The Anthropocene Reviewed

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The Anthropocene Reviewed
Presentation
Hosted byJohn Green
GenreCommentary
Created byJohn Green
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesMonthly
Production
ProductionRosianna Halse Rojas
Stan Muller
Composed byHannis Brown
Audio formatMP3
No. of episodes36
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 29, 2018 (2018-01-29) –
August 26, 2021 (2021-08-26)
ProviderComplexly
WNYC Studios (episodes 1–32)

The Anthropocene Reviewed is the shared name of a

Diet Dr. Pepper, natural species, such as the Canada goose, whose fates have been altered by human influence, and phenomena that primarily influence humanity, such as Halley's Comet
.

The podcast was released monthly until September 2020, when Green announced he was putting it on hiatus as he adapted it into a book. The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, was published by

Dutton Penguin 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 book's publication, Green announced he had no plans to release any more episodes.

Podcast

Lascaux paintings, Staphylococcus aureus, Hawaiian pizza, Halley's Comet
.

Each podcast typically covers two topics, which have included celestial phenomena, works of art, diseases, and human emotions. The subjects serve as starting points for explorations of Green's own life and perspectives in the form of memoir-like essays, which have been described as "thought-provoking reviews [that] use a blend of poetry, historical detail and humor."[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Background

The premise for the podcast was born from a number of sources. Green worked for the book review journal Booklist in the early 2000s, where he reviewed hundreds of books over five years, sparking his interest in reviews as a literary format.[7][8]

John (left) and Hank Green (right) during their 2017 book tour

In October 2017, after the release of Green's novel Turtles All the Way Down, he and his brother Hank Green went on a book tour. As they traveled the country, they passed 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.[1] While reflecting on the increased prevalence of reviews and the five-star scale in modern life, John told Hank he had once had an idea to write a review of Canada geese, to which Hank responded, "The Anthropocene... reviewed!"[8][1]

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. 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, "in the Anthropocene, there are no disinterested observers; there are only participants."[8] John cited this as a major reason he chose to put more of himself into the reviews.[8][9]

In the introduction to The Anthropocene Reviewed book, Green 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 quote; Goodman was asked who she would like to have write her life story, to which she responded, "I seem to be writing it myself, but since I'm a novelist, it's all in code."[8][7] In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Green elaborated, saying, "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."[7]

Post-debut

The podcast's first episode was published on January 29, 2018.

Vulture, Green said, "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."[11]

In June 2019, Roman Mars interviewed Green about his show in an episode of 99% Invisible that also featured the reviews from episodes six and nine.[5] The Lascaux Paintings essay from episode six was also adapted into an animated visualization by the German YouTube channel Kurzgesagt in May 2020.[12]

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.[13] The live performances returned in March 2020 with a planned three-city tour including stops in Columbus, Ohio and Carmel, Indiana, with a third performance set for Ann Arbor, Michigan that was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]

On the August 2020 episode "The Anthropocene Reviewed, Reviewed", Green announced he would be taking a hiatus from the podcast after the next episode in part to work on a book adaptation of the podcast.

YouTube channel that he believed the episode would be his last: "Working on The Anthropocene Reviewed has been an incredible experience, but I think I'm ready to go back to writing fiction—maybe?"[17]

Book

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
ISBN
978-0525555216

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet was published by

Dutton Penguin on May 18, 2021, Green's first nonfiction book and sixth solo publication.[18] 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.[19][1][20][21] Green wrote about living through the COVID-19 pandemic in many of the essays.[22][23] He also narrated the audiobook, which was released simultaneously with the hardcover and contains three additional audiobook-exclusive essays.[23][24] In addition to the English version, translated versions were released in German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch.[25][26][27]

As he did 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.[28] This review was later revised and expanded on for an episode of the podcast released on the same day as the book.[29] Green hosted a virtual book tour, with guests Clint Smith, Latif Nasser, Sarah Urist Green, Hank Green, and Ashley C. Ford making appearances at the various shows.[30]

