The Anthropocene Reviewed

Outline

The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021) is a collection of personal essays in which John Green rates different aspects of life on our human-shaped planet on a five-star scale. He writes about subjects as varied as sunsets, the internet, air conditioning, Canada geese, and the song You’ll Never Walk Alone, mixing history, science, and personal memories. The result is a warm, funny, and thoughtful reflection on being human.

• John Green rates different parts of life on a human-shaped planet using a five-star scale, as if reviewing a product.
• The subjects range widely, from sunsets and the internet to air conditioning, Canada geese, and the song You'll Never Walk Alone.
• Each essay mixes history, science, and personal memory, so a small subject opens onto bigger questions about people.
• Looking closely at ordinary things can reveal something extraordinary about daily life and about being human.
• The tone is warm, funny, and thoughtful, which makes the reflections easy to read even when the themes are serious.

John Green is an American author, video creator, and educator. He is known for novels for young readers, including The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down, and for co-creating popular educational video series such as Crash Course with his brother Hank. His nonfiction books include The Anthropocene Reviewed and Everything Is Tuberculosis.