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Author john green explores how to live in uncertainty in 'the anthropocene reviewed'.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green Dutton hide caption

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green

For most of human existence, things didn't change much within a single lifetime.

If you lived a thousand years ago, the tools you used were probably the same ones as your great grandparents. And other than big events like a volcano, the physical world didn't change much either.

Not anymore. Now we live in the Great Acceleration, also known as the Anthropocene, where even the Earth gets updates to its apps. Change (like global warming and pandemics) is the hallmark of this new era. How to live in the midst its uncertainty without falling into despair is the open question. In his new book, The Anthropocene Reviewed , John Green uses humor, wisdom and a keen sense of connections to offer us something like an answer.

Green is a long time book reviewer and author of the best-seller The Fault In Our Stars . Like many of us, Green looks at the changes we face with a mix of dread, bewilderment and the need to find hope. Early on in this book, he notes the contradiction of human power at the heart of living in the Anthropocene. "We are at once far too powerful and not powerful enough," he writes, being able "to radically reshape the Earth's climate and biodiversity but not powerful enough to choose how we reshape it."

But to live in this hyperconnected, hyper-accelerated world also means there can be no escape. As his wife tells him "in the Anthropocene, there are no disinterested observers, there are only participants." That's why Green makes the act of reviewing the central conceit of the book.

Green begins by pointing out a unique feature of our cultural moment. "In the years since I'd been a book reviewer," he writes, "everyone had become a reviewer and everything a subject of review." Driving with his brother through Badlands National Park, he checks its Google reviews to find "Not enough mountain." Later he discovers a review of a bench in Amsterdam, made famous via a scene in the movie version of The Fault In Our Stars . "It's a bench," says the reviewer. Green takes the absurdist quality of these judgments to heart by building a book made of more than 40 short essays, each acting as a "review" of some aspect of our lives in the Anthropocene.

Each essay is a web of salient and unexpected connections. The first, for example, focuses on the song "You'll Never Walk Alone," tracking its global, wandering history. From an origin in the musical Carousel to a chant for British soccer fans, to being sung by British paramedics praising fellow health care workers during the pandemic, Green sees something profoundly necessary in the sappy song. Recalling the line "At the end of the storm there's a golden sky and the sweet song of a lark," Green goes on to note: "But in reality, at the end of a storm there are tree branches everywhere, and downed power lines and flooded rivers." And yet, that pandemic image of paramedics using the song to cheer on their spent colleagues gives Green hope that storms and the courage to face them must go together.

He gives the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" 4.5 stars out 5.

In the essay "Human Temporal Range" Green uses the idea of species longevity (i.e., their temporal range) to muse on Anthropocene dread and the fear of our own extinction. He notes that species have always been coming and going. We humans haven't even been around very long. We're are younger than coyotes, blue whales and turtles, so would the Earth really miss us that much if we go? While this gives him some helpful perspective, Green does, of course, want us to go on . "What scares me about the end of humanity is the end of all those memories..." Greene laments, "if no one is around to play Billie Holiday records those songs won't make a sound anymore. We've caused a lot of suffering, but we've also caused much else."

So, by way of hope, Greene gives "human temporal range" 4 stars out 5.

And so it goes. Jurassic Park 's computer generated velociraptors get just 3 stars because while Green loves them, the real ones were much shorter and probably not very scary. CNN, and all of cable news, get just 2 stars for hindering our chances of dealing with the complex issues of the Anthropocene. The Internet gets 3 stars for being, well, the Internet. "Plague" unsurprisingly gets 1 star (though the essay is an easy 5). And Googling strangers, deservedly, gets 4.

What Green is really telling us with these unexpected stories about Sycamore Trees, Canada Geese and Dr. Pepper is how much there is to love in the world and why that love is worth the effort. As he writes, "To fall in love with the world isn't to ignore or overlook suffering both human and otherwise .... We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love anyway, to let it crack me open." The point, says Green — giving us Maurice Sendak's final words — is simple even in, and perhaps especially because of, these challenging times: "Live your life, live your life, live your life."

Adam Frank is an astrophysics professor at the University of Rochester and author of Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth . You can find more from Adam here: @adamfrank4 .

The Anthropocene Reviewed Summary: A Deep Dive into John Green’s Masterpiece 5 min read

• March 25, 2023
• Non-Fiction

One Sentence Summary

John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed takes the seemingly mundane and turns it into a masterpiece of cultural critique, leaving readers both entertained and enlightened.

Favorite Quote By The Author

The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. John Green

What is The Anthropocene Reviewed?

John Green’s book, The Anthropocene Reviewed, is a collection of essays that blend memoir, science, and cultural criticism. In each essay, Green reviews two things that exist in the world today and assigns them a rating out of five stars. The subjects of these reviews range from the mundane to the profound, including things like Diet Dr. Pepper, the Indianapolis 500, and the Great Barrier Reef.

So, if you’re looking for a thought-provoking and entertaining read that will make you see the world in a new way, The Anthropocene Reviewed is the book for you.

Themes and Tone of The Anthropocene Reviewed

If you’re wondering what to expect from The Anthropocene Reviewed, here’s a sneak peek: the book is equal parts funny, insightful, and heart-wrenching. Green covers a wide range of topics, from pop culture to science to personal anecdotes, but there are a few themes that run throughout the book. These include the complexity of human emotion, the fragility of our planet, and the power of connection in a world that can sometimes feel isolating. But don’t worry, it’s not all heavy stuff – Green’s signature wit and humor shine through on every page, making even the most somber topics feel approachable and relatable.

Key Takeaways From The Anthropocene Reviewed

• The podcast and book explore a wide range of topics, from science to pop culture, through a unique five-star rating system.
• John Green shares his personal experiences and reflections on mental health, creativity, fame, and mortality.
• The Anthropocene Reviewed invites readers to appreciate the beauty and fragility of life in the current geological age of human influence .
• By promoting curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking , the book and podcast inspire readers to be more mindful of the world around them.
• The online community of readers and listeners creates a space for shared reflections and conversations about the topics covered in The Anthropocene Reviewed.

What Makes The Anthropocene Reviewed Unique?

What sets T he Anthropocene Reviewed apart from other books in the genre is the way that Green weaves together personal anecdotes, scientific research, and cultural analysis to create essays that are both deeply personal and universally relatable.

For example, in the essay “Mortification,” Green reflects on his own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks while also examining the science behind the fight or flight response. In “Super Mario Kart,” he explores the joy and frustration of playing video games with his brother while also examining the cultural significance of the game.

Why You Should Read The Anthropocene Reviewed

One of the most compelling reasons to read The Anthropocene Reviewed is simply the quality of Green’s writing. His prose is at once witty, insightful, and deeply moving, and his ability to weave together seemingly disparate topics is truly impressive.

But beyond that, The Anthropocene Reviewed is a book that will make you think about the world in new and surprising ways. Green’s essays are filled with moments of profound insight, and they will leave you with a greater appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the world around us.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, folks. The Anthropocene Reviewed is not just a book, it’s a journey through the strange and wonderful corners of John Green’s mind. It’s a reminder that even the most trivial things in life can be fascinating, hilarious, and surprisingly deep. It’s part memoir, part cultural critique, and part love letter to the world around us. But no matter how you choose to describe it, one thing is certain: this book will make you think, laugh, and maybe even shed a tear or two. So why not pick up a copy and see for yourself what all the fuss is about? You might just discover a newfound appreciation for the world we live in – and for the weird and wonderful things that make life worth living. So go ahead and pick up a copy, and get ready to see the world in a whole new way. And who knows, you might even find yourself giving a five-star review to something as simple as a hot cup of tea or a warm hug from a loved one.

