An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank, Science Fiction / Green, Hank
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	Due 04-26-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Science Fiction / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	Due 05-01-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Science Fiction / Green, Hank	4-week checkout	Due 05-26-2024

"In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined. The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

an extended argument for the tenets of nerdfighteria? submitted by camelsamba on June 22, 2019, 10:49pm I was not in love with the writing style. I might have been happier with a shorter book. I was not keen on the ending.

Overall, this felt like an extended argument for some of the points that underlie nerdfighteria as well as the vlogbrothers (late 2018) discontent with aspects of the social internet. For example, April May in an early TV interview: "When you’re faced with something you don't understand, i think the most natural thing but also the least interesting thing you can be is afraid." Then on page 213: "Reasoned, caring conversations that considered the complexity of other perspectives didn’t get views. Rants did. Outrage did. Simplicity did. So, simple, outraged rants is what I gave people." (Both Hank & John repeatedly make the point that it's important to recognize how people are complex.) And even though April May started with a positive vision, over time it became corrupted: "It's so much harder to actually define yourself and work to imagine the best possible future than it is to tear down others' ideas. So I defined myself and my vision of Carl in opposition to the Defenders'. My path forward was the opposite of theirs and theirs was the opposite of mine. It distilled itself down until all that was left was the argument. And maybe, lurking just beneath that, the hatred." (p 214) And also, in the end, April tries to return to her positive vision: "if the Carls are testing us, this final test is the hardest to accomplish. If you pay attention, there is only one story that makes sense, and that is one in which humanity works together more and more since we took over this planet. " (p 321)

Interesting read submitted by alisonhatch94 on July 22, 2020, 10:31am I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one. The whole idea of the world working together to solve the mystery of these "Carls" was really interesting to me. It was also a great commentary on the influence of social media and people who are just in it for the money and attention. It really makes you think about the people you follow and what type of content you're consuming. The writing style wasn't my favorite but it does sound very much like Hank to me.

one of my all-time favorites! submitted by katiefurms on July 2, 2023, 12:39pm this book, while of course a science fiction story, is also such an emotional story of how social media influences our lives these days. really thought provoking and exciting read

Interesting social commentary submitted by robinpollak on July 7, 2023, 5:48pm I found this to be a thought-provoking an engaging book with a compelling plot and good character development. Highly recommend.

fun and unique submitted by annawhitney on August 25, 2023, 11:41am I really liked this book for a lot of reasons. For one, I think it's so much fun to see Hank's writing style as someone who has read a number of John Green's books and has watched the two interact on the internet. It's also really cool to see someone who deeply loves science write science fiction. This is not bro-y science fiction--it's not meant to make the reader feel stupid, and it doesn't require you to learn a ton of new vocabulary to understand the world-building. It felt more realistic than any other sci-fi I've ever read. I also really enjoyed the perspective on internet fame that this book offers. I've read other books written by internet famous people which talk about this, but it's always in a memoir style, and that seems more sensitive and less interesting. The added layer of fiction allows Hank to discuss some of the more difficult and disgusting impulses of the internet/social media without claiming to have indulged those impulses and without blaming other people for having them. Finally, as someone in my early twenties, I appreciated that this was a book for actual young adults. So much young adult fiction is written for teenagers, and so much adult fiction is for more established adults. It's nice to see myself in literature.