A Beautifully Foolish Thing (A Carls Book-2)
Hank Green, 2020
Penguin Publishing
464 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781524743475
Summary
Who has the right to change the world forever?
How will we live online?
How do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?
The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While the robots were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction with only their presence.
Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.
Months later, April’s friends are trying to find their footing in a post-Carl world.
Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda is contemplating defying her friends’ advice and pursuing a new scientific operation… one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.
Just as it is starting to seem like the gang may never learn the real story behind the events that changed their lives forever, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers—all of which seems to suggest that April could be very much alive.
In the midst of the search for the truth and the search for April is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It is a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions about the way we live, our freedoms, our future, and how we handle the unknown. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—May 5, 1980
• Where—Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Education—B.S., Eckerd College; M.S. University of Montana
• Currently—lives in Missoula, Montana
Hank Green is the CEO of Complexly, a production company that creates educational content, including Crash Course and SciShow, prompting The Washington Post to name him “one of America’s most popular science teachers.”
Complexly’s videos have been viewed more than two billion times on YouTube.
Green cofounded a number of other small businesses, including DFTBA.com, which helps online creators make money by selling cool stuff to their communities; and VidCon, the world’s largest conference for the online video community. In 2017, VidCon drew more than forty thousand attendees across three events in Anaheim, Amsterdam, and Australia.
Hank and his brother, John, also started the Project for Awesome, which last year raised more than two million dollars for charities, including Save the Children and Partners in Health. Hank lives in Montana with his wife, son, and cat. (From the publishers.)
Book Reviews
While there are many parallels to our current climate, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is a hopeful read that provides a "Black Mirror" like warning of new technology without the heavy feeling of dread. Green gives nuance to the privileges of escapism with humor and grace through main characters taking a chance on hope, even if it is beautifully foolish.
USA Today
If you’re looking for a novel that will offer escapism alongside stinging social commentary and just the right amount of cautious optimism for humanity’s future, this might be the perfect read.
BookRiot
Hank Green’s first novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, had us furiously flipping pages to solve the mystery of the Carls. The much-anticipated sequel is finally here, and it’s just as adventurous and addicting. You’ll hang on every last word as you wonder what really happened to April May.
HelloGiggles
[S]low-moving and philosophically dense sequel to the comic sci-fi novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.… Readers will have to hang in until… the plot begins to come together, but once it does, it’s thrilling to watch the puzzle pieces fall into place.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) Throughout this adventurous, witty, and compelling novel, Green delivers sharp social commentary on the power of social media and both the benefits and horrendous consequences that follow when we give too much of ourselves to technology. —Carmen Clark, Elkhart P.L., IN
Library Journal
(Starred review) A raucous, boldly inventive tale of alien technology, social media and influencers, the limits of the human mind, and the lengths humans will go to get what they want. Even after a satisfying ending, readers will have much to think about.
Booklist
[C]ircuitous…. Green's debut was a better novel with a wildly intriguing setup, so it’s not surprising that getting things wrapped up is a bit of a twisty affair. A satisfying sequel with likable characters, playful humor, and a prescient sense of the foolishness of modern life.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH ENDEAVOR … and then take off on your own:
1. Presuming you've read the first Carls novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (ART), is this book a worthy sequel? Why or why not?
2. In what way does A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (BFE) reflect our own era back to us? Consider its take on these topics: capitalism, globalism, race, income disparity, technology.
3. (Follow-up to Question 1) Like its predecessor, BFE jumps into some of life's big questions, asking some fairly philosophical questions. One is this: in the age of technology, what does it mean to be human? How does the book address the question, and how do you?
4. (Follow-up to Questions 2 and 3) Another question Green poses to readers is about power—how it's used, to what ends, and who gets to wield it.
5. What is the degree to which the digital world pervades our culture, and what effect does it have on our humanity—especially on how we perceive our humanity?
6. The First Carls book left readers with ambiguity. What more do readers learn about the Carls this time around? What do you learn about their identity and motivation?
7. April was the center of ART, controlling the narrative voice. BFE varies the point of view, using the perspective of five narrators, as well as Tweets, podcasts, news articles, YouTube, and chat forums. Do you prefer one narrative strategy over the other? If so why?
8. Pick out one of your favorite quotations from the book and talk about why you chose it, its significance, and the extent to which, if any, it relates to your own life?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)