Turtles All the Way Down
I found this book by chance while I was working my school’s Scholastic Book Fair last year. The cover caught my eye, as did the sticker promoting it as the book behind the ‘new film now streaming on Max.’ I thought to myself, this might be good book to read with my girls, then watch the movie afterwards, since that’s kinda our thing. But it sat on my living room ottoman for months, neither me or either of my kids picking it up before being thrown into my suitcase as a last minute thought last week as I headed off on vacation.
About 3/4 of the way through my 7-Day Cruise, I decided that I needed to relax. Like stop going to the pool, stop going on the water slides, stop playing BINGO, stop whatever, and just sit down on my balcony. I picked up Turtles All the Way Down thinking it would just be a corny teen mystery (all the steam that I had when I purchased the book was gone, long gone), but oh no—John Green came for my heart and my parenting instincts. It’s about Aza, a teenage girl who’s navigating friendship, first love, and solving the mystery of a missing billionaire…all while dealing with severe anxiety and OCD. As a loving mom, I kept wanting to make her a cup of tea, wrap her in a blanket, hug her, and remind her she’s doing better than she thinks. As a worrisome mom, always wondering if my own kids are okay, I thought this is a great way to address/acknowledge that many teens have anxiety disorders that are all so different from one another.
Aza’s spiraling thoughts felt so real and exhausting—I could almost hear the “mom alarm” in my brain going off, wishing she could just get a break. Her best friend Daisy is sassy, loyal, and exactly the type of friend you hope your kid has in high school. And Davis, the boy caught up in the mystery, was sweet and thoughtful, but this isn’t a fairytale romance—it’s about learning to live with yourself even when your brain is fighting you (barely a PG-13 alert..we haven’t watched the movie yet, but I have no worries or concerns).
Turtles all the Way Down is tender, frustrating, heartbreaking, and funny in that “laugh so you don’t cry” kind of way. I walked away thinking: teenagers are carrying so much more than we see, and sometimes the most important thing we can do as moms is to just sit beside them in the mess, no fixing, no judging—just loving. Teens can take a lot from this book as well: the importance of real friends, how to deal/not deal with anxiety, the importance of a respectful boyfriend/girlfriend, and that parents can just be asking how you are, to ask how you are. Because a lot of us genuinely care about you and are not prying to make your lives miserable. LoL.
Extra Note: Though only lightly touched upon, two of the main characters have experienced the death of a parent. While it is not the main focus of the book, this is also a point where teens can relate to the characters.