Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz around the new book A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green. I knew it was a sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, which has been on my to-read list for a while, so I decided to finally cross that book off my list.
I was honestly surprised at how good this book was! An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is the story of April May, a young woman who becomes viral on Youtube after filming her encounter with a large statue she names Carl. It turns out that there is much more to Carl that meets the eye, as several Carls turn up around the world and they are made of a material
whose properties make absolutely no sense on planet Earth.
The story is an impressive description of what happens to people on social media. It accurately describes how social media exacerbates certain human emotions: the need for attention, the need to be liked and seen, the need for validation, the need to be right. It demonstrates the destructive nature of it, but Green also demonstrates how it can be used to bring people together. The tension felt throughout the book is that of hope vs fear.
And it’s no surprise that the world of internet fame is so well-described一the author is one-half of the famous Vlogbrothers Youtube channel which he shares with his brother, John Green (yes, that John Green), and the brains behind many other projects such as the CrashCourse channels, SciShow, etc. But don’t let his online persona or his association with his brother affect your view of this story. I must make this clear: This is NOT a John Green book, nor does it cater to the same audience. Hank Green very much has his own voice, and frankly, it’s one worth reading/listening to without needing to compare it to his brother’s.
I’m very much looking forward to checking out A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, although first, I need to recover from the emotional hangover An Absolutely Remarkable Thing left me with!
Written by:
Sam Evaristo
Circulation Assistant, Grand St. Branch
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 