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Reviewing Reviews of My Reviews

2021-07-20 · letter vlog · John · 4:00 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: self promotion, community lore

John, whose The Anthropocene Reviewed has spent eight weeks on the bestseller list, reviews readers' five-star-scale reviews of his book of reviews, then admits most are so open-hearted that all he can offer is a deeply felt thank you.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — The book's wide readership, the grandmother email, the irony of five-star reviews of a book about the five-star scale

  • ★★★ John says The Anthropocene Reviewed, essays reviewing facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale, has been on the New York Times bestseller list for eight consecutive weeks. — 00:00:00 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), The New York Times
  • ★★ John is grateful and surprised by the book's wide readership: his assumption that every reader would watch these videos was wrong, as an email from Katherine from Minnesota, titled GRANDMOTHER LOVES YOUR BOOK, showed. (playful) — 00:00:00 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
  • ★★ John finds it weird that the book, which explores the simultaneous absurdity and indispensability of the five-star scale, is now widely reviewed on a five-star scale. — 00:00:29 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
  • ★★ John says that on both Goodreads and Amazon The Anthropocene Reviewed has a much higher average rating than any of his other books. — 00:00:29 · Amazon, The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

00:00:58 — John reviews reviews of The Anthropocene Reviewed, then says the open-hearted ones defy jokes

  • ★★ John says readers are welcome to review the book, but asks them not to go through reviews saying mean things to people. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Having read some reviews of his book of reviews, John decides to go deeper and review the reviews, giving each one stars. (playful) — 00:00:58 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
  • ★ A two-star review says Hank Green knows his science but nothing about people; John gives the review two stars because it unjustly maligns his brother. (playful) — 00:01:27 · Hank Green

  • ★★★ Answering a four-star Goodreads review calling it a soft book, John says that is exactly what he wanted: to write a soft book for a hard moment. — 00:01:27 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

    “I wanted to write a soft book for a hard moment.”

  • ★★★ After Gabriella's review praising the book's stubborn hope and tender essays, John says nothing is more radical or countercultural at the moment than laying down one's cynicism in favor of tender vulnerability. — 00:02:00

  • ★ John is not disappointed that a three-star Goodreads review calls the book a little Ted Lasso-like and gives that review five stars. (playful) — 00:02:30
  • ★★ Responding to Adele's review that the book reminds us what it means to be alive, John says he wrote it to remind himself what it means to be alive. — 00:02:30 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
  • ★★ Melissa, a COVID nurse, wrote that the collection helped her find her white-knuckled way through the pandemic. — 00:02:59 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★★ John says almost all the reviews are so open-hearted and thoughtful that he can't riff on them; they show the generosity of spirit he tried to bring to the book. — 00:02:59

00:03:32 — Thank you; P.S. signed copies, libraries and the audiobook

  • ★★ John has no clever rejoinder to that kindness; all he can say is a deeply felt but wholly insufficient thank you. — 00:03:32
  • ★★ John says signed copies of The Anthropocene Reviewed are still available, or readers can get it at a local library, or get the audiobook he reads. — 00:03:32 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

Humor (significant)

  • The Anthropocene Reviewed's average rating beats John's other books and also Shakespeare's tragedy — 00:00:58

    “higher average rating than Macbeth, which, you know, possibly indicates some problems with the five-star scale.”

  • A two-star review mixes John up with his brother, saying Hank Green knows science but not people — 00:01:27

    “Unfortunately, I have to give that review two stars because on several levels it unjustly maligns my brother.”

  • John chides a four-star reviewer who loved the book, then remembers his own rating of the Lascaux cave paintings — 00:02:00

    “But then again, I gave The Cave Paintings at Lascaux four and a half stars, so maybe I should just shut up and be grateful.”

  • A COVID nurse writes that the book helped her through the pandemic — 00:02:59

    “Which, Melissa, the idea is that I make you cry, okay? Not the other way around.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: star (classification) · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

Also: Works: Macbeth · Ted Lasso

Organizations: Amazon · Goodreads · The New York Times

Concepts: audiobook · cynicism

Places: Lascaux

Events: COVID-19 pandemic

Only in the description or credits: Inception

Also centred on star (classification): The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated

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