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The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

“Masterful.  The Anthropocene Reviewed  is a beautiful, timely book about the human condition—and a timeless reminder to pay attention to your attention.” —Adam Grant, #1 bestselling author of  Think Again  and host of the podcast  Re:Thinking

The instant #1 bestseller from John Green, author of  The Fault in Our Stars  and  Turtles All the Way Down , is now available in paperback with two brand-new essays

“Gloriously personal and life-affirming. The perfect book for right now.”  —People

“ 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, 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.

John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is an open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.

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If you're looking for an easy, heartfelt read, try this collection of essays by John Green, author of 'The Fault in Our Stars'

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• John Green is known for his YA fiction books like " The Fault in Our Stars " and " Looking For Alaska ."
• His first nonfiction book " The Anthropocene Reviewed " is a collection of essays published in 2021.
• You can get "The Anthropocene Reviewed" from Amazon , Bookshop , and Barnes and Noble .

When I picked up " The Anthropocene Reviewed " by John Green, I didn't know what to expect. 

Green is best known for his bestselling young adult novels ; his books " The Fault In Our Stars ," " Looking For Alaska ," and " Paper Towns " have all been adapted for film or television. "The Anthropocene Reviewed" is Green's first book since the 2017 novel " Turtles All The Way Down ," and also his first nonfiction book. 

Ever since I started reading YA over 10 years ago, I've been a fan of Green's books and the Youtube channel he and his brother Hank share for a long time. When I bought an audio copy of "The Anthropocene Reviewed," it had been a while since I'd read anything by Green; I was in a reading slump and looking for something new but still familiar. This book came highly recommended by many of my friends whose book opinions I implicitly trust. 

In the introduction, Green explains the book's format: a collection of short, essay-style reviews that explore a single facet of human life. Things as broad as "sunsets" and specific as "Jerzy Dudek's Performance on May 25, 2005" are covered in the 304-page book. Each essay ends with him giving the topic a rating on a scale of one- to five- stars.

The book is adapted and expanded from a podcast of the same name that Green started in 2018, but parts were written during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is referenced in some of the essays.

"The Anthropocene Reviewed" is a book that helps you find meaning from the pandemic.

In the book's introduction, Green references the COVID-19 pandemic directly, as he had been working on this book when it began. It pops up in various essays across the book. 

At first, I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy reading about the pandemic we're still living through. But I found Green's words poignant and reassuring. "How will we ever recover from the loss, and separation, and heartbreak around us?" he writes. "Perhaps only the same way we achieve immunity: by sharing it."

To me, "The Anthropocene Reviewed" served as a reminder that even with everything going on in the world, we can still find joy in little things. Humans have an incredible capacity to love, and this book is proof that no matter how big or small, there is so much in this world to love. Some of the book's examples of small joys include raising a glass on New Year's Eve, singing a song in unison with a football stadium full of fans, and his favorite band, The Mountain Goats. 

In one of the book's essays, Green writes, "we all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here." I want to allow myself to feel big feelings and appreciate small joys, especially in the most uncertain of times. 

It got me thinking about the things I'd categorize as my own small joys, or what I'd write my essays about: curtain call at a Broadway show, the last page of a good book, or dinner with my best friend.

The essays are full of delightful, surprising turns.

While the subject Green reviews may seem simple, he uses it as a way to tell a larger, more interesting story. For example, a chapter on "Googling strangers" includes Green recounting a story from his time as a student chaplain at a children's hospital. It's so unexpected and beautifully written. 

There are multiple chapters that are deeply personal, detailing physical and mental health issues Green has dealt with, and others that are more lighthearted, like the first five minutes of "The Penguins of Madagascar." The book combines the introspective and witty writing style Green is known for, with his own experiences. 

The audiobook (narrated by Green) is even better.

I recommend the audiobook — read by Green himself — because I connected to the material even more hearing the emotion in Green's voice as he talked about certain subjects, including the pandemic and the 1950 film "Harvey."

I'm glad I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up because it was nice to be surprised by how funny it is, how beautifully written the stories are, and even by Green himself, as his first nonfiction book is easily as good as his YA hits.

• Main content

The Anthropocene Reviewed

98 pages • 3 hours read

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 11

Chapters 12-22

Chapters 23-33

Chapter 34-Postscript

Key Figures

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

What is the Anthropocene, and why is this word part of the book’s title?

Describe briefly what worries Green about humanity.

What eternal attribute of human life upsets Green—and why? Describe how rivers , trees, and communities reassure him.

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John Green Is Not Writing in Code

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By Elisabeth Egan

• June 10, 2021

GREEN LIGHT “I’ve battled despair a lot in my life,” said John Green , whose first book for adults, “ The Anthropocene Reviewed ,” has been on the hardcover nonfiction list for three weeks. “A lot of people found the last year and a half exceptionally difficult, and it was really important for me personally but also professionally to try to write my way toward connection and wonder.”

The book was inspired by Green’s podcast of the same name, where the author — who is best known for his 2012 young adult best seller-turned- cultural phenomenon , “ The Fault in Our Stars ” — reviews different aspects of the human experience on a 5-star scale. Recent episodes feature refreshingly uncynical takes on the opening scene of “ Penguins of Madagascar ” and on a hot dog stand in Reykjavik, Iceland; the literary version includes essays on scratch-and-sniff stickers, Lascaux cave paintings and velociraptors.

In the introduction, Green quotes the novelist Allegra Goodman , who was asked in a 2017 interview for the Book Review whom she would like to write her life story. She said, “I seem to be writing it myself, but since I’m a novelist, it’s all in code.” Green writes, “For me, it had started to feel like some people thought they knew the code. They would assume I shared the worldviews of a book’s protagonists, and they’d ask me questions as if I were the protagonist.”

During a phone interview (which impressed my fractious remote-learning adolescents into silence), Green elaborated: “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. I wanted to try to think about how I was looking at the world.”

Before he published his first novel, “ Looking for Alaska ,” in 2005, and before the internet turned every hotel guest and Instant Pot chef into a critic, Green got his start working at Booklist. He said, “I think part of the reason I wanted to write reviews in this book was to go back to those early days of my writing life, but also because I think the 5-star scale has become a kind of background hum that we assume is inevitable when in fact it was very rarely used until a couple of decades ago. I wanted to think about how it’s shaped our thinking about the world without our really noticing.”

Green added, “I also wanted to articulate some of the ways I’ve worked my way back toward hope over the last few years. I think hope is the correct response to consciousness.”

Elisabeth Egan is an editor at the Book Review and the author of “A Window Opens.”

Follow New York Times Books on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram , s ign up for our newsletter or our literary calendar . And listen to us on the Book Review podcast .

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John Green (author) Writing Styles in The Anthropocene Reviewed

John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed is divided into forty-four short essays on a variety of topics, with each essay concluding with Green reviewing the topic or item in question out of five stars. Green’s book also has a brief introduction and a postscript, introducing the idea behind the book as a coping mechanism for Green during a hard time in his life and also reflecting upon Green’s experiences ‘in the Anthropocene,’ or rather in his own life on Earth, respectively.

The book’s structure clearly features a lot of discrete subjects discussed in discrete form by the author, leading to the book requiring a very particular form of reading pattern. Unlike in fiction or in typical nonfiction narrative, the reader is not expected or required to follow each chapter along in order, or to engage in a building exercise whereby the reader stacks meaning...

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John Green’s ‘The Anthropocene Reviewed,’ Reviewed

You may know John Green the author — yes, the one who wrote “ The Fault in Our Stars .” You may know Green the Crash Course History instructor. You may even know Green the YouTuber . Now, meet Green the human.

