Center for Teaching & Learning

“You remember your first love because they show you, prove to you, that you can love and be loved, that nothing in this world is deserved except for love, that love is both how you become a person and why.” 

Aza looks like just your average, high-school-attending, homework-worrying, friendship-building, teenage girl, but on the inside, her mind is at war: part of her wants to hide away from the world, its germs, and everyone in it. The other part of her wants to have a boyfriend, hang out with her friends, and have fun. Her OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) gets in the way of everything she wants. As John Green takes the reader along in Turtles All The Way Down, Aza and her best friend, Daisy, discover that there is a missing millionaire, with a sweet reward for whoever finds him, and he’s the father of Aza’s childhood crush: Davis. Aza and Daisy meet with Davis, immediately the friendship between Aza and Davis blossoms, and Aza’s interest is returned. The sweet touch of first love in this novel will warm the audience’s hearts and have readers aww-ing at each moment. As Aza and her friends discover more of Davis’s missing father, they realize something else may have happened entirely.

Aza’s enthralling journey is written in the first person, so it feels as though Aza is talking directly to the reader. This novel will speak strongly to audiences who deal with or know people who deal with mental disabilities. Green has OCD, and a reader will know that how he writes about Aza’s thoughts is accurate. He mentions the stress she endures, and how it feels like her thoughts are spiraling down, indefinitely tightening. But, along with helping the audience understand those with mental disabilities better, this book will also show anyone the struggles of popularity, friendship, relationships, family, and what the definition of ‘normal’ is. Green writes about the last issue with such clarity and sureness that it will change readers’ perspectives on the idea of that topic.

Throughout the novel, Aza describes how she thinks she isn’t in control of her life, and how someone is writing her story, which is ironic because someone is. It’s an amazing way to put the reader into Aza’s perspective, and therefore be more understanding of her conflicts.

Now more on Aza’s friends: Daisy—her name says it all. A flower, wild and sweet. Daisy helps Aza bloom out of her spiral of worries and thoughts and shows her ways to get around her OCD. The audience will find Daisy a relatable supporting character and be reminded of how strong friendship can be. Then there’s Davis: he’s kind and is always looking out for Aza and overcoming the obstacles that he faces with her OCD. His father is a missing millionaire with a ten thousand dollar bounty on his head, and his mother has been dead since he was a kid, so Davis is empathetic to anyone who has hardships in their life. Davis is an adorable character that readers will become connected to, and will cheer on throughout the title.

This novel is so robust and moving that any reader will feel the power of Green’s thoughts and work when they read it. He successfully shows the capacity of true friendship and first loves, while stirring in hints of mystery, and readers will fasten themselves to each character and be pulled along for the ride. Anyone would adore this engrossing novel. I rated this book an obvious ten out of ten, and I’m sure any reader would, too. So what are you waiting for? Go to your closest library or book shop, or even Amazon will do, and get Turtles All The Way Down. I promise you won’t regret it, and soon enough you will be carried off into the fascinating universe Green has constructed.