In November 2021, Green announced an accompanying

DFTBA.com. The zine is 20 pages long and contains reviews by Green and Stan Muller, a poem by Rosianna Halse Rojas, and illustrations by Nadim Silverman.[31][32]

In April 2022, the book was chosen to be the 2022

common read at the University of Mississippi.[33] Green gave a keynote address at the university's annual fall convocation.[34][35]

The paperback edition was released on March 21, 2023, with the inclusion of two additional essays.[36][37][38] Green hosted an event at Miami Dade College on March 23 for the launch of the book.[37]

Reception

The book received positive reviews and sold well, with more than 57,000 copies purchased during its first week. It debuted as a

The San Francisco Chronicle 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."[46] Scott Neumyer of Shondaland wrote, "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."[47]

In November 2021, the book was named to the

Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Nonfiction.[49][34]

Reviews

Auld Lang Syne – The Anthropocene Reviewed
The 23rd episode of the podcast, reviewing "Auld Lang Syne"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Podcast episodes

Ratings are presented in the order that topics are listed in the title, regardless of order presented within the episode.

No. Title Rating(s) Duration Release date Ref.
1"
Canada Geese and Diet Dr Pepper"
16:44January 29, 2018 (2018-01-29)[50][1]
2"Halley's Comet and Cholera"18:36February 21, 2018 (2018-02-21)[50][1]
3"
Strangers and Kentucky Bluegrass"
18:42March 28, 2018 (2018-03-28)[50][1]
4"Super Mario Kart and Bonneville Salt Flats"17:46April 26, 2018 (2018-04-26)[50][1]
5"
Viral Meningitis"
20:34May 31, 2018 (2018-05-31)[50][1]
6"Lascaux Paintings and Taco Bell Breakfast Menu"17:50July 18, 2018 (2018-07-18)[50][1]
7"The Yips and CNN"20:12August 30, 2018 (2018-08-30)[50][1]
8"Whispering and the Weather"19:16September 27, 2018 (2018-09-27)[50][1]
9"Pennies and Piggly Wiggly"21:28October 25, 2018 (2018-10-25)[50]
10"
the Seed Potatoes of Leningrad"
22:46November 15, 2018 (2018-11-15)[50]
11"Teddy Bears and Penalty Shootouts"24:47December 27, 2018 (2018-12-27)[50]
12"Indianapolis and Love at First Sight"22:05January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)[50][4]
13"
Velociraptors and Harvey"
20:26February 28, 2019 (2019-02-28)[50]
14"The Hall of Presidents and New Partner"21:22March 28, 2019 (2019-03-28)[50]
15"Prom and Stanford Marshmallow Experiment"19:22April 25, 2019 (2019-04-25)[50]
-"Jogging and Playing Bullshit with Nat Wolff"18:29May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)
(Project for Awesome exclusive)		[51]
16"Scratch 'n' Sniff Stickers and the Indianapolis 500"22:41May 30, 2019 (2019-05-30)[50]
17"Gray Aliens and Rock Paper Scissors"22:16June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)[50]
18"
Air Conditioning and Sycamore Trees"
23:40July 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)[50]
19"Hot Dog Eating Contest and Chemotherapy"25:09August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)[50]
20"
QWERTY Keyboard and the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō"
23:20September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26)[50]
21"Capacity for Wonder and Sunsets"23:48October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)[50]
22"Notes App and Sports Rivalries"22:58November 27, 2019 (2019-11-27)[50]
23 "Auld Lang Syne" 24:07 December 26, 2019 (2019-12-26) [50]
24"Works of Art by Agnes Martin and Hiroyuki Doi"22:43January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)[50]
25"
Staphylococcus Aureus and the Non-Denial Denial"
23:48February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)[50]
26 "Humanity's Temporal Range" 22:58 March 26, 2020 (2020-03-26) [50]
27"Monopoly and Academic Decathlon"24:14April 30, 2020 (2020-04-30)[50]
28"
Jerzy Dudek"
27:29May 28, 2020 (2020-05-28)[50]
29 "Seventeen Listener Suggestions, Reviewed"
List
 22:43 June 25, 2020 (2020-06-25) [50]
30"Mortification and Civilization"27:35July 30, 2020 (2020-07-30)[50]
31 "The Anthropocene Reviewed, Reviewed"
(podcast)
(experience) 		24:42 August 27, 2020 (2020-08-27) [50]
32 "Plague" 26:12 September 24, 2020 (2020-09-24) [50]
33"Penguins of Madagascar and the Smallpox Vaccine"28:05April 29, 2021 (2021-04-29)[52]
34"Icelandic Hot Dog Stand and Signing Your Name 250,000 Times"25:39May 18, 2021 (2021-05-18)[52]
35 "
Ginkgo Biloba
" 		28:21 June 30, 2021 (2021-06-30) [52]
36 "Orbital Sunrise" 24:05 August 26, 2021 (2021-08-26) [52]