“Hello, and welcome to ‘ The Anthropocene Reviewed ,’ a podcast where we review different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale.” Whenever I hear this introduction, spoken in Green’s husky voice over curious and quiet music, I know that it’s time to turn on my brain because I will be thinking about the world in a new light.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7vRRwFMRT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The conceit of “ The Anthropocene Reviewed ” is deceptively simple. Green picks an item, person, practice, concept — anything, really — from the vast expanse of the Anthropocene, the human epoch, and tells us what he thinks about it while we listen, laugh and cry.

But why should we listen to this random middle-aged white man tell us what he thinks? Don’t we listen to enough of that already?

Well, for one, Green does significantly more research than some middle-aged white men that I could mention. In his review of Kentucky bluegrass, he tells us that “more land, and more water, are devoted to the cultivation of lawn grass in the United States than to corn and wheat combined,” so that the listener can be duly alarmed.

In his episode about “ Auld Lang Syne ,” he gives the listener an entire history of the obscure origins of the song. I bet you didn’t know that we can credit the current version of “Auld Lange Syne” to Robert Burns, a Scottish poet who scrawled the verses on the back of a letter in 1788 — it is unknown how much of our version was written by him, but Green tells us that the original dates back at least 400 years.

But he never just leaves it at mere facts. He is, after all, a storyteller, but the stories he tells on “The Anthropocene Reviewed” are no fiction. They are his own stories, from his days of student chaplaincy, from his home city of Indianapolis, from his heart and from his soul.

In the same episode that he brings to light the environmental problems surrounding the Western obsession with lawns, he tells the harrowing story of seeing a 3-year-old burn victim during his time as a student chaplain in a children’s hospital. I won’t tell you how the story ends. Green surely tells it better.

As a writer, I of course believe that there’s a lot to be said for the written word. It’s a way of placing the thoughts from your head directly into the head of your readers, whoever they may be, with whatever perspectives they may have. They will read it in their own voice and see it through their own eyes. But “The Anthropocene Reviewed” makes me feel that in my love for writing, I may have been overlooking the power of the spoken word.

Humans have only been able to write since c. 3200 BCE, and even then, the ancient Mesopotamians at first mostly used their cuneiform for keeping accounts. Before the invention of writing — and long after in some societies — oral storytelling was the main way of transferring collective knowledge from one generation to the next. Humans are wired to speak and to listen.

So, when I put my headphones in as I wash the dishes, as I go for a run or as I walk to class, and Green whispers to me the secrets of his life, it feels sacred and intimate. It takes courage to write your story, yes, but it takes even more courage to speak it out into the universe, knowing that thousands of people can now hear this part of you.

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” represents the best of nonfiction writing, but it’s a strange new form to me. I have never read, or heard, anything exactly like it. In an interview with Vulture , Green described the podcast as “a series of essays disguised as reviews.” I’m not sure that this description quite captures the scope of the show.

The term “essay,” as Green uses it here, was first coined by the great nonfiction writer Michel de Montaigne and is derived from the French word “essais” — “to attempt.” Merriam-Webster defines an essay as “an analytic or interpretive literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view.”

Samuel Johnson called the essay a “loose sally of the mind.” John D’Agata , who suggested coining the term “lyric essay,” called the essay “an art form that tracks the idea of consciousness as it rolls over the folds of a new idea, memory or emotion.”

I think that “essay” is far too broad a term to use to describe “The Anthropocene Reviewed.” “Personal essay” doesn’t fit either — Green often tells stories that are not his own — and don’t even get me started on the term “ lyric essay .” Perhaps we are best off sticking with the basics. As my professors have often told me, Montaigne knows best.

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” is an attempt to see the world generously, to view humans complexly, to set objects, people and places into context. It’s an attempt to make the listener think — really, truly. It’s an attempt to leave us with an impression of the issues that we all must face, but also with a sense of warmth and optimism. We will face them together, and we will overcome.

I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” five stars.

• Crash Course History
• The Anthropocene Reviewed

Sarah Stager, University of Pittsburgh

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Sarah stager, university of pittsburgh english writing, history.

Sarah Stager is a tea drinker, cat lover and turtleneck enthusiast who enjoys writing about the mundane beauties of the universe.

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4 John Green Essays That Are Perfect for ELA

• smithteaches9to12
• Book Review , Books and Reading

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NERD ALERT! 

If you love trivial details that make your brain explode then these John Green essays might be for you! Plus there are so many ways to use John Green’s essays in a high school English classroom. In particular the essays would make for great mentor texts for personal narrative writing in an ELA classroom.

John Green’s latest book The Anthropocene Reviewed is based on his podcast all about the Anthropocene – aka the current time in the planet’s history. Moving away from the fiction you may know him for – The Fault in Our Stars or Turtles All The Way Down – this book includes 44 short, pithy essays.  He reviews elements of our world such as Diet Dr Pepper, Canada geese, cave paintings at Lascaux, air conditioning, and so much more offering one to five stars for each item reviewed. And while there is some absurdity to the reviews – perhaps a lack of actual criteria for judgment – as I read through them lounging on my balcony I envisioned all sorts of ways to fit them into my classroom. 

How I will use John Green essays in the classroom

Here are four John Green essays that will be making their way into my classroom next year.

“ Harvey ”  

This very personal essay is a strong example of writing one’s experience. Green writes of his severe depression and uses the film Harvey with Jimmy Stewart as both a motif and a touchstone throughout the essay. It is also an honest explanation of mental health, support systems, and coping mechanisms.

I will be using this essay in the first unit of grade 12 English where we explore personal essays and students write their own. (I also plan to use a section from Eternity Martis’ They Said This Would Be Fun and you can read about that here .)

“Googling Strangers” 

This essay focuses on how Green uses Google to search online for details about people. The essay culminates with a poignant story about an incident in a hospital ER when Green was doing a chaplain residency and then years later the Google search that eased his mind of that particular event.

I might use it in my grade 9 class when we do more focused lessons on media studies. The opening of the essay about the details which can be discovered online would open up great discussion. At which point is online information too much or too invasive? Is there a need for info to be controlled or to be reduced in terms of our sharing? 

“Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, a timescale I simply cannot get my head around. Instead, let’s imagine Earth’s history as a calendar year, with the formation of Earth being January 1, and today being December 31 at 11:59 pm” concluding a few sentences later with “ Homo sapiens aren’t part of the story until December 31 at 11:48 PM”.

“Humanity’s Temporal Range”

This essay focuses on the history of our planet and more specifically putting humanity’s time on our planet into context. At one point in the essay to explain the full timeline he writes “Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, a timescale I simply cannot get my head around. Instead, let’s imagine Earth’s history as a calendar year, with the formation of Earth being January 1, and today being December 31 at 11:59 pm” concluding a few sentences later with “ Homo sapiens aren’t part of the story until December 31 at 11:48 PM”.

This examination of the effects of our existence will work well in an ELA class but will work even better for me for a new course I’m teaching about social justice and equity. It makes clear the ability of humans to have a positive and negative impact on the world and this will be an integral part of the course that blends theory and practice.

This essay focusing on the ‘real’ history of the board game and the misattribution of its invention to Charles Darrow. The essay is a good examination of intellectual property and ownership and about revisionist history (that opens up even wider discussion points).

This will be a good complement to the different literary theories we study in grade 12 English. The essay focuses on aspects that will work with feminist theory, Marxist theory, and New Historicism. The other John Green essays in the collection included in this post will also work with different theories, plus there are others in the book that can work!

For ready-made lessons to introduce these theories and others check these out .

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars based on my own random criteria!

Read more about these John Green essays on the author’s website . 

