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

5.0

As a long time fan of the podcast, I was very excited when this book was announced. And as with the podcast, I have found great comfort in this book. I’ve been a fan of John’s books for a number of years, and I’ve been a regular viewer of the Vlogbrothers channel since around 2016. Of the brothers Green, I always related a lot of John. Being the oldest of two siblings who, amoung other things, struggles with anxiety, John always felt like someone I could look up to, or more so, some who gets it. He gets what it’s like to be trapped in your head. He gets what it's like to walk a fine line between being in awe of this world, and being terrified of it. There’s a quote in the book that’s goes, “my thoughts are a river overflowing it’s banks, churning and muddy and ceaseless.” What kinship I felt in that line; for a moment, I felt a little less alone. And that’s what reading this book feels like. I feel a little less alone. The same comfort I found in John’s quiet and gentle voice on the podcast carriers through effortlessly in the words on the pages as he explores what it means to be human while telling the story of his own unique human experience. I have not lived his life and yet, the story he tells feels as familiar as my own. Truly, it’s hard to pick a favorite review. Each one leaves me with a line or a feeling or an understanding about both the world and myself that I didn’t have before. I will be coming back to this book for years and years and years to come. I give The Anthropocene Reviewed 5 stars.