Text-based reviews

Reviews in The Anthropocene Reviewed book originally from the podcast are excluded from the table below.

Subject Rating Source Release date Ref.
Coffee mugs
 Coffee mug sold as a
DFTBA.com
exclusive 		February 27, 2020 (2020-02-27) [53][54]
Signing your name 250,000 times Hand-written on the tip-in sheet of a single copy of The Anthropocene Reviewed book March 30, 2021 (2021-03-30) [28][55]
The Internet
 First published in the main text of The Anthropocene Reviewed book May 18, 2021 (2021-05-18) [8][1]
Wintry mix
The World's Largest Ball of Paint
Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance[note 1]
Autographs
 Page opposite the autographed tip-in sheet of The Anthropocene Reviewed book
Bembo MT Pro
Copyright page
of The Anthropocene Reviewed book
Half-title pages Half-title page of The Anthropocene Reviewed book
Back page book
ads
 Back page of The Anthropocene Reviewed book
Zines First published in The Anthropocene Reviewed zine November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) [32]
Sperm banks[note 2]

References

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  2. ^ Goudsmit, Robin (November 19, 2020). "'The Anthropocene Reviewed' biedt een moment van bezinning met 's werelds meest geliefde nerd". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Lindquist, David. "John Green's 'Anthropocene Reviewed' podcast critiques the good, bad and fatal". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. ^ a b May, Ethan. "'Spectacular in our ordinariness': How John Green rated Indianapolis in a new podcast episode". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "The Anthropocene Reviewed". WBEZ Chicago. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Quah, Nicholas (March 30, 2020). "Looking for a Distraction? Try These Escapist Podcasts". Vulture. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Egan, Elisabeth (June 10, 2021). "John Green is Not Writing in Code". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-0525555216
    .
  9. ^ Yasharoff, Hannah (June 7, 2021). "Green Searches for Wonder in the Everyday". USA Today. Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Locker, Melissa (November 8, 2018). "Exclusive: John and Hank Green have a slate of podcasts coming to WNYC Studios". Fast Company. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  11. ^ Quah, Nicholas (November 15, 2018). "John Green Loves Podcasting Because It Reminds Him of Early YouTube". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Past We Can Never Return To – The Anthropocene Reviewed". Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. YouTube. May 24, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Lindquist, David. "'Vlogbrothers' John and Hank Green plan tour stop in Carmel". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "CANCELED: Dear Hank and John: Minotour 2020 in Ann Arbor, MI". Hank and John. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Anthropocene Reviewed, Reviewed – The Anthropocene Reviewed". Spotify. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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  22. ^ a b Frank, Adam. "Author John Green Explores How To Live In Uncertainty In 'The Anthropocene Reviewed'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Pentland, Courtney (August 1, 2021). "The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet". Library Journal. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  24. ^ a b Smith, Candace. "Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green. | Booklist Online". Booklist Online. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
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Notes

  1. ^ This essay is adapted from an episode of The Art Assignment released on February 28, 2019, where no starred review was given.[56]
  2. ^ This was a guest essay by Green's longtime production partner Stan Muller.
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