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• Two Memoirs to Use in Secondary ELA
• 15 Poetry Collections For Your Classroom Library

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In The Anthropocene Reviewed , John Green appraises everything from plagues to Dr Pepper

Scientists are divided about what we should call the current geographic time period. Most argue it’s the Holocene, which is marked by the retreat of glaciers nearly 12,000 years ago, but some say we’ve moved into a new period, the Anthropocene. The idea is that humans have now made such a large impact on the planet by manufacturing plastics, detonating nuclear bombs, and burning fossil fuels that we’ve established a new epoch. Depending on who you ask, it’s a useful term or yet another sign of mankind’s devastating hubris.

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John Green, author of Turtles All The Way Down and The Fault In Our Stars , acknowledges it’s probably a bit of both. He began The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast in 2018 to assign five-star reviews to eclectic subjects ranging from Diet Dr Pepper to cholera to the Bonneville Salt Flats, examining what humanity has created and our relationship to the planet and the other species that live on it. Now most of those reviews and a few new ones are available in book form in The Anthropocene Reviewed : Essays On A Human-Centered Planet .

Fans of the podcast will get the least value from the book. While there are a few new reviews in the collection, such as an assessment of August Sander’s photograph Three Farmers On Their Way To A Dance , most of the book is taken directly from episodes of the podcast. Passages have been tweaked a bit to make them flow better in written form, and some have been slightly expanded, with tangents turning into footnotes or edited with new information like the continued growth of Canada geese populations. (That might be why Green signed every copy of the North American version of the book, giving fans a reason to buy one beyond revisiting a favorite subject without listening to commercials for Audible and life insurance.)

Those who haven’t listened to the podcast will find Green’s style akin to that of someone like Susan Orlean, combining deeply personal anecdotes with fascinating facts. The balance between them varies wildly, with an entry on Monopoly largely providing an origin story of the game combined with some scathing commentary on American capitalism, while the review of sycamore trees is barely about the plants at all and mostly about Green’s struggles with depression. The result is like falling into a Wikipedia hole if the entries were written as a form of therapy.

Still there’s a soothing quality to Green’s prose and his gentle assessment of humanity. Many of the essays were written since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the format works particularly well for grappling with this tumultuous time in human history. His review of “plague,” which looks at some of the worst epidemics to affect the species, concludes that “Plague is a one-star phenomenon, of course, but our response to it need not be.”

The impact of the pandemic is less on the nose but still poignant in other essays. Green gives a glowing review to the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the anthem of the Liverpool Football Club that was also sung by British paramedics in March 2020 to their colleagues in the ICU. A far too generous evaluation of “wintry mix” includes an adorable anecdote about how Green used some of his time in lockdown to build a garden for a groundhog that had been raiding his soybeans. By dwelling in the mundanity and strangeness of the pandemic, he manages to capture the feeling of living through history while still lacking the context by which to process it.

Green admits in his postscript that the book may be overfilled with quotes, with chapters peppered with lines from the likes of Emily Dickinson and Herman Melville. The apology feels unnecessary considering how powerful some of Green’s own prose can be. In a chapter on the Lascaux cave paintings, Green writes about how hard life was for prehistoric humans but notes “and yet somehow, they still made time to create art, almost as if art isn’t optional for humans.”

He expresses a similarly beautiful sentiment when writing about the World’s Largest Ball Of Paint, a roadside attraction where visitors have spent 40 years adding 26,000 coats of paint to a baseball. “Maybe in the end art and life are like the world’s largest ball of paint,” Green writes. “You carefully choose your colors, and then you add your layer as best you can. In time, it gets painted over. The ball gets painted again and again until there is no visible remnant of your paint. And eventually, maybe nobody knows about it except for you.”

The idea of geological epochs was defined by scientists searching through the fossil record for evidence of species that have been extinct for millions of years. The very idea of the Anthropocene requires the morbid thought that someday another species might sift through layers of rock and dirt for evidence that we existed. In a chapter on humanity’s temporal range, whose corresponding podcast episode originally aired at the end of March 2020, Green writes that when he told his brother and frequent collaborator Hank that he was worried about the pandemic, Hank responded, “The species will survive this.” While he’s honest about humanity’s failings, Green is also optimistic about our ability to grow and endure as a species. And should we fail, he’s at least hopeful that someone else will remember us.

Author photo: Marina Waters

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The “Epic Row” Over a New Epoch

By Elizabeth Kolbert

A few months into the third millennium, a group called the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (I.G.B.P.) held a meeting in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Among the researchers in attendance was Paul Crutzen, an atmospheric chemist best known for his research on ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons. For this work, Crutzen, a Dutchman living in Germany, had received a Nobel Prize, in 1995. In his Nobel lecture, he noted that, given humanity’s heedlessness, it had got off lightly. Millions of pounds of CFCs had been released into the air before anyone had considered the possible consequences. As a result of the chemicals’ behavior in the stratosphere, a “hole” had opened up in the ozone layer over Antarctica. But, if CFCs had turned out to behave just slightly differently, the hole would have stretched from pole to pole before scientists had even had the tools to measure it.

“I can only conclude that mankind has been extremely lucky,” Crutzen said.

At the I.G.B.P. meeting in Cuernavaca, Crutzen found himself growing agitated. His colleagues kept referring to the Holocene, the geological epoch that began at the close of the last ice age, about twelve thousand years ago. At the dawn of the Holocene, the global population was maybe four million—barely enough to fill a city like Sydney or St. Petersburg. By the time of the meeting in Mexico, there were more than six billion people on the planet, and human activity was fundamentally altering such basic Earth processes as the carbon cycle.

“Stop using the word ‘Holocene,’ ” Crutzen blurted out. “We’re not in the Holocene any more. We’re in the . . . ” He paused, searching for the right word. “We’re in the Anthropocene!” During the next coffee break, Crutzen’s neologism was the main topic of conversation. Someone suggested that he copyright the term.

As it turned out, the Anthropocene wasn’t Crutzen’s to claim. Eugene Stoermer, a biologist at the University of Michigan, had coined the word back in the nineteen-eighties, out of much the same frustration. Crutzen got in touch with Stoermer, and the two wrote an essay for the I.G.B.P. newsletter, laying out their case for a new age. Human activities, the pair argued, were altering the planet faster and more dramatically than the geological forces that had shaped it for most of its history.

“It seems to us more than appropriate to emphasize the central role of mankind” by using “the term ‘anthropocene’ for the current geological epoch,” the pair wrote. Not many people read the I.G.B.P. newsletter, so in 2002 Crutzen refashioned the essay for the journal Nature . He listed some of the ways that humans were altering the planet: chopping down rain forests, messing with the climate, and manufacturing novel chemicals, such as CFCs. Once again, Crutzen stressed how fortunate humanity had been so far. Had the ozone layer sustained more damage, large parts of the world could have been rendered uninhabitable. “More by luck than by wisdom, this catastrophic situation did not develop,” he observed.

Many researchers found Crutzen and Stoermer’s term useful. Soon the word “Anthropocene” began popping up in scientific papers. This, in turn, piqued the interest of stratigraphers—the subset of geologists who maintain the planet’s official timetable, the International Chronostratigraphic Chart. Had the Earth really entered a new epoch, in the stratigraphic sense of the term? And, if so, when? The International Commission on Stratigraphy (I.C.S.) set up the Anthropocene Working Group (A.W.G.) to look into the matter. It was still working away last month, when, in a vote that one group member described to me as “Putinesque,” a subcommittee of the I.C.S. decided against adding the Anthropocene to the timetable. The vote might have marked the end of the story, were it not that it was probably just the beginning. As another geologist put it to me, “Voting down the Anthropocene is a bit like trying to vote down plate tectonics. It’s real, it’s there, and we are going to have to deal with it.”

