An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - Read The Book

I am a stubborn person.  No one can tell me what to do or what to read - even when I know the suggestions will be "good for me".  This is why I have the second piece of pie.  This is why I play games instead of exercising.  This is also why Hank Green's debut novel,
 "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" sat on my bed stand for over a month before I picked it up.

That, and the fear that the book would not be as good as I truly hoped it would be, kept me from reading the first line.

I read the book.


An absolutely remarkable thing happened to young graphic designer, April May, on her way home from work at 2 a.m.  She "discovered" a huge sculpture.  She called her best friend, Andy, to come over and make a video.  Within 24 hours, her life and all life on earth was changed. Well, a huge number of people's lives were changed,

The book was every bit as good as I hoped it would be and MORE! Read it.

Is this book about the identical robot-like sculptures that appear all around the world?  OR is it about the evolution of April May and Andy Skampt from art nerds into social media darlings?  OR is it about making money, lots and lots of money?  Or is it about how fame, money, stubbornness, the need to control, and the sudden acquisition of power can change a person? OR - big OR here - is it about how easy our communications technology makes it to vilify and inflame huge numbers of people based on what they believe and/or applaud?  Or is it about something else entirely?  Read the book.

The robot, April and Andy name it Carl, scares and delights people.  The world wants to know more.  April and Andy become media superstars. They share videos.  They get a  manager.  They rake in the money. April May consults a young scientist about Carl's weird qualities.  Read the book.  The scientist makes some suggestions.  Another person self publishes a book about the dangers of Carl.  A social media battle ensues.  Then there are the puzzles, lots of puzzles, starting with a song that plays in the background of Carl videos.  And misspellings on a Wikipedia page.  And dreams. And danger.

And relationships are formed and firebombed and people change and stay who they are. I'm not sure if good triumphs over evil.  Read the book.

I can not tell you more.  The book is exciting and twisted and thought provoking.  But it has so much going on in it that trying to recall it is like trying to recall a dream or the words to a song you heard once or twice in high school.  You have to      Read.   The   Book. 

And then, read the book, again.

Unforgettable! The Green Brothers

John Green is impossible for book lovers to forget.  He wrote "The Fault in Our Stars", for heaven's sake!!!

But before the amazing event that "The Fault in Our Stars" became, John was - and still is - one half of the Vlogbrothers!  The other equally AWESOME half of Vlogbrothers is the clever, lyrical, amazingly fast-talking, Hank Green.  HANK WROTE A BOOK!  Must. Pre-Order. Now.

NOTE!  NOTE!  NOTE!    THIS IS NOT "LET'S NOT FORGET"!  NOTE!  NOTE!  NOTE!
Mainly because, these guys are UNFOGETTABLE!

I remember those days, back in, oh 2007 or 2008, (Vlogbrothers began their YouTube odyssey in 2007 according to this Wikipedia article), when I stumbled on the online community, Nerdfighters.  I had just read "Paper Towns" and was suitably impressed.  (Also, "An Abundance of Katherines".  I laughed so hard.) I wanted to know more.  John and Hank had moved their Vlogbrothers videos to this online group.  I was hooked and became a Nerdfighter so I, too, could "fight world suck" and DFTBA. (Don't Forget To Be Awesome).

Life sometimes intervenes.  In John Green's case life was the overwhelming success of "The Fault In Our Stars" and the movie of the same name.  The Nerdfighter online social media outlet gently went away.  (Actually, nerdfighter.ning.com is still in existence.  It's just different and not very communal.)

In my case, I got distracted.  I retired.  I became a grandmother.  My Dad got sick; then he turned 90; and then he died.  My Mom turned 90 - still here.  I got another job.  My brother came home from Japan.  (Check out what we did while he was home.  I work this in WHEREVER I can. )  Then he moved back to Japan.  And I wondered what happened to Nerdfighters.   I needed their craziness, their nerdiness and their good-ness. (I miss my brother, Dan.  I feel a Barry Manilow song - or an Elton John song - coming on.)

NERDFIGHTERS DO NOT GO AWAY!

No, World, we are still out there, doing our best to survive and remain steadfast in our pursuit of knowledge and all things Nerd!  We also volunteer, donate, create projects that fight world suck, though Project for Awesome or in other ways.  You have heard what I've been up to.  Under One Sun Benefit and Chiles' Play.  There are so many other people out there, enjoying books, helping to make a better world.

I found Hank and John Green again.  I am so happy.  They are fun to watch, fun to listen to.  I have to dig my Hank Green CD out and listen to "Accio Deathly Hallows", again.

Check out their twice weekly YouTube channel where they discuss EVERYTHING in 3 or 4 minute blasts.  John posts on Tuesday.  Hank posts on Friday.   Check the right hand sidebar; the first three and four are productions of these overactive men.

Or just head over to Nerdfighteria to catch up with all that the Green Brothers have done.

Just remember, they are human, after all.  And life, like I said, intervenes.  So if things aren't as up to the minute as you might like, browse the archives.  Or go find a Project to be Awesome with.

And read their books!  John's latest is Turtles All the Way Down.  Hank's first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, comes out this year.

Thanks, Hank and John Green!