Inspiration for Journaling: Reviewing “The Anthropocene Reviewed”

Last year, I spent a good bit of time reading and reviewing books for this blog. The books were all what you would consider “inspirational” or self-help reading and touched on self-care, goal-setting, and mental health. (At the bottom of this post, you can find the list of books I reviewed and a link to their articles)

I am still reading new books this year, but I will not be reviewing as many. However, I had to share some impressions of a book that doesn’t quite fit the genre of the books normally reviewed on this blog, but I think is equally as helpful as the ones I reviewed last year.

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green (#Ad below) is not a book I would normally pick up to read, but it was recommended to me by my sister. She said I should read it because “it is the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re not alone in the world.” That intrigued me.

So, I did what she recommended. I grabbed two copies of the book- one to read on my kindle and one to listen to on audio. And, I found that it not only validated my own human experience, it inspired me to think and write about my experiences in similar way.

In this article, I will briefly review this very unique book and provide my impressions of it. I will also follow that up with some ways to use this book as inspiration for your own review of the Anthropocene. Finally, I include the full list of books that I reviewed in 2021.

A Look at “The Anthropocene Reviewed”

What is the Anthropocene?

According to Merriam Webster, the term Anthropocene is “the period of time during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth regarded as constituting a distinct geological age.” According to John Green, the Anthropocene “is a proposed term for the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity.”

Basically, when we refer to the “Anthropocene,” we are talking about our current age, in which our activities are continuing to have an impact on our planet. Experts claim it started in the mid-20^th century.

So, with a name like that, you would think the book has to do with environmental issues such as climate change. It, however, does not. Or, at least, not entirely.

About John Green

But, before I get into the book’s content, let me touch on the author a bit. John Greene is an author better known for his young adult fiction works such as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Turtles All the Way Down.” I had no idea he did any non-fiction writing until I read this book.

Green explains that he began writing “The Anthropocene Reviewed” while in quarantine during 2020. And, after having it read it myself, I think it’s clear he took this as a time to sit and reflect on the world he lives in and his own world during this time.

I also learned that Green worked for a few years writing book reviews for “Booklist” magazine. (This was after he spent a few months working as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital- something else I didn’t know about him until reading the book.) While he analyzed and summarized books for “Booklist” readers, Green notes that the reviews did not include a 5-star rating.

In fact, Green points out that the 5-star rating system had never been used to rate books until Amazon.com introduced the system for its customer reviews. Green notes the drawbacks of using 5-star systems for rating works as complicated as books. However, he seems to combine a more detailed review of the various subjects in this book with the 5-star system to create reviews that we all can relate to.

Although he did not begin writing this book until the pandemic, Green explained that this book actually began as a podcast on “the contradiction of human power.” This led to his writing about these contradictions during a pandemic, which he characterized as a “large force” of the Anthropocene. In other words, without the advances in technology and globalization humans have achieved, the virus never would have spread as quickly and efficiently as it has. Pretty contradictory, huh?

The Book’s Contents

This book is really interesting because John Green specifically reviews aspects of the Anthropocene that touch on his own personal life experiences. And, he reviews them through a seemingly random assortment.

Unlike most books, which are arranged topically into chapters. This book has a separate section for each item reviewed. Here is a list of the numerous topics that make up the chapters of this book:

As you can see, there are a lot of essays in this book. Most are just a few pages long, but they cover a lot of topics.  Each “chapter” is actually an essay on an individual topic with the author’s explanation of the thing, phenomenon or event in question, his personal reflections on it, and a star rating at the end.

So, unlike my other book reviews, which summarize the key points of the books (most of which were written with an eye toward providing the reader some direction or instruction in their personal life), this review will be structured a bit differently. That is because “The Anthropocene Reviewed” is a different kind of book.

I enjoyed each and every essay in this book. But, since they are not really arranged in a manner that allows me to summarize the contents, I’ll instead point out a few topics that inspired or resonated with me and explain why.  

Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Stickers. This chapter brought me all kinds of childhood nostalgia. Green and I are just a few years apart (both in our mid-40s), so it didn’t surprise me that essays like this would resonate with me. He first touches upon the power of scent and how our sense of smell can evoke memories. I loved how he pointed out the contradiction of scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers: that they either smell “aggressively artificial” or “straightforwardly chemical.” Green even explains the evolution of these stickers, which were once used to teach folks about the scent added to natural gas, and how they are made. He also includes his personal memories. While my memories of these stickers take me back to a time of picking them out at a small stationery store with my grandmother and using them to fill my precious sticker book, his include being bullied by his peers and later being comforted by his mother. This chapter taught me that we may not be alone, but we can experience the same things very differently from one another.

Air-Conditioning. This chapter is one of the few that most fits with the notion of an Anthropocene, since it necessarily discusses rising global temperatures and our human desire to remain comfortable. This desire, in turn, led to the invention of air-conditioning, which led to our ability to live in places that normally would not be habitable to humans. If you are a nerd, like I am, these sorts of chapters will fill the need to learn new information about the world around us. As always, Green did his research. He explains the origins of the air-conditioning (where and why it was invented in the first place) and the history of human efforts to deal with uncomfortable temperatures, including heat waves, which can be deadly. Green’s essay reminded me that there is likely no more contradictory a human development than that of air-conditioning, which both keeps us cool but at the cost of increasing global temperatures (this was in a Schoolhouse Rock episode on energy, you may recall).

Piggly-Wiggly. I was a kid when I first heard about a Piggly Wiggly. We were watching the moving “Driving Miss Daisy,” when Jessica Tandy’s character stubbornly decided to walk to the Piggly Wiggly rather than have Morgan Freeman’s character drive her. I honestly thought it was a made up name used solely in the movie. However, going to college in North Carolina taught me otherwise, as I finally saw a Piggly-Wiggly in person. It took John Green to expand my knowledge of this grocery store chain. Green related the history of the store and its ambitious founder, Clarence Saunders, who revolutionized the grocery store experience and made it what it is today- one of convenience, self-service, and a variety of products that are nearly all shelf-stable. He also opened my eyes to the rest of the Saunders story, which included his Wall Street woes and the many ways he tried to recreate his success only to suffer a second bankruptcy. This little piece of history was a fascinating lesson in the ebb and flow of progress in the business world.

Super Mario Kart. My kids play the Nintendo Switch version of this game, so I was intrigued when I saw Green chose to review it in his book. Mario Kart is a video game where players choose Nintendo-character avatars and vehicles with different abilities along a race track with the goal of placing first. I’m not sure how many people can play at one time, but it seems that if you have enough controllers, you can probably have one person for each character in the race. Green explains the game well, along with why it was created and his own experience of playing an earlier version of it as a child. However, Green goes far deeper than just providing a description of this game and its rules. He actually draws a metaphor from the game and analogizes it to how our own society works. He notes that, while in Super Mario Kart, the stronger racers face greater challenges while the weaker ones are provided some advantages, and that this seems to be the opposite of how our world works. I truly enjoyed the way Green evoked the vision of a better, more just world, from this iconic game.

Auld Lang Syne. It was an excerpt from this essay my sister read to me which convinced me that I would enjoy this book. It is also one of the essays that I feel makes the book so relatable and affirming of the human experience. Green points out the contradiction that we ring in each new year by singing an ancient song. He goes back as far as he can in the song’s history, acknowledging that one can only go so far back as no one knows the song’s true origins, which seems to be both a drinking song and “a rousing ode to splitting the check.” Green seems to shrug his shoulders in acceptance of this and notes that “mostly, the song is just an unapologetic celebration of the good old days.” What makes this chapter so heart-tugging for me, is that Green tells the story of the song while interweaving a story of his own- the passing of a dear friend from cancer. Back and forth, the essay touches on the evolution of this song while Green narrates his feelings about losing someone so dear and not having words to express to her what he feels. This, to me, is what the Anthropocene is all about. Our human experience is one of knowing and not knowing. Having traditions for things that pass, and yet being at a total loss of what to do when we lose someone. Like some of the essays in this book, this one is tear-jerker. Hearing Green sing some of the song’s lyrics made me understand why my sister recommended listening to it as well as reading it.

I could review and reflect on each chapter in this book, but it would make for an inordinately long blog post and might violate some copyright laws (maybe, I don’t know. That’s not the law I practice). But, mostly, I hope this review sparks in others a desire to pick it up and read it. I also hope it encourages others to listen to it (there are other essays where the audio seems essential to experiencing the author’s message).