Stratigraphers are used to thinking in vast stretches of time. The International Chronostratigraphic Chart starts with the Hadean eon, which began with the birth of the planet, 4.5 billion years ago. The Hadean lasted five hundred million years and was succeeded by the Archean eon, which went on (and on and on) for 1.5 billion years. The Permian period spanned nearly fifty million years, the Cretaceous period eighty million. Within these periods there were many sub-periods—technically known as epochs—which also lasted a long time. The Cisuralian epoch of the Permian, for example, stretched over twenty-six million years.

But, the closer the chart gets to the present, the narrower the divisions become. The second most recent geological period, the Neogene, lasted just twenty million years. The current period, the Quaternary, began with the start of the ice ages, a mere 2.58 million years ago. The Quaternary is further divided into two epochs—the Pleistocene, which spanned 2.57 million years, and the Holocene, which, for now, is still ongoing.

To mark the boundaries between the various epochs and periods, the I.C.S. relies on what are formally called “global boundary stratotype sections and points” and informally known as “golden spikes.” For the most part, golden spikes are layers of rock that contain evidence of some notable shift in Earth’s history—a reversal of the planet’s magnetic poles, say, or the disappearance of a fossilized species. The golden spike for the start of the Triassic period, for example, is a layer of rock found in Meishan, China, and the shift it records is a mass extinction that killed off something like ninety per cent of all species on Earth. (The Chinese have set up a park in Meishan, where visitors can view the two-hundred-and-fifty-million-year-old rock layer in an exposed cliffside.) With golden spikes, again, the closer you get to the present, the more the present intrudes. In the case of the Holocene, the golden spike is a layer in an ice core from Greenland that’s stored in a freezer in Copenhagen. The layer consists of the compressed remains of snow that fell eleven thousand seven hundred years ago, which corresponds to the end of a cold snap known as the Younger Dryas.

With the exception of the Holocene, the start dates for geological ages have been determined millions of years after the fact. This means that whatever signal is being used to set them has withstood the test of time. The rocks of the Anthropocene, of course, do not yet exist. When the Anthropocene Working Group was formed, in 2009, its first task was to decide whether human impacts on the planet would still be discernible millions of years from now.

After several years of study, the group decided that the answer was yes. The carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels will leave a permanent signature in the rocks of the future, as will the fallout from nuclear testing. Novel ecosystems that people have created by moving plants and animals around the world will produce novel fossil assemblages. Meanwhile, traces of some of the trillions of tons of stuff humans have generated, from transistors to tanker ships, will be preserved, meaning that a whole new class of fossils will appear in the record—so-called technofossils. Before aluminum smelting was invented, in the nineteenth century, aluminum existed on Earth only in combination with other elements. Future geologists will thus be able to distinguish the current epoch via the remains of beer cans—the Bud Light layer.

These and other “distinctive attributes of the recent geological record support the formalization of the Anthropocene as a stratigraphic entity,” members of the A.W.G. noted in a paper that appeared in Science in 2016.

When Crutzen and Stoermer initially proposed the Anthropocene, they suggested that it had begun with the first stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, in the late eighteenth century. The A.W.G. considered this possibility, but ultimately rejected it. In the decades following the Second World War, resource consumption skyrocketed—a development that’s become known as the Great Acceleration. The fantastic growth in the production of new materials such as aluminum and plastic, the group decided, made a date closer to 1950 a more logical starting point for the new epoch.

Last summer, under pressure from the International Commission on Stratigraphy to finish its work, the A.W.G. announced its proposal for a golden spike. It chose a marker similar to the one used for the base of the Holocene, although, in this case, the core came not from an ice sheet but from a lake bottom.

Crawford Lake, which is about thirty miles southwest of Toronto, is what’s known as meromictic, which means that its top and bottom waters don’t mix. As a result of this and other unusual qualities, everything that falls into the lake, from pollen grains to radioactive particles, gets preserved in layers of sediment that can be very precisely dated. The idea was to designate the base of the Anthropocene as the layer of Crawford Lake sediment laid down in 1952—and, more specifically, as the 1952 layer preserved in one particular core kept in a freezer in Quebec. (The United States conducted the first H-bomb tests in 1952, and the fallout from these clearly shows up in the lake bed as a spike in plutonium.) The working group announced its choice of the Crawford Lake core while stratigraphers from around the world were gathered for a conference in Lille, France. But, in a sign of things to come, the group was barred from making the announcement at the conference hall and had to rent a room in a nearby hotel.

In the roughly two and a half centuries since the field of geology was founded, debates over dividing time have often turned nasty. In the eighteen-thirties, for example, several of Britain’s most prominent geologists traded insults in a dispute over rocks from what’s now known as the Devonian period, some four hundred million years ago. One of the parties to the controversy, Henry De la Beche, was a talented artist, and he lampooned his critics in a cartoon that pictured them facing a man with a large nose.

“This, gentlemen, is my nose,” the man says.

“My dear fellow!” the critics respond. “Your account of yourself generally may be very well, but as we have classed you, before we saw you, among men without noses, you cannot possibly have a nose.”

More recently, a fight over whether the Quaternary period should be absorbed into the Neogene caused a rift in the geological community that took many years—and almost as many votes—to resolve. (At one point, the International Union of Geological Sciences [I.U.G.S.], the parent organization of the International Commission on Stratigraphy, withheld funding from the I.C.S. over its handling of the dispute.) The Quaternary managed to survive, but many geologists who work on the Neogene viewed the decision as wrongheaded, and, after the final vote was taken, in 2009, petitioned to have it overturned.

“You come to the Neogene-Quaternary boundary, and there is nothing there,” one stratigrapher complained to Nature .

Even given this history, the fight over the Anthropocene has been a bitter one. On one side are those geologists who argue, à la Stoermer and Crutzen, that human activity has so altered the planet that it no longer makes sense to say we live in the Holocene. The most outspoken members of this camp tend—perhaps not surprisingly—to be members of the Anthropocene Working Group.

“To suddenly have these changes and still call it the Holocene, it becomes a little bit like the way some oceanographers talk about coral reefs,” Jan Zalasiewicz, a British geologist who led the Anthropocene Working Group for many years, told me. “It’s become a kind of zombie epoch. It’s formally still here, but the conditions that characterized it no longer exist.”

In the other camp are those who argue that the Anthropocene, pretty much by definition, lies outside the purview of stratigraphy.

“The stratigraphic record is the past,” Stanley Finney, a geologist at California State University who’s also the secretary-general of the International Union of Geological Sciences, wrote with Lucy Edwards, a stratigrapher with the U.S. Geological Survey. The Anthropocene, by contrast, “is the present and future.”

“It’s something we would need to look back on to understand whether this boundary has a function,” Philip Gibbard, a professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge who’s now the secretary-general of the I.C.S., told me. “Those who propose the boundary would say, Well, the Anthropocene is going to continue on into the future. But I’m afraid we don’t deal with the future as geologists. We only deal with what's preserved in the rock record.”

The simmering conflict came to a boil this past winter. As with many such disputes, this one morphed from a substantive argument into a procedural one. The members of the A.W.G. felt that they’d been railroaded by the I.C.S. into submitting a formal proposal before they were ready to. They also complained that, in the run-up to the vote, Anthropocene proponents, including Zalasiewicz, had been sidelined. (At the time, Zalasiewicz was the chairman of the voting subcommittee—the I.C.S.’s Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy [S.Q.S.]—and the vote was held over his objections.)

“It was like a palace coup, basically,” Colin Waters, the chairman of the A.W.G. at the time, told me.

The final tally—twelve against declaring a new epoch, four in favor, and two abstentions—was released to the Times before most members of the A.W.G. had learned of it. Zalasiewicz—who, along with one of the other subcommittee members, had refused to cast a ballot—questioned the legitimacy of the tally on several grounds, including the fact that he, the chair, had not called it. His objections were quickly brushed aside by the I.C.S.’s governing board.

