''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' is the shared name for a
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
and 2021
nonfiction book by
John Green
John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...
. The podcast started in January 2018, with each episode featuring Green reviewing "different facets of the human-centered planet on a
five-star scale". The name comes from the
Anthropocene
The Anthropocene ( ) is a proposed geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.
, neither the International Commissio ...
, the proposed
geological epoch that includes significant
human impact on the environment
Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the need ...
. Episodes typically contain Green reviewing two topics, accompanied by stories on how they have affected his life. These topics included intangible concepts like humanity's capacity for
wonder
Wonder most commonly refers to:
* Wonder (emotion), an emotion comparable to surprise that people feel when perceiving something rare or unexpected
Wonder may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional entities
* The Wonders, a fictional band ...
, artificial products like
Diet Dr. Pepper, natural species that have had their fates altered by human influence like the
Canada goose, and phenomena that primarily influence humanity such as
Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 75–79 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the on ...
.
The podcast was released monthly until September 2020, when Green announced he was putting the podcast on hiatus as he adapted it into a book. ''The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet'', was published by
Dutton Penguin
E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...
on May 18, 2021, featuring revised essays from the podcast and several new essays. The book received positive reviews and debuted at number one on
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. After the release of a four-episode season accompanying the publication of the book, Green announced he did not have plans to release any further episodes.
Podcast
Each podcast typically covers two topics, which have included a diverse range of subjects including celestial phenomena, works of art, diseases, and human emotions. The subjects ultimately serve as starting points into explorations of Green's own life and perspectives in the form of
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...
-like essays, which have been described as "thought-provoking reviews
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
use a blend of poetry, historical detail and humor."
Background
The premise for the podcast was borne from a number of sources. Green worked for the book review journal ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' in the early 2000s, where he reviewed hundreds of books over the course of five years, sparking his interest in reviews as a literary format.
In October 2017, after the release of Green's most recent novel, ''
Turtles All the Way Down'', he and his brother
Hank Green
William Henry Green II (born May 5, 1980) is an American vlogger, science communicator, entrepreneur, author, internet producer, and musician. He is known for producing the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green ...
went on a
book tour. As they travelled across the country, they passed the time by finding
Google user reviews for the places they were passing that they considered absurd, such as a one-star review for
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park ( lkt, Makȟóšiča) is an American national park located in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United Sta ...
.
While reflecting on the increased prevalence that reviews and the five-star scale had taken in modern life, John told Hank he had once had an idea to write a review on Canada geese, to which Hank responded, "The Anthropocene... reviewed!"
A few months later, John shared some reviews he had written in 2014 on Canada geese and Diet Dr Pepper with his wife,
Sarah Urist Green
Sarah Urist Green (née Urist; born October 3, 1979) is an American art museum curator, author, and creator and host of PBS Digital Studios program '' The Art Assignment''. Green spent seven years curating exhibitions at the Indianapolis Museum o ...
. After noting that John wrote the reviews in a nonfiction form of
third-person omniscient narration, Sarah pointed out that reviews often act as a form of memoir, saying that, "in the Anthropocene, there are no disinterested observers; there are only participants."
John cited this as a major reason he chose to put more of himself into the reviews.
John Green, in the introduction to ''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' book, also revealed that he had begun to have trouble writing fiction because of the ways readers were conflating his protagonists views with his own. Green specifically referenced a 2017
Allegra Goodman
Allegra Goodman (born 1967) is an American author based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Goodman wrote and illustrated her first novel at the age of seven.
Biography
Allegra Goodman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Hawaii. The daughter ...
quote, "I seem to be writing it myself, but since I'm a novelist, it's all in code."
In an interview with ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' in June 2021, Green elaborated, stating that, "I didn't want to write in code anymore. I wanted to try to write as myself because I've never done that in any formal way."
Post-debut
The podcast's first episode was published on January 29, 2018.
Green reflected in a November 2018 interview with ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' that, "''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' is an opportunity for me to get back to my roots. With the podcast, I want to pay careful and sustained attention to the world around me, and that's something I often feel like I don't do, especially when I'm on the internet."
In June 2019,
Roman Mars
Roman Mars is an American radio producer. He is the host and producer of '' 99% Invisible'', a KALW radio show and podcast, and a founder of the podcast collective Radiotopia, which he describes as efforts "to broaden the radio landscape ndmak ...
interviewed Green about his show in an episode of ''
99% Invisible
''99% Invisible'' is a radio show and podcast produced and created by Roman Mars that focuses on design. It began as a collaborative project between San Francisco public radio station KALW and the American Institute of Architects in San Francisco ...
'' which also featured the reviews from episodes six and nine.
The Lascaux Paintings essay from episode six was also adapted into an animated visualization by the German YouTube channel
Kurzgesagt
Kurzgesagt (; German for "In a nutshell" or "in a few words") is a German-made animation and design studio founded by Philipp Dettmer. The studio's YouTube channel focuses on minimalist animated educational content, using the flat and 3D desig ...
in May 2020.
