Title and Author of the Book: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Note from Reviewer: I personally recommend reading this book without knowing anything about it, so read the synopsis at your own risk.

Plot Overview: April May, a typical millennial 23-year old, stumbles upon an breathtaking, wonderfully unique, and absolutely remarkable statue at 3 am in the Morning. She makes a video with her college friend Andy, on the statue, whose she jokingly names Carl. The next morning, the internet is alive- the Carls are everywhere. 64 Carls, all identical, in 64 different cities, and April May was the first to find them. In a whirlwind of a plot, April May’s life and identity is transformed as she is taken into a dizzying descent of fame directly connected to the mystery of the Carls. They are not... exactly the modern sculpture April May assumes they are, to say the least.

Critique: The most compelling aspect of the book was how unique and refreshing it was. It is science fiction, but set in present day, so it didn’t even feel like science fiction. I also loved how realistic April May’s voice was. The book is written as April May telling her story, but she is brutally honest about her opinions on herself. Also, all of Hank Green’s characters subvert stereotypes, but not in a “shove it in your face” way. April is a white bisexual female, and Green handles it very well, giving April love interests of both genders and mixed races without overly focusing on the romantic plot line. Also, the internet and media is a large part of the plot and gave me a new understanding of the perspective of celebrities.

From Ms. Yang: Thanks for the review! There's been a lot of excitement over this book by John Green's brother. His own experience with internet stardom seems perfect for this story.