“ Quest to declare Anthropocene an epoch descends into epic row ,” a headline in the Guardian read.

“I can assure you that the claims that have been made by certain members of the Anthropocene Working Group are rubbish,” Gibbard, who, in addition to serving on the I.C.S. executive board, is a member of the Quaternary subcommission, told me. “They’re just sore losers. The trouble is that the Anthropocene Working Group had developed into nothing more than a—what can I say?—kind of a cult.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I am an Anthropocene partisan. This is not to say I have any particular knowledge of stratigraphy (though, with Zalasiewicz, I once visited the golden spike for the base of the Silurian period, a layer of rock in a cliffside in Scotland). It’s that I find the Anthropocene a helpful neologism—indeed, a necessary one. It’s a succinct way of communicating a messy and profoundly consequential reality. Human activity has become the major driver of change on Earth. And many of the ways in which we’re transforming the planet—by driving once-widespread species extinct or spreading microplastics around the globe—are irreversible across timescales both human and geological.

The term’s utility is, presumably, the reason that it was so widely adopted following Crutzen’s outburst. And its wide adoption, in turn, helps to explain why the recent I.C.S. debate became so charged.

Most laypeople don’t much care about, say, the start date of the Pleistocene. (It was recently moved back almost eight hundred thousand years.) Such abstruse questions seem far removed from present-day concerns. But the debate about the Anthropocene is about the present. It’s where stratigraphy meets the news cycle. Long before the I.C.S. had a chance to rule on it, the Anthropocene had become the subject of movies, books, and art exhibitions. The work of the A.W.G., meanwhile, was generously covered in the press. When the working group announced its decision to plant a golden spike in Crawford Lake, outlets from the Hindustan Times to Deutsche Welle ran stories on the choice.

Many geologists born before the proposed Anthropocene start date seem to have begrudged the would-be time period all this attention. “The Anthropocene epoch was pushed through the media from the beginning—a publicity drive,” Finney, the I.U.G.S. secretary-general, observed to Science dismissively.

The future of the Anthropocene as an official stratigraphic unit is, at this point, unclear. The A.W.G. dissolved after the vote, but, as several members of the group pointed out to me, the leadership of the I.C.S. is due to turn over this summer, after the quadrennial International Geological Congress, set to take place in South Korea. Kim Cohen, a Dutch geologist who, at fifty, is one of the younger members of the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy and who cast a “yes” vote for the new epoch, told me that he expects to see the Anthropocene added to the geological timescale within his life.

“I think many of my fellow S.Q.S. members will not see it,” he added by way of clarification.

But the Anthropocene’s future as an informal time period is assured. It’s too apt—and too important—a term to be abandoned. As Paul Crutzen pointed out in 2002, barring a “meteorite impact, a world war or a pandemic,” humans “will remain a major environmental force for many millennia.” Science recently summed up the situation this way: “ The Anthropocene is dead. Long live the Anthropocene .”

Crutzen died in 2021, so it’s impossible to know what he would have said about the recent I.C.S. vote. I imagine, though, that he would have responded to it much as he did to a question I posed to him back in 2010. What was important about the Anthropocene, he told me at that time, was not whether it was included in geology texts, but whether it prompted people to think more carefully about the consequences of their collective actions.

“What I hope,” he said, “is that the term ‘Anthropocene’ will be a warning to the world.” ♦

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The Anthropocene Reviewed (Signed Edition): Essays on a Human-Centered Planet Hardcover – May 18, 2021

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About the author

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers) and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse (youtube.com/crashcourse). You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.

John lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Web: Communications and Marketing

‘The Anthropocene Reviewed’ Selected as U of I’s 2024-25 Common Read

April 24, 2024.

MOSCOW, Idaho — University of Idaho has chosen “ The Anthropocene Reviewed ” by John Green as its Common Read for 2024-25.

“The Common Read committee, composed of students, faculty and community members, felt this selection was a perfect choice to accentuate the scholastic strengths of the institution, explore the current issues facing our planet and develop balance in our global view of the world,” said Dean Panttaja, U of I’s director of General Education.

“The Anthropocene Reviewed,” a collection of personal essays, was the Goodreads Choice winner for nonfiction in 2021 and an instant No. 1 bestseller.

Its summary says, “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.’”

It has been called “funny, complex and rich with detail,” “the perfect book for right now” and “essential to the human conversation.”

In addition to “Anthropocene,” Green is the author of five novels, including the 2012 breakout success “The Fault in Our Stars,” which was adapted into a movie in 2014. His most recent novel, “Turtles All the Way Down,” was published in 2017.

Now in its 17th year, the Common Read is designed to engage the university and Moscow community in a unified intellectual activity. First-year students will be assigned to read the book as part of their first-year studies courses and in the first-year writing composition sequence, all part of the General Education program.

Other recent Common Reads have included “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover in 2018; “There There” by Tommy Orange in 2019; “The Book of Unknown Americans” by Cristina Henriquez in 2020; “Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth in 2021; “So you Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo in 2022; and the “The Nature Fix” by Florence Williams in 2023. 

Copies of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” will be available later this summer through the VandalStore and BookPeople of Moscow .

Media Contacts:

Dean Panttaja Director, General Education and Assessment University of Idaho 208-885-9025 [email protected]

Danae Lenz External Communications Coordinator University of Idaho 406-672-4600 [email protected]

About the University of Idaho

The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu .

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Subscriber only, sponsored content | best essay writing services: review and comparison of top-rated websites.

Reputable service, one of the best sites on the market;

All content is written from scratch by professionals;

No need to provide a lot of personal information, you can stay anonymous;

Reasonable price, great value for money.

Even though all papers that PaperHelp delivers are plagiarism-free, a plagiarism report costs extra;

Urgent orders with short deadlines (3-6 hours) can get expensive.

I’ve used PaperHelp a few times when I’ve been swamped with schoolwork and deadlines were creeping up. It’s a solid option if you’re looking for reliable essay writing services. They offer original content and make sure your papers are free from plagiarism, which is crucial for scoring well.

Their system is straightforward. You don’t need to contact customer support to place an order. You simply choose from three levels of professional essay writers — Basic, Advanced, or TOP — depending on your needs and budget. The starting price is $10 per page, and they can deliver within a minimum of three hours. However, adding extra features can increase the cost significantly, so it’s wise to consider whether you really need those extras.

PaperHelp’s policies are a big plus. They have a money-back guarantee, and you can ask for revisions and proofreading to refine your paper. This has been helpful in ensuring the final product meets my expectations.

One downside is that you have to create an account to make a purchase. It seems unnecessary and a bit annoying, especially since this is common with many online essay writing services — they end up sending you endless promotions.

Despite this, I found the quality of their work to be consistently high. It’s important to double-check and spell-check the work you receive, though, as errors can sometimes slip through.

Overall, PaperHelp is a dependable choice. It won’t replace studying or writing your own papers, but it’s a great help when you’re in a bind. If you’re browsing through Reddit for recommendations, you’ll likely come across positive reviews about them, and from my experience, they’re well-deserved.

2.  BBQPapers  — Best for Complex Assignments

BBQPapers is all about the quality. The company prides itself in writing college papers with professional paper writers that deliver best results on the market;

The company never misses deadlines, you can be sure to receive your order on time, just when you need it;

Free revisions are available 10 days after delivery.

There’s no quick price calculator to get an order estimate, you have to sign up to get the final price;

BBQPapers is somewhat more expensive than most professional essay writing services on this list.

I’ve had my share of experiences with essay writing services, and BBQPapers stands out when it comes to handling complex assignments. They have a team ready to take on papers of any difficulty, and you can even order presentations. Their support is available around the clock, ensuring that you get the best possible grades.

