The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Green, John. The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet. Dutton, 2021.

The Anthropocene Reviewed contains dozens of essays but, for the purposes of this guide, will be divided into five sections, averaging nine essays apiece.

The first section contains the essays from “Introduction” to “Velociraptors.” Green discusses the illness which motivated him to begin writing this book before reviewing a song sung by soccer teams and musical theatre performers alike; Halley’s Comet, which he once saw with his dad; the cave paintings in Lascaux, France; the human capacity to wonder; scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers; diet Dr. Pepper; as well as velociraptors.

The second section contains the essays from “Canada Geese” to “Jerzy Dudek’s Performance.” Green reviews the Canada Goose; air conditioning which is destroying the planet; the staph infection, which he himself suffered from; the internet; academic decathlons and their social environments; sunsets; and, finally, the performance by goalie Jerzy Dudek for Liverpool in the 2005 Champion’s League final.

The third section contains the essays from “Penguins of Madagascar” to “Indianapolis.” Green reviews the children’s movie “Penguins of Madagascar”; the rise and fall of “Piggly Wiggly” grocery stores in the United States; a renowned hot dog eating competition; the twenty-four hour news network, CNN; the movie “Harvey”; the yips in professional sports; the famous song, “Auld Lang Syne”; the act of looking up strangers on the internet; and his now-hometown, Indianapolis, where he lives with his wife and children.

The fourth section of the book contains the essays from “Kentucky Bluegrass” to “Plague.” Green reviews the manicured lawns of Kentucky bluegrass one sees all over the United States; the Indy 500 race; the game of monopoly; Super Mario Kart; the Bonneville salt flats; the drawings of Hiroyuki Doi; the act of whispering; viral meningitis; and the plague.

The fifth section of the book contains the remaining essays, from “Wintry Mix” to “Postscript.” Green reviews the slush that falls from the winter sky; the hot dogs from a particular stand in Iceland Green visited with his wife; the Notes app on the iPhone; his favorite band, the Mountain Goats; the QWERTY keyboard; the world’s largest ball of paint; Sycamore Trees; the song, “New Partner”; and finally, the famous photograph of three young German men in the countryside, on their way to a dance.