For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we're publishing this months' discussion questions here. All previous book club selections have been posted, complete with summary, discussion questions and, when necessary or appropriate, additional resources to better understand the topic or context. Here are the questions from our current title, The Anthropocene Reviewed. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
The Anthropocene Reviewed
by John Green
Summary:
Goodreads Choice winner for Nonfiction 2021 and instant #1 bestseller! A deeply moving collection of personal essays from John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down.
“The perfect book for right now.” –People
“The Anthropocene Reviewed is essential to the human conversation.” –Library Journal, starred review
The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.
Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.
John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world. -- Publisher Description
Discussion Questions
Why do you think John Green chose the title "The Anthropocene Reviewed"? What would you have named it?
After the introduction, the first essay was "You'll Never Walk Alone," taking place near the height of the pandemic. How did this exploration of a globally shared experience help to set up the book?
Which essay struck you the most? Which the least? Did the series work as a whole?
What is your take on the eschatological leanings of the human condition? Do you agree with Green that our search for the end of the world might have something to do with our inevitable end to our individual worlds?
Are you more of a linear worldview or cyclical? What do you make of the cycles through which the world has gone through?
Discuss the style of the essays. How well did you follow them? Did they ramble on with various tangents or were they more direct and to the point? What worked or didn't about them?
John Green has an obsession with Diet Dr Pepper, in part because of its artificiality. Is there anything like that that you feel a strong pull towards in your own life, either despite rhyme or reason or because of it?
In Green's exploration of our capacity for wonder, Green looks our ability to find awe in the opulent as well as wonder at the small and simple things that we take for granted. In what way do you see wonder in your life? Do you agree with his statement that "We are never far from wonders"?
Even scratch and sniff markers make their way into the essays as a major topic of discussion. How did the "small" topics like markers and soda fit into the series of essays? Did it work? Would you have left them out?
How did the collection as a whole make you feel? Were there particular emotions you think the author was trying to evoke in you?
Are there any books that you would compare this book to? Why?
Why do you think Green ended on a postcript about how everything is a part of everything else?
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