The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

In Green’s (The Fault in Our Stars) latest book, he dives into a wide range of topics, including Halley’s Comet, scratch-and-sniff stickers, Diet Dr. Pepper, sunsets, the movie Penguins of Madagascar, Monopoly, whispering, and plague, to name a few. This collection of essays began as a podcast (The Anthropocene Reviewed), where Green covered topics of his choosing but also those suggested by listeners, resulting in the eclectic list of subjects. Yet it’s hard to tell who chose what, because each topic feels as significant as the others, even the more light-hearted ones. In each essay, Green reveals a little bit of himself through personal anecdotes as he relates the history of the essay’s topic and its connection to the world today; he then rates each on a five-star scale. Green’s extensive research is evident throughout the essays (and in the endnotes in the print edition of the book), but it’s his lyrical phrasing and openness that will stick with readers. Fans of the podcast will recognize some of its topics in the audiobook (with minor updates), but many other essays are brand new; several essays touch on the COVID-19 pandemic or refer to events from 2020 and early 2021. Green himself narrates the audiobook, in a performance that brings nuance to the essays; listeners can clearly hear the transitions between humor, sorrow, joy, and wonder in each short section.