John Reads the First Chapter of Turtles All the Way Down
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- Learn how to preorder a probably signed copy of Turtles All the Way Down, which comes out October 10th: probablysignedt.... Or order a definitely unsigned copy wherever books are sold! Or come see Hank and me on tour: www.turtlesallt...
In which John Green reads the first chapter of his new novel, Turtles All the Way Down. In it, we meet Aza, a young woman whose obsessive thought spirals do not seem to make her a particularly good detective.
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Preorder John's new book, Turtles All the Way Down, out October 10th 2017! You can find links to both the signed and unsigned editions here: bit.ly/turtlesp... and information on how to (probably) get a signed copy here: probablysignedt...
"I mean, anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see."
Preordered.
"For somebody who actively dislikes bodily fluids, I throw up quite a lot."
Clicked off.
elazarn2 if you did click off at that point, then you missed a good chapter.
@hena1937 I was being facetious. As an aside, I'm studying for a healthcare career, so I have to be ready to hear about any and all symptoms. But I honestly don't find this book as compelling as TFIOS.
Saaaaaaame
*John opens his mouth*
Preordered.
Am I the only one who thinks authors reading a chapter of their books out loud should be a thing?
I kept forgetting the main character was female due to John's baritone voice
Maryglie Angelie Delicano +
Maryglie Angelie Delicano I think that use to be a thing. Back when books meant something in the US.
It used to be a thing and it's still pretty much prevalent.
It often is, there are new yorker stories read by their authors weekly and plenty of audiobooks read by the author
John Green: the reason teenagers have been having existential crisis since 2005
accurate
Yeah 😂
Robin Coolidge Not the reason, but certainly helping with them.
no but really 😭 i’ve been out of my high school years for a while now & every time i re read one of his books i have a crisis all over ahah in
@@jeanettenavarro6179 same 😭
i see a lot of people saying they relate to this too much...and i can't help but notice how lucky i am to not have thought spirals like this. i think this book will be very informative for me and may raise awareness for ocd and related disorders
It is not that bad.
It is great if you were right.
@@satirick__5what’s not that bad?
So, where are the turtles? I heard that there might be turtles.
The vast majority of turtles in the novel are non-literal, I'm sad to say. -John
No turtles, just a reference to a philosophical topic on logic and infinity. Look it up :)
"vast majority." At least one actual turtle confirmed!
There might be turtles is my favorite band.
Kenton Huff 😂
"Anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see."
This book shows a lot of promise!
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Neha The Jedi +
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When are you ever going to narrate your own audiobook? I could listen to your voice all day.
I literally looked up the audio book ready to buy it only to find it was narrated by someone else and was completely disappointed.
He has a podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed that I listen to because his voice is so calming
On dftba.com you can buy the TFiOS audiobook read by John :)
I was going to comment this! I somehow would feel more comforted if I listened to him read this book because it would make me feel less alone (does that make sense LOL)
But I don't want someone else's narration
@@francescakyanda9182 I love that podcast and that's exactly why I love listening to it (not to mention John's reviews are genuinely interesting too).
"Sometimes I wondered why she liked me, or at least tolerated me. Why any of them did. Even I found myself annoying."
I'm a very talkative person. Someone who always had trouble making friends, because I'd always be the person who put more effort into the friendship. The friendships were always mostly one sided. I was closer to that person than they were to me. They were my best friend, and I was nowhere near theirs.
And that thought, that quote, is one that has plagued me for the almost 11 and a half years I've been in school. That my presence, my personality, or my conversation annoyed them. That they simply pretended to be my friend out of politeness. That they only tolerated me. No matter how many times my friends have assured me that that was not the case, I've always doubted that. These are people I've known for 5 and a half years, and I still regularly think that I'm annoying to them.
Thank you John for expressing that thought, that constant fear in such a straightforward way. Hopefully, other people in a similar situation will see that and relate to it (I'm sure they will). And hopefully, the people on the other side of that friendship will see this and understand why the other person (like me) is constantly so worried about that statement being true.
Thank you.
