An absolutely remarkable thing by Hank Green
Trapeze, 2018. ISBN 9781473224193
(Age: Young adults+) A recent graphic design graduate working in New
York comes across a larger than life sculpture on the sidewalk on
her way home from a late stint at the office. The robot sculpture so
impresses her that she rings a friend and together they name it Carl
and make a YouTube video. By the morning their video has gone viral
and 23 year old April May and her friend Andy Skampt are famous, not
just because they made the video but because they were the first to
name and publicise the sculptures which have popped up all over the
world simultaneously and are now universally known as 'the Carls'.
All of their training in visual engineering comes into play and
Andy's lawyer dad ensures they get paid for the use of their
material and all their media appearances. April begins the process
of 'intentionally converting myself into a brand' p. 83 and as
their fame grows so do the compromises she makes trying to stay in
the front of the internet storm. One of the casualties of their fame
is April's relationship with her partner Maya and it dawns on her
that life will never be the same again. As it becomes more and more
apparent that the sculptures are not of this world April finds that,
while her audience still strongly link her with the Carls, they
start to polarise into either loving her or hating her. 'People all
over the world whom I had never met and would never meet hated me.
Hated. And what they thought about me was completely out of my
control' p. 168. As the plot unfolds April bravely tries to counter
the negativity and fear using the power of collaboration and open
communication with the online community, harnessing human talent and
ingenuity beyond individual possibilities and beyond borders.
Hank Green, with his famous author brother John Green, and his own
internet fame as a blogger and YouTube science educator understands
celebrity and contemporary culture better than most and the
technical side of the story was refreshingly thorough. April is an
engaging narrator, wryly acknowledging the compromises and mistakes
she makes but sometimes the author's commentary on the strengths and
weaknesses of contemporary culture gets in the way of the story.
Set in today's globally connected world this is a relevant book for
a wide range of readers, from young adults who might be warned of
exploitation, to older readers who might discover the true extent of
the online world and how it impacts our lives.
Sue Speck