I did not expect for a John Green non-fiction book to become one of my favorite books but here we are.

I very casually read a couple of John Green's fiction books when I was younger but I grew out of that brand of YA pretty quickly. When I heard about The Anthropocene Reviewed I expected more of the same, but I was incredibly surprised.

If you need some joy and hope with a twinge of bittersweet sadness during this hell of a pandemic, I cannot recommend this book. This book helped me find beauty in the mundane but to cope with some of the most horrific parts of life in a way that didn't feel like either romanticization or denial. I especially adored the explorations of mental health and community throughout the entire book.

While I did like John Green's writing style previously, it never really stuck with me but I think the format and subject material of this book made it really stick with me. 

This book was an incredibly intense rollercoaster with high highs and low lows, that still managed to give me hope for the future and remind myself of the beauty that humanity can be.

 This book accomplishes so much. It's imbued with the same care and thoughtfulness that Green has used to make YouTube videos for many years. He captures a sliver of the human experience yet showcases its beautiful, terrible, ephemeral nature. When the big things in life were overwhelming me, this book focusing on small things and small experiences was a welcome respite. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about both important events and useless trivia, to anyone struggling to get back into reading (the essays are short and easily absorbed), and to anyone who is tired of toxic positivity when they are feeling down. This book felt like someone sitting beside you when you're hurting and just being there. 

That John Green sure can write a book! I loved this, and I love the podcast that inspired it as well.