Julia Garcia I feel this
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I can relate to that so much. A childhood of calling someone my best friend when I knew her own best friend was someone else has now caused me to never label anyone as being my best friend, no matter how long I've known them. And adding to that a childhood of constantly being called annoying, I'm now hesitant to bother people too much out of fear that I'm being obnoxious to them and returning to my childhood proclivity of being "the annoying girl".
+Julia Garcia I understand, honestly. That line and your explanation really hit me hard, because I'm in the same situation myself and wonder about it quite a bit.
YOU PUT MY BRAIN INTO WORDS WOWOWOW
Sometimes I actually believe I'm a character in a book. Not the star, just an extra. Just there.
Minty Bliss me all the time
You should read "The rest of us just live here" :) its so good!
In reality we are all part of a big book with many little characters, akin to Infinite Jest. (PS this might be the most pretentious thing I have ever typed on the internet.)
If you thought you were the star you'd do good to check your ego.
I figure I'm the star of my own story and either much smaller or nonexistent in everyone else's (so all stories but one). I figure it's basically how it works, though it's just how I think of it, and I guess it helps me feel human. Sorry for being long-winded.
Well call me turtle, because I'm all the way down for this.
(I love this, John. I'm a neuroscientist and have only come to know OCD through the stories of others and the less verbose microscope. Thank you so much for opening another invaluable window/insight into it! Best wishes from a long-time nerdfighter :))
"Well call me turtle, because I'm all the way down for this."
Have a cookie for that awesome line.
Mary Cl +
Just doing my duty, fossilfighters101 ;) (but thank you for the cookie!)
Yes this is really cool
This is awesome. Really raw and a little uncomfortable and REAL. I have OCD and generalised anxiety, and I'm really lucky to be on medications that are helping me to function through and come out of my thought spirals. But I still have them, and I remember having to live with them constantly under my skin, right in the corner of my eye, itching at me in the worst way to the point that it felt like thinking about these unsettling itching thoughts was my entire existence. All while I'm trying to listen to people, or have a conversation, or do my chores, or even put on my shoes. And it's so hard to explain to people why it's hard and why you can't stop thinking about it and that no this is not the same as wanting things to be symmetrical or tidy. So thank you! This is a really real representation of what anxiety/OCD can feel like, and I'm grateful to be represented. Looking forward to reading your book!
That description of the experience really, really resonates with me. -John
I have OCD and this is the first thing I've heard that accurately describes it.
On episode 45 of Dear Hank and John you said that you new novel would be composed entirely of emojis. How dare you lie to us.
I'm sorry. I look forward to the emoji translation, though. I'm sure my emoji translator will do an excellent job. -John
I would buy the emoji version of Turtles.
Hey! A recent episode of the podcast 99% Invisible did a story about creating new emojis, and then they came out with a "emoji translation" of that podcast. Here's a link!
99percentinvisible.org/episode/person-lotus-position/
that ep gave me anxiety about the book actually being written in emojis and whether I'd actually still want to read it
although I think there might be a YA novel written entirely in emojis out there? there's certainly some written in messages
"My boobs sweat"
-John Green, (2017)
Edit: To say that I loved the chapter would be an understatement, because this, put simply, was refreshing. It somehow seemed perfectly natural that John was narrating the story until he read the aforementioned line and I snapped back to the reality that the protagonist is Aza, not John.
TheSisicool That, and the fact that Aza is drinking Dr. Pepper-if it was John it would be Diet Dr. Pepper. 😁
Your last book, which was about a sixteen-year-old girl, I read when I was eleven and now your new book, which is about a sixteen-year-old girl, I'm going to read when I'm sixteen. So basically, this is going to be a girl the same age as Hazel and written by the same author as Hazel, but she's probably going to seem younger to me (sixteen sounds a whole lot closer to adulthood when you're 11). Interesting.
I don't know why but your statement that "sixteen sounds a whole lot closer to adulthood when you're 11" really resonates with me. I used to look at High Schoolers as a child and think they were cut from the same fabric as adults, and now that I am here I do not feel as though that is the case. I used to believe in this great distinction between child and adult, and now I don't think it will be any more than just another birthday. Anyways, sorry to get philosophical a bit there but I like the way you worded that. It is really true!