Their prices are pretty reasonable too. High school papers start at $5.85 per 100 words, college papers at $6.77, and PhD-level work begins at $10.64. Every order promises original, plagiarism-free content, thoroughly researched and well-cited, plus you get a free plagiarism report.

Quality control is tight, and each paper is reviewed by a trained editor to ensure error-free results. So, quality isn’t something you’ll need to worry about with them.

Now, understanding their pricing is straightforward. It depends on the academic level, urgency, and length of your paper. Simpler and less urgent tasks cost less, while detailed and urgent ones will naturally cost more. Unlike other essay writing websites that charge by the page, BBQPapers charges by every 100 words, which can make them more expensive. However, they justify their prices with the quality of professional college essay writers they hire.

In summary, while they might be pricier, the quality and service at BBQPapers are top-notch, and they’ve earned a loyal following for it.

3.  SpeedyPaper  — Best Research Paper Writing Service

Good quality, finding a professional essay writer is a matter of minutes, even if your subject is quite peculiar;

There’s no need to pay for a plagiarism report, it is free;

Lots of positive reviews on Reddit.

Finding an ENL essay writer can be quite hard, because SpeedyPaper mostly works with ESL essay writers.

I’ve had some experience with SpeedyPaper, a well-known online essay writing service. They’re pretty good at what they do, focusing on quick turnarounds and maintaining quality. Their services are broad, covering everything from essay writing and proofreading to solving complex problems and even crafting dissertations.

Their pricing is straightforward: starting at $9 for a basic 275-word piece, it can climb to $99 for an urgent six-hour deadline task. For example, a three-page research paper needed in six hours costs $96, but if you give them 24 hours, the price drops to $75.

SpeedyPaper also offers free essay samples on a variety of subjects like Law, Psychology, and Finance, which is a real lifesaver if you’re trying to write a paper on your own and have some time to spare.

The general consensus online seems to agree that SpeedyPaper is reliable and steady—qualities you want in a professional paper writing service that handles your academic needs. They don’t try to dazzle with flashy gimmicks, they just consistently deliver solid work.

From my interactions, the importance of clear communication is clear. When you place an order, you’ll work directly with a writer. It’s crucial to give them all the details up front to ensure the final product meets your expectations. This can really smooth out the whole process.

And while there are loads of glowing reviews on their main page, take it with a grain of salt—no essay writing service online can please everyone, and it’s normal for there to be a mix of opinions.

But if you need a reliable service without over-the-top pricing, SpeedyPaper might just do the trick. They seem to manage well by hiring competent and experienced writers in regions where the cost of living is lower, benefiting everyone involved.

4.  EssayPro  — Best College Paper Writing Service

Good quality, great value for money;

Unlike other sites on this list, EssayPro allows you to choose the best essay writer yourself by browsing through dozens of writers’ profiles;

Direct communication with the chosen professional;

Free essay originality report available.

Finding an online essay writer for your task can be a time-consuming process.

I recently used EssayPro, an essay writing service that really stands out because of its commitment to quality and originality in everything from college essays to academic research. It’s a great help for students who need support with writing, rewriting, editing, or proofreading their assignments.

EssayPro is a cheap essay writing service that serves students across all academic levels, as well as professionals looking for quick, reliable results. Their team includes specialized professionals with diverse expertise, ensuring that every paper is expertly handled.

You can pick your own essay writer, chat directly with them, and place orders at reasonable prices. They promise a stress-free process with top-notch customer support and deliver quality work fast—sometimes in as little as six hours.

Additionally, EssayPro offers a range of services like case studies, dissertations, and business plans, among others. They provide unique perks like a free originality report, guaranteed anonymity, 24/7 support, and unlimited revisions.

From my experience, what really sets them apart is their transparent approach. You can view detailed profiles of their essay writers online and choose who you want to work with based on a flexible bidding system. This flexibility extends to their pricing, making it easier to work within your budget—unless you’re after the most sought-after professional essay writers, as their fees can go up with demand.

If you’re good at academic writing and looking for freelance opportunities, EssayPro might be worth considering. They manage to keep their rates competitive by handling a large volume of work.

The design of the website is clear and easy to navigate, with a pleasing aesthetic and a straightforward interface. It’s definitely a reliable choice for anyone needing academic writing help.

5.  ExpertWriting  — Best for Discounts and Bonuses

Reasonable price, good quality;

Great discounts for regular customers, good choice for resellers.

The company doesn’t clearly communicate the fact that some disciplines can cost more than others;

Customer service couldn’t be more responsive.

I’ve used ExpertWriting for various academic assignments, and I’ve found it to be a reliable service. This platform offers a variety of academic writing services, including essay writing, research papers, term papers, and coursework, as well as editing and proofreading to improve your essays.

The process is straightforward. You submit your assignment details, and they quote a rate. If you agree, you gain access to their pool of essay writers and editors who can assist with your writing needs. You’ll receive your completed work by the deadline you set.

ExpertWriting is known for being affordable, which is great for students on a budget. They are often recommended on platforms like Reddit as a cost-effective option without compromising on quality. They also offer discounts for bulk orders, which can help save even more.

I’d particularly recommend ExpertWriting if you’re pressed for time. We’ve all been there—needing to complete a solid piece of academic work in a rush. While their prices go up for tighter deadlines, they manage them well. For example, they can deliver work in as little as three hours, though for more complex papers, more time will naturally be required.

However, it’s wise not to expect miracles for extremely short deadlines, especially for lengthy papers. For a more realistic turnaround, an eight-hour deadline is doable for them without sacrificing the quality too much.

Pricing on ExpertWriting is reasonable. For a less urgent two-week deadline, you’ll pay around $11 per page, which can increase depending on the urgency, academic level, and length of your paper. This is pretty standard across most professional writing services.

Lastly, they don’t just handle essays. You can get help with almost any type of academic writing, including research proposals, creative writing assignments, cover letters, and literature reviews. It’s a versatile platform that can meet various academic needs.

6.  ExtraEssay  — Best Customer Service

Affordable prices and good quality;

Free, unlimited revisions for 10 days after order delivery;

Exceptional customer service, the customer support team is always ready to help anytime.

Sometimes ExtraEssay fails to meet customers’ deadlines.

I’ve been turning to ExtraEssay for my academic writing needs for a couple of years now, and they’ve been a reliable resource ever since they started up about seven years ago. Their focus is clear—they prioritize attention to detail, reliability, and professionalism.

They offer a broad spectrum of about 20 services, primarily catering to students. You can get anything from basic essays to more specialized documents like resumes and cover letters, all tailored to meet your needs.

What really sets ExtraEssay apart for me is their competitive pricing. It’s rare to find such affordable rates without compromising on quality. The essays and support you receive are absolutely top-tier. Speaking of support, their customer service is remarkable. I’ve had several interactions with their team, and each time they were exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable.

Navigating their website is a breeze too. The homepage is packed with useful information, making it easy for anyone to understand their offerings right off the bat. From a handy price calculator to detailed descriptions of the ordering process, everything is laid out to ensure a smooth user experience.

They don’t just cater to experienced users, and newcomers will find themselves comfortably making their way through the site. They’ve also detailed essential features like free revisions and continuous customer support, which have been lifesavers for me on more than one occasion.

With thousands of clients each year and an 85% return rate, it’s clear they’re doing something right. Their commitment to their customers really shows through in every aspect of their service.

7.  GradeMinders  — Best for Quick Turnaround

Reputable company, solid and consistent quality;

The fastest college essay service on the market (1-hour turnaround time available);

Finding a writer during crunch season might be time-consuming.

GradeMiners is more expensive than most essay writing sites in the industry.

