Are you really a Gen-Z-er if you don’t have an unhealthy attachment to one of the Green Brothers? In my opinion, the answer is no. I certainly have an attachment to both of them – Hank, who taught me science, and John, who taught me history and gave me some of the most profoundly beautiful writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. There isn’t a book of his that I don’t like – but none are quite as poetic or as earth-shattering as his essay collection, The Anthropocene Reviewed.

“It is May of 2020, and I do not have a brain well suited to this.”

The cover of “The Anthropocene Reviewed”

The Book

John Green has an astonishing talent for making words flow effortlessly on the page in the perfect manner. He’s most well-known for the gut punch that is The Fault in Our Stars, but he’s written a plethora of other fictional novels – my favorite of which is Looking for Alaska. However, unlike most authors I love, I know the sound of John Green’s voice and could easily pick him out from a crowd. This is, of course, because of the YouTube series, Crash Course, that John created with his brother. John and Hank provided short educational videos that cover a lot of content very quickly – and for free. I loved these videos growing up: they were accesible, held my attention span, and were chock full of passion.

For this reason, I have felt the Green brothers as a guiding force in my life. I have vivid memories of the first John Green book I read (Paper Towns, which was taken away from me by my fifth grade teacher as she thought it was inappropriate) and the first time I watched Hank babble excitedly about biochemical properties (fourth grade, in the school library when we first got laptops). When I found out John was writing a non-fiction book, I was thrilled.

John and Hank at VidCon – which they created!

The Anthropecene Reviewed is a series of essays where John rates things from the human era on a scale of five stars. Some are logical (“Staphylococcus aureus” is given one star) while others are arbitrary (“Jerzy Dudek’s performance on May 25, 2005” receives 5). All of them, though, show the world through John-Green-tinted glasses. He is hopeful, yet realistic; funny, but somber. I have yet to find another author who so beautifully strings together words: two of my favorite passages from this book are:

“I think about the many broad seas that have roared between me and the past—seas of neglect, seas of time, seas of death. I’ll never again speak to many of the people who loved me into this moment, just as you will never speak to many of the people who loved you into your now. So we raise a glass to them—and hope that perhaps somewhere, they are raising a glass to us.”

and

“This will end, and the light-soaked days are coming”.

All of his essays have personal touches but also broad implications that can be related to by anyone who may be reading. He is a literary genius in all senses of the word. In apropos fashion, The Anthropecene Reviewed gets five stars – all humans would be better off for reading it.

The Bop

The Anthropecene Reviewed’s bop is “New Partner” by Will Oldham. There’s a whole chapter dedicated to this song – John speaks of how to song has followed him throughout his life. I feel as though most people have a song like this – one that they can tie to many moments of their life. For me, it’s American Pie. John’s descriptions of the many monumental moments of his life passing with “New Partner”  tugs at the heartstrings more than just a little bit.

In conclusion, add The Antropecence Reviewed to your TBR – you will curb some of the existential dread building in your soul and emerge with a newfound appreciation for Polish soccer players and 19th century photography.

“I will, sooner or later, be the everything that is part of everything else. But until then: What an astonishment to breathe on this breathing planet. What a blessing to be Earth loving Earth.”