The kicker is that one of the biggest parts about being an adult is realizing no adults have their shit together. We're just all faking it to various degrees, trying to grasp any semblance of happiness while it lasts. That's why kindness is important to remember. We're all just trying to survive. Being kind makes that a little easier.
this is late, but "sixteen sounds a whole lot closer to adulthood when you're 11" sounds like a line out of a john green novel I will spend nights twisting my mind and over resonating with that one simple but incredible beautiful and truthful line. So thank you for that.
Anyone else listening to this after reading the book?
Hitika Saini Yup!
Yes!
me!
yes!! im reading along with him!
I have already read the book. It is my favourite book.
"...anybody can look at you, its quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see"
YAAAAAS
Yes, that's the one right there. Very good writing.
24 hours before this one takes over tumblr.
I loved that sentence so much
:P
John, i am actually crying now. As someone who has suffered with OCD for all of my young adult life, it touches me to hear it all explained in the way you have written it. I am so grateful for this, and I honestly cannot wait until October 10th
Jordan Renae as someone who also suffers with OCD I also cannot wait. The day looks way too far. The way he describes it is something I can't do, and I'm glad someone can so it helps me.
If that makes any sense.🙈
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Would you say it's an accurate-ish depiction? I need to understand (not just cognitively) OCD more so I'm hoping this book will help.
Muirsa from what I heard and know about it, I do believe it will have great OCD rep, especially since John has it as well :)
I think that the way that John generally describes it is pretty spot on. These awful thought spirals often occur, where all you can think about it one thing. Like, you may have locked your car, you know you have locked your car, but then you can't get it out of your head that your car isn't locked. Then you have to go outside and lock the car like 10 times to convince yourself.
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It's very deep. I keep finding my self trying to get out of ya novels but then john makes another gold mine and then I feel like I'm in a comfy home surrounded by warm fuzzy things and I really don't want to leave.
I hate the idea that YA novels are something that someone needs to stop reading once they're a "real" adult. Some YA novels are amazing. Their characters might be teenagers, and teenagers might be the target audience, but it's reductive to books like this to say they're "just for kids". They can be amazing novels in their own right, and teenagers can be much more intelligent than adults give them credit for. Besides, in the YA genre as a whole, sometimes they're just enjoyable books, and people shouldn't be shamed for reading something that gives them enjoyment.
Shannon Hensley I finished all of his books in a matter of a month and I've been waiting I'm so happy about this book
How can anyone dislike this? This was a beautiful way to start off my day. Thank you John :)
How can you not dislike this?
It's cringe so much it hurts.
I came for turtles. I stayed for gut bacteria.
In all seriousness, though, this is an incredible first chapter and I am so excited to read it.
THAT. WAS AWESOME. It seems unachievable for me to describe how I felt, but I may as well give it a try.
I could feel the inability of Aza to escape her thought spiral, how she felt like she was being forced to do things despite her knowing it's no good / use doing so, which combined greatly with the author-and-role stuff (sorry for that injustice).
As you (John) said last time, it's impossible to talk about the thing in perfectly objective way, but only how one perceives it.
But your description of OCD was so detailed and to the point that I could FEEL IT(although maybe not perfectly).
Truly amazing job, John; thank you for this jewel and all other things you have done.
Thanks, Jay. That means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the rest of the book, too! -John
vlogbrothers
FRENCH THE LLAMA YOU ACTUALLY REPLIED
OH THIS IS THE BEST
I WAS SO HAPPY I WOKE UP MY SISTER AND BRAGGED
GOODNESS GRACIOUS
I'M SO HAPPY
The greatest accomplishment of my life to date is a Facebook comment that Hank replied to. I totally feel you, Jay. ::fistbump::
Raina Ramsay
Yesss I'm not alone
::fistbump::
TheRedstoneToaster
Oh you
"you think you're the painter, but you're the canvas"
preordered tatwd the second i was able to, and this just makes me a million times more excited for october 10th! forget halloween, this'll be the highlight of my october!
