Anthropocene Reviewed,a non-fiction book by John Green, is a collection of essays that review different facets of human centred planet on a 5-star scale, as John likes to put it. The choice of essay topics is interesting and of wide variety. There is an essay on Sunset, one on Cave Paintings in France, one on Teddy Bears, couple of them are on John’s favourite songs - “You’‘ll never walk alone”, “New Partner”. The essays are filled with interesting facts, rich insights and some emotional stories.

We, humans constantly want to see pattern and meaning in every thing. We look for patterns in incidents happening and refuse to acknowledge role of randomness. We want to find meaning out of every action. As I reflected on some aspects of the books, I felt there was some deep meaning hidden that author wanted to convey. Before I share my personal thoughts, I would like to share few interesting insights from a couple of essays.

Interesting Insights

What I liked most the essays was John’s unique rich insight on a simple topic. For example, in the review of “Diet Dr Pepper”(a drink) John tells us how creation of such a drink is an example of what wonders humans can do. A unique taste is always attributed to things obtained directly from Nature. Most of the soft drinks are just a version of Natural tastes. For example, Cola is derived from kola nuts and vanilla, two real-world flavors. Sprite has that lemon-lime taste. Purple soda is grape-flavoured. But Dr Pepper has no natural-world analogue. The taste of Dr Diet Pepper is purely a creation of chemist.

Each time I drink Diet Dr Pepper, I am newly astonished. Look at what humans can do! They can make ice-cold, sugary-sweet, zero-calorie soda that tastes like everything and also like nothing. Each time I drink Diet Dr Pepper, I am newly astonished. Look at what humans can do! They can make ice-cold, sugary-sweet, zero-calorie soda that tastes like everything and also like nothing.

And in another essay John reviews “Lascaux Cave Paintings”. These are Cave Paintings in France. John discusses the interesting story of how these were discovered by a group of kids and a dog. But what’s more interesting is that John’s thoughts on why these cavemen did these drawings. He writes that cavemen were no different from us(the Modern Man), who seeks pleasures in art. Though Art doesn’t increase any survival prospects of the cavemen, they did it extensively as if art isn’t optional for humans

But the hand stencils also remind us that humans of the past were as human as we are. Their hands were indistinguishable from ours. More than that, we know they were like us in other ways. These communities hunted and gathered, and there were no large caloric surpluses, so every healthy person would have had to contribute to the acquisition of food and water—and yet somehow, they still made time to create art, almost as if art isn’t optional for humans.

There are many such essays filled with such interesting insights. As I read through the book, I began appreciating the perspectives of John more. The perspective and insights are not just clever, but they have a human aspect, which makes the essays more enjoyable.

Why only 3.5 Stars?

As I said, each essay is a review on a topic. At the end of the essay, John gives a rating out of 5 for the topic. Each essay ends with the line I give <Topic> <X> stars. I was curious on what basis John gives the rating. Like why things like “Our capacity to wonder” was given only 3.5 stars?. Why were “Sunsets” given give stars?

I speculate that some of the topics were rated from the perspectives of humanity as a whole to convey a message. In a review on “Our capacity to wonder”, John talks about our aesthetic sense to appreciate the beauty around us and be wondered. In the beginning of the essay, John quotes Fitzgerald from The Great Gatsby - For a transitory enchanted moment, man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. And he continues talking about the book and its history in detail.

In the end, he talks about a personal incident at the forest woods, and how he felt when he looked at a beautiful Brown Oak Leaf. John beautifully writes…

….I began to look as well[at the leaf], and I soon realized it wasn’t just a brown leaf. Its veins spidered out red and orange and yellow in a pattern too complex for my brain to synthesize, and the more I looked at that leaf with Henry[his son], the more I was compelled into an aesthetic contemplation I neither understood nor desired, face-to-face with something commensurate to my capacity for wonder.

And John concludes telling that there are plenty of beautiful things around that can amaze us, but its only our attentiveness that is scarce.

From the quark to the supernova, the wonders do not cease. It is our attentiveness that is in short supply, our ability and willingness to do the work that awe requires.

“Our capacity to wonder” is a unique quality of humans. But John gives “Our capacity” to wonder only 3.5 stars. I guess here John wanted to make the point that humans don’t fully appreciate this beautiful quality. We don’t spend enough time or effort in being awed by the things around us. The low rating depicts our lack of effort to capture the wonder. So don’t let your capacity to wonder be submerged under the daily busy activities. The capacity to wonder is what makes humans unique from rest of the species.

