️. But-and this is a big but-the negativity is sometimes overwhelming. The whining about America is off-putting, especially from a man that has made his fortune in writing books that sell as a result of capitalism. He seems to complain constantly and the only essays that have more than three stars are those that he has personal triumphs- as if that which doesn’t appease him is not relevant. While he does turn a phrase of that which is good in humans, they exist only to counterbalance what he’s written and they often feel forced-even trite. It’s as if to say-there is good in the world, but the bad far outweighs it.
There are a few good gems here and there, and a few essays of worth, but this book actually just made me feel sad for him and his inability to capture what is good in the world. I realize he wrote this during the pandemic, and the pandemic certainly challenged our world in away those of living have only read about in books, but for someone to write a line like, “For humans, uncharted territory is often good news, because our charted territory is so riddle with disease, injustice, and violence,” is a gross generalization of human history. And it pretty much put me off the book. Right up there with his comments about “white privilege and male privilege” as he writes as a white privileged male. I understand he wasn’t always, but he certainly is now and I don’t fault him for so I don’t get why he faults himself?
John Green is an excellent writer and this book won’t stop me from enjoying his prose or even showing some of his Crash Course videos in class (I’m a teacher), however, it greatly challenges my perspective of him and his views of the world. He seems to be a very sad man, and that’s unfortunate given that’s he’s living high in the hog in a country he deems so unfit.
Wonderful book full of essays about humanity. From Diet Dr. Pepper to this musing on "Three Farmers Going to the Dance" his observations are keen and beautifully written.
I loved his essay on the sycamore tree.
I loved his essay on the sycamore tree.
This book was a wild ride of thought-provoking and interesting content. Did I just read a book or scroll through John Green's TikTok page for 8 hours? Could have fooled me!
5 stars
5 stars
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