The Anthropocene Reviewed
Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
Written by John Green
(Paperback) originally published in 2023
About 300 pages
Rate 4.5/5
Back when I was attending Snow College I took a creative writing course. It was the first English elective credit I had taken during college. During my time at Snow College I was adjusting to living on my own. I was learning to take care of my needs and I was overall incredibly vulnerable.
I wouldn't say that the creative writing class changed my life by any means, but that class was the one that got me out of bed in the mornings most of the time. The professor teaching the course would find some of the most earth shattering works of literature I'd ever heard. I didn't really feel like I fit in with the people in the room, but the content within the course made me feel seen.
One day in class the professor shared an essay written by John Green called The Sycamore Tree. I was enthralled by his words. I didn't know how much I actually liked his works of fiction, but I knew I liked this essay of his. So the other day, when I took myself out on a date, I picked up this book and decided to read more of his essays. I'm glad I did.
What is The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet about?
John writes essays about his perception of the world.
My thoughts on The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
Seven of the essays I read were incredibility profound; including the sycamore tree one I mentioned earlier. Most of the other essays were interesting and full of random facts that I will now occasionally spout out to anyone who will lend an ear. However, some of the essays were a little bit boring.
I liked the tone of the book, how something as small and simple as Diet Dr Pepper could mean so much to not only John Green, but the human experience. The essays felt like little parables because at first it sort of starts out abstract, but at the end John Green sort of explicitly states what the message behind the essay was.
It's funny because even though I haven't particularly loved John Green's fictional books, I've read all of them (aside from the collab ones) and now I have read a nonfiction one by him and liked it.
Quotes
"Be careful what you ridicule, for in time you will become it." (288)
"Being in the dark doesn't hurt, but this does, like staring at the sun." (252)
"I don't believe we have a choice when it comes to whether we endow the world with meaning." (220)
"Whether I believe in God isn't really relevant. I do believe, however tenuously, in mercy." (157)
"Our brains are made out of meat, and our bodies experience thoughts." (142)
Links
Sycamore Tree Essay (it's not word for word what's in the book, but it's still excellent)