By Paige Waskow
The book of the week is:
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
What's it About?
What would you do if you were walking in downtown New York at 3 am and stumbled upon a giant robot-samurai looking sculpture? Would you take a picture of it? Yell at it? Completely ignore it and move on?
For April-May, the sculpture, which she kindly names Carl, is a work of art that cannot and should not be ignored. As a former art student herself, she does not feel it is right to notice it and then move on without giving some sort of credit to the artist. So, she calls up a friend and takes a video which she then uploads on YouTube.
What begins as a simple video turns out to be a viral sensation around the world. Carls, as they become known have appeared everywhere, overnight, out of thin air. And April-May is the first to document one. Suddenly thrown into the realm of fame, April-May's life turns upside down as she dives in the mystery of the Carls as well as her own popularity.
Why did I choose it?
I loved this book from start to finish. Honestly, I might have been a bit biased going in. Both the Green brothers, Hank and John, are known for their commentary and life documenting YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers. It is a pretty cool channel, and I would recommend checking it out.
But besides knowing the author from other content, I loved this book because it provides the reader with a whirl of sci-fi and real life. It is full of action and mystery, taking plot turns and weird moments and making them into a book that is hard to put down. April-May is a great lead character who shows her flaws boldly and is honest with the reader. The book is her recollection of events all leading up to a grand final that will leave you wanting a sequel.
What I really appreciated was that Green made his characters complex. Women are not simply sidekicks or love interests but rather their own people who have their own problems and ideas. Additionally, this was the first book I read where the main character was bisexual and the plot did not completely evolve around sexuality. It mostly revolves around giant weird robot sculptures and the reasonable question, "What do we do with the Carls?" It also deals with the pains and struggles of fame and independence. What do you do when you are thrown into something that you can hardly control? How do you involve yourself without becoming the thing you are absorbed in?
Where can you get An Absolutely Remarkable Thing?
This book is available at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. If you don't have a CRPL card, you can get one for free!
If you have a book you love and want to see as a BOTW, leave a comment below.
Happy reading!
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