Dear Hank and John is a podcast by Hank and John Green. John Green is best known for his young adult novels such as Looking for Alaska(2005), The Fault in Our Stars(2012), and
Paper Towns(2008). His brother, Hank, has also written a book titled An Absolute Remarkable Thing(2018). John and Hank are the stars of their own YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers, in which they film video blog posts for each other about everything from science to high school. Their podcast Dear Hank and John is similar to Vlogbrothers in the way that the two interact with each other using humor and honesty. The brothers read emails written to them by listeners, readers, and fans. They then give their best advice, which is always witty and original.
I listened to episode titled “The Fault in Our Mars”(Green & Green, 2018). In this episode, John and Hank answer a number of interesting questions sent in by listeners pertaining to space lawyers, talking to people about their babies, and whether or not milk can expire while still in a cow’s udders. They also discuss copyright laws and college interviews. The podcast ends with an update on news about the new Mars Rover and an English football team followed by both brothers. One of the topics I enjoyed listening to most was the topic of college interviews. One listener wrote in telling John and Hank that they had prepared for many different questions that could come up in a college interview. However, when the interviewer asked them to “Tell them a little bit about themselves”(Green & Green, 2018), the listener was not sure how to respond. John and Hank proceeded to argue over the correct amount of information to supply in the interview. It was interesting to hear about their own college interviews. I can understand why this would be useful and amusing to someone currently experiencing the college application process.
I found this podcast to be entertaining and delightful. I would absolutely listen to it again. While it is intended to simply be fun and lighthearted, John and Hank actually provide listeners with tidbits of useful information. For young adults, some of this information could be beneficial to them as they get older. Any fans of the Green brothers or humor podcasts in general should check out this podcast. Podcasts are a popular form of media that have most recently become very popular. Fiction podcasts are even being made into original series, like Homecoming (Esmall, 2018). It is crucial that we acknowledge and critique the role of podcasts in today’s media. Dear Hank and John is a positive collection of episodes for young adults and adults alike.
References
Bloomberg, M. & Horowitz, E. (Writers). Esmall, S. (Director) (2018) Homecoming. [Television Series] Amazon Studios (Producer).
Green, H. & Green, J. (2018) Dear Hank and John. “The Fault in Our Mars.” Retrieved from http://dearhankandjohn.libsyn.com/.