I’ve been using GradeMiners for a while now, and I have to say, they offer a solid service at a fair price. A high school essay runs about $16 per page, and a college paper is $18 per page. They offer a wide array of professional academic writing services beyond just essays; you can get help with everything from presentations and book reviews to lab reports and dissertations.

The process is straightforward: you go to their website, pick your subject, set your deadline, and the professional writers take it from there. They assure that your paper will be completely original and plagiarism-free, which is crucial.

One of the standout features is their speedy delivery. If you’re pressed for time, you can get a college paper done within an hour—as long as it’s not too long. This frees you up to concentrate on other things that might need more of your attention or are more appealing to you.

8. EssayTerritory — Best New Essay Writing Company

Good quality, fair price;

Great loyalty program, good choice for students who are looking to use this site regularly;

Exceptional customer service.

No sample essays available;

Plagiarism report doesn’t come for free;

Expensive extras.

I recently tried out EssayTerritory, a new but promising college paper writing service. It was easy to find an essay writer that matched my specific needs, and the platform has a roster of over 800 active paper writers. They’ve already completed more than 1300 orders, which is impressive for a newcomer.

What stands out most about EssayTerritory is their 98% satisfaction rate. It seems they really know how to please their customers, as about 85% of users return for more academic papers. They offer a plagiarism-free guarantee like many top essay writing services, and they’ll give you a full refund if they miss your deadline or if your work contains plagiarism.

You can order various assignments from them—essays, research papers, case studies, term papers, dissertations, and even help with presentations or speeches if that’s what you need. They also provide proofreading and editing services.

Privacy and confidentiality are top priorities for them. They ensure that every “write my essay” request is kept anonymous and your personal details are secure. They have robust measures in place to prevent any data leaks. This level of security gave me a lot of confidence in using their essay writer service.

FAQs About Best Paper Writing Services

Should i trust essay writing service reviews.

Trusting essay writing service reviews can be tricky. Unfortunately, some companies that offer a custom essay writing service also operate fake review sites to maintain a positive online reputation. This means you need to be cautious about where you look for reviews.

For more reliable information, it’s better to use independent review platforms like SiteJabber and Reviews.io. These sites are generally more trustworthy because they’re not directly affiliated with any essay writing services.

However, even with these platforms, it’s wise to approach reviews with a critical eye. Some dedicated essay writing review sites might have biases or hidden motives, so take their recommendations with skepticism and always cross-reference multiple sources if possible.

How long does it take to have my essay written for me?

Essay writers generally focus on producing high-quality work, and the time it takes to write an essay largely depends on its length. For a standard 275-word essay, the average turnaround is about 3 hours. Most essay writing services strive to meet these deadlines consistently.

If you’re in a rush and your deadline is just a few hours away, you can opt for a premium service. This usually involves having several top-rated writers collaborate to deliver your essay in about half the standard time.

It’s worth noting that the best college paper writing services might experience delays during peak times when demand is high. Typically, they recommend giving writers at least six hours to complete an essay. If you’re willing to pay extra, your order can be prioritized to ensure a faster delivery.

For more complex assignments like thesis papers or extensive research projects, the process can take up to five days. Writers often submit a partial draft by the second day for client feedback, allowing any revisions to be included in the final submission by day five.

Will my essay be written by a professional essay writer?

Picking a reliable essay writing website is crucial for ensuring the safety, confidentiality, and quality of the service.

When hiring writers, most companies put them through a rigorous vetting process. They typically require that writers have native or near-native proficiency in the language they’ll be writing in, along with a relevant degree from an accredited university.

Once hired, these writers undergo further training on the platform to polish their linguistic and formatting skills. They only start working on actual assignments once their writing meets the company’s professional standards.

The best writing services take extra steps to maintain high-quality standards. For example, every piece of work is checked by a moderator before it goes to the client. Writers are also provided with ongoing opportunities to enhance their skills within the company’s supportive environment.

The person who is labeled as a premium paper writer often has more experience and higher qualifications, like a Ph.D., and at least two years of writing experience. While their services cost a bit more, the quality they deliver usually makes the investment worthwhile.

Is using a paper writing service confidential and safe?

The internet is a vast resource where people often share their knowledge, which is a huge help, especially for college students working on their homework. It’s also completely legal and secure to purchase essays and custom papers online if you need them. However, it’s crucial to choose a reputable provider to avoid issues like plagiarism or low-quality work, which could waste your time, money, and effort.

I’ve found that doing your homework on these services is essential. Make sure to look at the company’s refund policy in case you’re not satisfied with their work, and confirm that they’ll keep your school’s name confidential. It’s also a good idea to check reviews of their past work to see if it’s well-written and structurally sound.

From my experience, as long as you do this research beforehand, buying essays online can be a safe option that keeps your details private. Just be vigilant to avoid scams.

What if I’m not satisfied with my paper?

Most top-rated essay writing companies strive to deliver excellent quality, because they want their customers to come back. They have skilled writers who are well-versed in various academic tasks, including essays, lab reports, and research papers. They work hard to produce top-quality work.

If there are any issues with the finished product, these services usually offer free revisions until you’re satisfied with the quality. Client satisfaction is a high priority for these companies, driven by stiff market competition. The goal is to deliver a flawless paper that helps you achieve a high grade.

What are the main drawbacks of using essay writing services?

For many students, using essay writing services is considered a luxury, primarily because the reputable ones that offer great reviews, unlimited revisions, and maintain confidentiality tend to be more expensive. Opting for cheap essay writing services often means risking quality and reliability, especially when it comes to meeting deadlines.

Plagiarism is another serious issue. Both intentional and unintentional plagiarism can occur, particularly with services that don’t carefully vet their writers. Sometimes, clients don’t discover the plagiarism until it’s too late to rewrite the paper and meet their deadline.

Moreover, if an essay writing company lacks a quality control team, the work submitted by writers might be subpar, filled with typos and grammatical errors. Some writers might also resist feedback, making it hard to get the necessary revisions to ensure the essay meets your standards.

Who will write my work and what determines the price?

Your assignment will be handled by writers with diverse backgrounds. Some are full-time professionals dedicated solely to writing, while others are former academics who’ve embraced the flexibility of working from home. There are also those who write as a side job.

Regarding pricing, we’ve discussed the main factors in our article: the length of the assignment, its complexity, and the deadline. Another element influencing cost is the location of the company. Businesses based in regions like Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia often have lower rates because the cost of living is lower there, making the dollar stretch further.

Comparison of the Top Paper Writing Services

#1. paperhelp 🏅.

Academic papers written from scratch by writers with Ph.D. and Master’s degrees;

No need to provide any personal information;

Reasonable price, great quality, plagiarism-free papers.

#2. BBQPapers 🥈

Premium quality, best writers in the industry;

On-time delivery guarantee, even on rush orders;

Free revisions.

#3. EssayPro 🥉

Good quality at a reasonable price (ENL writers);

Free plagiarism report;

Good reputation.

Best Essay Services: Conclusion

Working with a professional essay writing service is important not only for the quality of the work you’ll receive but also for the security of your personal details. Many students turn to these services when they’re pressed for time and need to complete their academic tasks—there’s nothing wrong with this approach.

Today, numerous legitimate essay writing services uphold high standards of academic integrity and deliver plagiarism-free papers. These paper writing websites are generally affordable for most students, although there are some exceptions.

Before placing an order, it’s important to do your homework. Check the company’s reviews, find out if it offers a refund policy, and look into its track record on past projects. A reliable service will prioritize your confidentiality, which is a vital consideration.

The news and editorial staff of the Santa Cruz Sentinel had no role in this post’s preparation. This is a paid advertisement and does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, its employees, or subsidiaries.

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