A review by sarahweyand
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

 So hi. My name is Sarah and I DO NOT cry while reading. In all the 239 books on my Goodreads shelf, I have cried while reading exactly four of them. But DAMNIT if John Green didn't make my cry this week. For those of you wanting specifics, I cried during the Auld Lang Syne essay, on the audiobook version where John asks you to sing a version of the song with him. I went to Barnes & Noble to compare versions, and no, the print copy doesn't have this part, so if you choose to read that, maybe you'll be safe.

This is such an intimate look at the mind of a person with anxiety during the early months of the COVID pandemic. It is raw and honest and the prose is beautiful; it is definitely my favorite work by John Green. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as Green narrates it himself. 

Each essay centers on a different topic that Green explores the history of and then ties into some aspect of the human experience. Some are better than others, but I did enjoy the majority of them. Sometimes I felt a little emotional whiplash going from a lighthearted and interesting essay to one so deep, existential, and anxiety-filled. I think some people might feel like it might be too soon for them to read this, and I fully understand. Overall, I think this was a well-written and mindful look at different elements of history and humanity and I look forward to reading more work by Green if he continues to publish in the adult space. 
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