In August 2019, John and Hank performed live versions of their podcasts on stage, with John presenting a new episode of ''The Anthropocene Reviewed'', as well as a live episode of their shared podcast ''
Dear Hank & John''.
The live performances returned in March 2020 with a planned three-city tour including stops in
Columbus, Ohio and
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel is a suburban city in Indiana immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 100,777, the city spans across Clay Township in Hamilton County, Indiana, and is bordered by the White River to the east; the Hamilton-Boone county l ...
, with a third performance set for
Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, the third performance was cancelled due to the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
On the August 2020 episode titled "''The Anthropocene Reviewed'', Reviewed", Green announced he would be taking a hiatus from the podcast after the following month's episode in part to work on a book adaptation of the podcast. In April 2021 the podcast returned for a four-episode season coinciding with the release of the book.
The fourth episode was released on August 26, 2021, with Green commenting the day before in a video posted to his
Vlogbrothers
Vlogbrothers (sometimes stylized as VlogBrothers or vlogbrothers) is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John Green and Hank Green. The first incarnation of the brothers' online ...
YouTube channel
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most v ...
that he believed the episode would be his last. He stated, "Working on ''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' has been an incredible experience, but I think I'm ready to go back to writing fiction... maybe?"
Book
''The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet'' was published by
Dutton Penguin
E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...
on May 18, 2021, Green's first nonfiction book and sixth solo publication.
The book features revised versions of many of the essays from the podcast, as well as new original essays, ordered chronologically through Green's life to give the book the approximate structure of a memoir.
Green wrote about living through the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
in many of the essays.
He also narrated the audiobook, which was released simultaneously with the hardcover.
In addition to the English version, translated versions were released in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, and
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
.
As he had done with many of his previous books, Green signed all 250,000
tip-in sheets of the first printing for the United States and Canada. He wrote a review of the experience on the final signed page.
This review was later revised and expanded on for an episode of the podcast released on the same day as the book. Green hosted a virtual
book tour, with guests
Clint Smith
Clinton James "Snuffy" Smith (December 12, 1913 – May 19, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and head coach best known for his time spent in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player with the New York Rangers and the Chic ...
,
Latif Nasser
Latif Abdul Nasser (born July 21, 1986) is a Canadian-American researcher, writer and presenter. He is the Director of Research and co-host at ''Radiolab'' and host of the Netflix show ''Connected''.
Early life and education
Nasser was born to ...
, Sarah Urist Green, Hank Green, and
Ashley C. Ford making appearances at the various shows.
In November 2021, John Green announced an accompanying
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...
sold through the
Green brothers
The Green brothers, John (born 1977) and Hank (born 1980), are two American entrepreneurs, social activists, authors, and YouTube vloggers. The two extensively work together, having started their collaborative popularity with a daily vlog proj ...
'
e-commerce
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain managem ...
store
DFTBA.com. The zine is 20 pages long and contains reviews from John Green and Stan Muller, a poem by
Rosianna Halse Rojas, and illustrations by Nadim Silverman.
In April 2022, the book was chosen to be the 2022
common read at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
.
Green gave a
keynote address at the university's annual fall convocation.
Reception
The book received positive reviews and sold well, with more than 57,000 copies purchased during its first week. It debuted as a
number one ''New York Times'' Best Seller in the
Combined Print & E-books Nonfiction and Hardcover Nonfiction categories, staying on the latter list for nine weeks.
It was subsequently listed at number six on the
American Booksellers Association's Year-End 2021 Bestseller List in the category of hardcover nonfiction.
''Booklist'', ''
Library Journal'', ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', and ''
Shelf Awareness
Shelf Awareness is an American publishing company that produces two electronic publications/newsletters focused on bookselling, books and book reviews.
Overview
With offices in Seattle, Washington, and Montclair, New Jersey, ''Shelf Awareness' ...
'' all gave
starred reviews, with the last stating that "each of the 44 entries
..is a small gem, polished to near perfection."
Adam Frank reviewing the book for
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
wrote how each essay, "is a web of salient and unexpected connections."
Elizabeth Greenwood from ''
The San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The p ...
'' wrote, "''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."
Scott Neumyer of
Shondaland
Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer/producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her first s ...
wrote that, "Green may have made his name by writing fiction (and for good reason), but this first foray into nonfiction is his most mature, compelling, and beautifully written book yet."
In November 2021, the book was named to the
longlist for the 2022
.
The book also won the 2021
Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Nonfiction.
Reviews
Podcast episodes
Ratings are presented in the order that topics are listed in the title, regardless of order presented within the episode.
Text-based reviews
Reviews in ''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' book originally from the podcast are excluded from the table below.
References
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthropocene Reviewed, The
2018 podcast debuts
2021 non-fiction books
American podcasts
Anthropocene
Books about the COVID-19 pandemic
Educational podcasts
Essay collections
Memoirs
WNYC Studios programs
Works by the Green brothers
Podcasts adapted for other media