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A review by vivvs
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
when i was around 11, i picked up my first john green novel (i believe an abundance of katherines; all i know is that is 100% contained subject matter too advanced for me). the way he captured my emotions on growing up, the world around me, how blissfully naive i was, but how i knew i was naive and thus tried to convince the world that my self-awareness was at its peak. i have not touched his writing since 2018; i did, however, listen to a handful of these essays in the pandemic at 15. at 17, my mother came home from a work trip with this book in tow, because “it’s by john green, your guy!! and it’s SIGNED!!”
my life changing english teacher (we all had one) would often quote anton checkhov on how to write — something along the lines of “start with the specific, end with the universal; start with the universal, end with nothing”. this book further proves that the best connections to any writing will erupt from the specific and personal. john green lays his entire life down in front of you in this book. it is so intimate. reading this book places you not just in the man’s shoes, or his brain, but his life. when reading this i was there, watching his life unfold. i was with him, living his life, but it was also mine.
i, almost a full decade later after my first foray into john green, still find his work compelling. beautiful in a much simpler way, with the perfect amount of prose and metaphor for my liking. i am especially tickled by the amount of references to literary works i am now a fan of. when my mother gifted me this book (that i wouldn’t read for 2 years - sorry mom!), she did not know that “my guy” was not john green, but rather his brother, hank green: the other one, the one who has written my favorite books of all time. she also did not know that john green signs so many books, it can be hard to find an unsigned copy of a new release.
i have been looking for hope like this for a while now.
i give the anthropocene reviewed 5 stars.
my life changing english teacher (we all had one) would often quote anton checkhov on how to write — something along the lines of “start with the specific, end with the universal; start with the universal, end with nothing”. this book further proves that the best connections to any writing will erupt from the specific and personal. john green lays his entire life down in front of you in this book. it is so intimate. reading this book places you not just in the man’s shoes, or his brain, but his life. when reading this i was there, watching his life unfold. i was with him, living his life, but it was also mine.
i, almost a full decade later after my first foray into john green, still find his work compelling. beautiful in a much simpler way, with the perfect amount of prose and metaphor for my liking. i am especially tickled by the amount of references to literary works i am now a fan of. when my mother gifted me this book (that i wouldn’t read for 2 years - sorry mom!), she did not know that “my guy” was not john green, but rather his brother, hank green: the other one, the one who has written my favorite books of all time. she also did not know that john green signs so many books, it can be hard to find an unsigned copy of a new release.
i have been looking for hope like this for a while now.
i give the anthropocene reviewed 5 stars.