2021: John Green FEELS everything on such a high level, with such intense ferocity, that this book sometimes made me feel like I am living inadequately, and not feeling enough. Then I would remember that Green has literally made writing his life's work, so it makes sense that his words cause me to feel this way.

This was an easy book to review, as it's all about reviewing the world around you. It also helps that I agree with John Green on nearly everything, so I was pretty on board with his assessments about the world around us. LOVE his Megan Rapinoe reference and really all of his soccer references.

I loved the amplification of women I had never learned about before, like Elizabeth Magie, the more-correct inventor of the game Monopoly. I appreciated the time Green took to discuss the power-ups he received in life (the being-white-power-up, the being-male-power-up, the debt-free-college-power-up). I enjoyed learning more about the history behind the QWERTY keyboard and was fascinated by the story of the Piggly Wiggly grocery stores - I had no idea!

If I had one critique of this book, Green seems to have just reviewed an awful lot of things as 4 stars. But as I reflect on the number of 4 star book reviews I have already given out this year, I'd say that tracks. I can't believe her didn't give out any dreaded zero star critiques - not even for viral meningitis!

Green is so well read, my goodness. There are so many references and quotes in this book that it seems like each essay was inspired by something he read. And he admits it too, in the postscript: "It occurs to me that this book is filled with quotes–maybe overfilled with them. I am also overfilled with quotes." I look forward to assembling all of the quotes that I have been collecting over the years into a book of essays in the future.