And interestingly, the first topic in the book that was given 5 stars was “Sunsets”. Sunset is an epitome of nature’s beauty. No one requires any explanation to appreciate sunset, the mere sight of it compels one into aesthetic contemplation that is neither understood nor desired. Sunsets do deserve 5 stars, and also do every other beautiful thing in Nature - the tree, the rain, the breeze and every other thing!

Why no essay on Rick Roll?

While reading the book, I thought about the choice of topics. The book contains an essay on the song - “You’ll never walk alone”, on essay on the song “Auld Lang Syne”, one on the song - “New Partner”. But I wondered why wasn’t there an essay on the most popular song - “Never Gonna Give you Up”(Rick Roll). People regard this song as Internet’s theme song. Similarly, there is an essay on the movie “Harvey”, one on the movie “Penguins of Madagascar”. I wondered why wasn’t there an essay on other popular films - like Dark Knight Trilogy, Titanic, Inception. These movies and songs are widely loved and appreciated. More than sunsets I suppose! Why aren’t there essays on such popular movies and songs?

It is then I realised that what makes the book special is that John wrote essays on the topics which he loved. Because he loved these songs and movies as they have a key role in his personal past stories, he could think deeply about them and provide such wonderful insight. Of course, he could have researched about Rick Roll like he researched about Super Markets for the essay “Piggly Wiggly”. But I think there would not be much he could not be such wonderful insights. Such insights only occur when you are emotionally connected to the topic, which enable you to deeply think and understand its different facets.

I realised that one should write about things that excites her. Don’t write on a X topic, because it is popular or because you think it will have wider audience. Write only about things that connect to you emotionally. When you are connected emotionally to a topic, you can contemplate about it and provide unique thoughts which no one ever can. The combination of incidents you face, the books you read, the people you meet, the movies you watch; though there might be intersection in each of the individual things, but the combination of all of these things is unique. And this unique combination is a experience, which no one else has experience which no one else on earth has faced ever before in the past, or will experience it in the future. Hence, on enough contemplation, you will have a unique set of thoughts, which only you are capable of producing. Though, this seems like a glorified argument telling - “Just be you!”(which in one way it actually is), this feeling became more strong as I noticed the John’s personal stories in essays.

Harvey is not as popular as some of the classical movies. But this movie has a great influence in John’s aspect in his life, when he was depressed. After coming from work, he would just be lying on the kitchen floor watching the Sprite. For a couple of weeks, John was unable to eat any solid food and survived on Sprite. One day he decided to take a break from his job and attend medication. Before he left he had told his situation to his magazine’s publisher(John worked at Booklist magazine) Bill. Bill left a small note on John’s desk which says

John, I stopped by to say goodbye. Hope all goes well and you’re back here in two weeks with an appetite that would put a longshoreman to shame. Now more than ever: Watch Harvey. –Bill

In such desperate times, John found hope after watching the movie. He could return back to his work after a couple of months. As John writes I have never felt quite as hopeless since watching Harvey as I did just before I watched it. John admits that the medication had helped him, but he gives good amount of credit to the role of the movie in his recovery. John found the movie in his desperate times, and I believe that this deep connection with movie made the essay beautiful. I loved the last lines of the essay, which go this way…

I hope you never find yourself on the floor of your kitchen. I hope you never cry in front of your boss desperate with pain. But if you do, I hope they will give you some time off and tell you what Bill told me: Now, more than ever, watch Harvey.

By the way, Harvey was given 5 stars.

In the same way, there is an essay on the song - New Partner. This is again a less known song. When I heard this song on YouTube, almost all the comments of the video were thanking John for recommending this beautiful song. Like the movie Harvey, this song played a special role in John’s life. It provided him comfort in some of the painful moments, as he liked in the essay.

The concluding lines of this essay are a masterpiece

At the end of the song, I ask my son if he liked it and he says, “A little.” He’ll have a different song. You probably have a different one, too. I hope it carries you to places you need to visit without asking you to stay in them.

Even New Partner was given 5 stars.

Epilogue

There are popular books, where there something for everyone in the book. Different parts of a book appeal to different people due to the varying interests and backgrounds. But Anthropocene reviewed is one of the rare books, where everything is for everyone.

I give Anthropocene Reviewed 5 Stars.