In short, I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” five stars.

Journaling Inspired by “The Anthropocene Reviewed”

I found that as much as I loved “The Anthropocene Reviewed” and wanted to learn more about various topics from John Green, I also began to think of my own history, experience, and world around me as material ripe for review. Being someone who loves to journal, I knew that this book was not only life-affirming, it was inspiring for anyone who wants to write and reflect.

While Green’s book contains a seemingly random assortment of topics, there are some themes from which we can draw inspiration for reviewing the Anthropocene as we experience it. Below are some areas to consider for writing your own journaling review essays as well as some formatting tips to help keep you organized.

Topic Ideas

Pop Culture. Feel free to draw from any sort of popular culture reference that relates to your past or current experience. Given Green’s age, I was surprised he didn’t include “Saved by the Bell” or any 90s sitcoms. You can write about plays, musicals, TV shows, movies, or novels. Perhaps you would rather focus on music, foods, or brands which have had some staying power. Any iconic pop culture reference would make a great topic for a journal entry.

Historical Events or Figures. These needn’t be limited to events or people which became well-known after the 1950s (when it is estimate the Anthropocene began). Feel free to draw on any sort of history that resonates with you. Also, history is anything that has taken place before today. So, it’s all fair play: politics, sports, music, etc. You can even talk about past natural disasters or human tragedies that hold a place in your memory for some reason.

Nostalgic Memories. Green’s personal memories about things from his youth were some of the most engaging for me, and ones that most make me want to write about my own experiences. So, in the same way that Green writes about the Teddy Bear and scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers, you can write about toys, games, and places from your childhood.

Wonders of the World. I think that so long as you have a personal connection to something, it is fair game for journaling. Consider writing about iconic or historical places. Perhaps take a place to visit off of your bucket list and delve into why you personally want to travel there. Also, these can be classic wonders, ancient wonders, or natural wonders.

Human Achievements. Another great journaling topic that fits within the concept of the Anthropocene is that of our human achievements. Much like the chapter on air-conditioning, you could write about one of our countless human inventions, new technologies, or even eras of advancement. Consider not only how these affect the greater society, but the role they may play in your day-to-day life.

Human Nature. Are there any human tendencies that make you wonder about our species? Exploring some aspect of our human nature (as Green did in his chapter titled, “Our Capacity for Wonder”) may help you to take a different view of how you see the world or how others are interacting with it. I know that I will likely write about our desire to create.

Tips for Writing Review-like Journal Entries

While Green doesn’t have a set formula for his essays, they each have a few key components that can guide a writer in creating their own essays reviewing the Anthropocene.

Do your research. While I don’t think you need to do the kind of research that Green has done for each of the essays in “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” I do think that a few Google searches on the topic you’re journaling about will help to give you a broader perspective and a more meaningful writing experience.

Ponder before writing. It is clear to me that Green took the time to truly reflect on what he wrote. He drew on his own personal experiences and delved into his memories to provide a deeper, more meaningful review of these topics. As much as I enjoyed learning about the history of these topics, Green’s personal anecdotes made them relatable.

Have an opinion. While it can be fun to research and report on what we have found, the beauty of John Green’s book is that we learn what he thinks about each of the areas he reviews. So, after you have researched and pondered, take a position and defend it with what you’ve found.

Give a star rating. Even if the journal entry is for your eyes only, there is something satisfying about assigning a number to the topic you’ve chosen from the Anthropocene. Just keep in mind, if we are going with the same star rating system as a site like Amazon.com, you cannot give less than 1 or more than 5. Half stars are permitted.  😉

List of Books Reviewed in 2021

For those interested, below is a list of books that I reviewed last year. I have also provided links to the articles for your convenience.

“Atomic Habits,” by James Clear

“Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”,” by Daniel Pink

“Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” by Carol Dweck

“Smarter, Faster, Better,” by Charles Duhigg

“The Artist’s Way,” by Julie Cameron

“When Less Becomes More,” by Emily Ley

“13 Things Mentally Strong Women Do,” by Amy Morin

“What Happened to You” by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry

Are you reading anything worthwhile? Heard of any books you think might make for a good book review article for this blog? Leave a comment below!

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