The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green

Narrated by: John Green

“Masterful. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a beautiful, timely book about the human condition—and a timeless reminder to pay attention to your attention.”—Adam Grant, #1 bestselling author of Think Again and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

The instant #1 bestseller from John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down, is now available with two brand-new essays!

“Gloriously personal and life-affirming. The perfect book for right now.”—People

“Essential to the human conversation.”—Library Journal, starred review

The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar. Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity.

John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is an open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.

Audio exclusive! Three bonus essays!

©2021 John Green (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The book is a review of humanity: how we grow, how we build, how we destroy, and how we observe ourselves. Many books succeed at making the personal universal, but this one also makes the universal personal.... This is a book about culture, about science and medicine, about Green himself, but really it surpasses these designations. It is essential to the human conversation. John Green whispered the truth of humanity onto the page, and as with all good secrets, you’ll need to lean in closely to hear.” (Library Journal, starred review)

“The Anthropocene Reviewed is the perfect book to read over lunch or to keep on your nightstand, whenever you need a reminder of what it is to feel small and human, in the best possible way.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“There is something of the sermon in [Green’s] essays as he mixes curiosity and erudition with confession, compassion, and wit, searching for illuminating life lessons amid life’s dark chaos. His particular mix of irony and sincerity enables him to embrace both the sublime and the ridiculous.” (Booklist)

So gorgeously written and read

Now I understand why John was so nervous about this book. It's hauntingly and harrowingly personal. Just amazing!

Beautiful Essays about being human

John Green cuts himself open and bleeds over these pages. He speaks with fierce honesty about the experience of being human in a world that is beautiful, cruel, and awesome by turns. His sincerity and humor make the experience joyful rather than painful. In sharing the incredibly personal details of his own life and experiences he manages to find universal truths to which everyone can relate.

A wonderful listen

Probably the best book to come out of the pandemic. Immensely accessible, and simple yet profound. Would highly recommend! We all are weak, frail and vulnerable in our own ways. But the collective experience of sharing one’s stories about our journeys navigating the Anthropocene, sharing our vulnerabilities, and working together to make life a beautiful place for us all- is truly what reflects humanity’s strength. This book will make you feel many emotions, but it will remind you about our collective strength at some point, and leave you with hope.

Excellent! Absolutely worth the listen.

The Anthropocene Reviewed is one of the best audio book experiences I have yet had. John Green's cadence and intonation as well as his mindful adaptation from written word to spoken are memorizing. Wonderfully insightful, I found myself fascinated with topics that I would normally judge mundane. I give the Anthropocene Reviewed... 5 stars.

I love John Greens voice and cadence

The way John Green reads his book is like a mediation. Like waves gently washing up onto the shore. I feel more calm and introspective after listening to him tell his stories. I give Anthropocene Reviewed… five stars

To feel ‘human’

There are so many things to say about this book. It made me feel, small, but not in a bad way. It’s like it gives the entire human species a purpose. This book made me feel everything, and it put so much into light. The physical book is wonderful, the audiobook is EVERYTHING! This is now my go-to for everything.

A thoughtful analysis of the world.

I think the title of my review says it best. it such an interesting look at ourselves and what we shouldn't take for granted.

Beautiful, sensitive, honest.

John Green is at his most powerful when he is at his most vulnerable. His brand of humanism is instructive to is all. Don't Forget to Be Awesome.

This is a sad book

I have mixed feelings about this. It is beautifull and it is sad. Hopeless hope, is the way my brain wants to describe the feeling i am feeling after finishig this book. The narration is great, the emotion in it is real.

a meta look at the way our looking has changed us

a meta look at the way our looking has changed the way things and stuff appear now