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Title details for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Available

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

A Novel

#1 in series

by Hank Green
Kristen Sieh
Audiobook
2 of 3 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 3 copies available
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Sparkling with mystery, humor and the uncanny, this is a fun read. But beneath its effervescent tone, more complex themes are at play.” —San Francisco Chronicle
In his wildly entertaining debut novel, Hank Green—cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow—spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.

The Carls just appeared.
 
Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.
 
Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.
 
Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.

  • Creators

  • Series

    The Carls

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    September 25, 2018

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780525641810
      • File size: 271516 KB
      • Duration: 09:25:39

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 870
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 9, 2018
      The younger Vlogbrother (John Green is the other) draws on his passion for science and his experience as a “Tier 3” celebrity (“You’ll probably trend on Twitter if you die”) for a comic debut that combines science fiction and mystery with philosophical musings about the perils of internet fame. His main character, the unfortunately named April May, is a recent art-school grad who happens upon a 10-foot-tall robotic sculpture in the darkened streets of Lower Manhattan. Entranced, she summons Andy, a classmate with a video camera, and the two introduce the figure they dub Carl to the world via YouTube. April May becomes a celebrity but soon discovers that dozens of Carls have appeared in cities across the globe. As she and her friends search for an explanation, she struggles with her newfound addiction to fame and the damage it causes to her most important relationships. April May’s narration, which doesn’t fully work, is both self-effacing and contradictory: she bemoans how much she enjoys fame while cynically crafting a message stressing community, which she determines will best resonate with her fans, thus growing her fame. Though the ending is disappointing (it appears to be setting up a sequel), fans of Green’s YouTube channel will find his humor and perceptiveness intact in this novel.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In his first novel, Hank Green proves his writing gift is equal to his vlogger fame. Kristen Sieh's breezy narration fits the fast pacing of the story and the quick wit of self-absorbed, acerbic April May. Life changes (and so does Sieh's adept portrayal) when April May discovers that a ten-foot-tall statue has suddenly appeared on a Manhattan sidewalk. A YouTube video of the statue she names Carl rockets April May into celebrity. Sieh marks her growing addiction to the limelight. Soon, April May's character deepens as she becomes the center of a mystery about the alien origin of 64 mysterious Carls all over the world. Ultimately, she must choose between fame and her humanity. Green himself delivers the surprising final chapter. Though marketed as an adult novel, this also has great YA appeal. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:870
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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