This analogy is my favorite metaphor ever. Like we're not the dancer in life, we are a dance of life.
First thought upon hearing the ending: "I see Wolf in White Van got to you, too."
First thought early on: "He really nailed the lack of agency that you feel when you're in a US public high school."
That. Was. FANTASTIC.
AGREED
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Cameron Tierney +
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"It's quite rare to find someone that sees the same world you see."
I love this. John Green your mind is beautiful.
Migi 7 Your
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I love this, John. Not just because you write in such a beautiful, yet relatable manner. Or even because the way you wrote highlights the reality of mental disorders, and you did not try to play it down. I love this because I can feel it. I do not struggle with the mental things you or Aza do, but this made me feel it. I feel like I understand people who struggle deeply with mental disorders more than I ever have. Art is self expression, and I feel like this is your greatest self expression yet. Thank you, John.
Hallie Ramos +
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“I was somebody’s something”
That sentence is just amazing!
I feel as though you just reached inside my mind, pulled out the brown sludge, and extremely poetically put it on paper. I don't know if I've ever felt this exposed and simultaneously understood in my whole life.
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Elizabeth Smith +
Elizabeth Smith Yes!
Yes! I felt the same!
Elizabeth Smith I feel the same way.
IM ALL THE WAY DOWN WITH THIS
A+++ -John
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as an autistic person with adhd, i resonate with this so hard. i’ve mainly heard it’s about OCD, and i haven’t done enough research to tell if i’m close to having it, but i feel the narrator’s overstimulation so incredibly hard and the spiraling thoughts along with the run-on, stream-of-consciousness sort of perspective. i love this so much and now i need to read this
I feel like I would pay for John Green himself to read his entire book to me. LOL
This is my first John Green book cycle as a Nerdifghter, and I am extremely excited.
Zawadi Williams so am I
Same
Same
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Ah! It's so interesting to hear anxieties, and panic attacks, and and all that stuff from a different perspective than my own. I constantly found myself thinking, I know exactly what this feels like, but also this is completely different subject matter and manifestations than my own. (For anyone curious, I personally, deal with generalized anxiety and occasional bouts of depression.)
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Brynley Louise I am the exact same way, your comment makes me feel more sane :)
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Brynley Louise it took me about 4 minutes in to realize that's what was happening. It seemed so comfortable and familiar but then I recognized that it was only the feeling that was familiar, not the spirals.
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I got so psyched when I saw "Turtles All the Way Down" at my local Meijer's. (I'm buying ASAP) I was like - "It's. John. Green's. Book. *cue scream*" It was so hard to explain to my friends because they had no idea about you or Nerdfighteria, but it was a very happy moment for me.
I have long said that I like John Green as a person and a TH-camr, but that his writing has never done much for me, but this first chapter really hooked me. After not really enjoying tfios and not really getting what the hype was I wasn't even sure I was going to read John's next book, but I think I'll definitely have to pick up a copy from the library.
Wow. That was such a realistic portrait of anxiety, it's crazy. I could feel myself growing nervous. I don't have that kind of anxiety (mine is more social than anything), but I completely understand the feeling. I can't wait to read the book!
DROP EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, FOLKS.
NOBODY PANIC. -John
Too late, friend. Too late.
The thing about "NOBODY PANIC", is I can panic faster than you can say that.
DROP EVERYTHING, YOU'RE DYING, FOLKS.
vlogbrothers Panic is difficult to avoid, but dropping everything is darn near impossible when you have something about your book.
guess who's got two thumbs and is gonna buy that book so fricken fast?
this gal
(imagine me gesturing towards myself with my thumbs)
This!!! I love the way you describe a spiral as not going down but going forever just tighter and tighter. THE VOCABULARY IS ALSO GORGEOUS
Warning: do not listen to this while eating. Especially if you are very suggestible and anxious.
But this book sounds amazing so far. It feels like jumping into one on my friends minds.
Too late I was eating nachos with salsa and cheese.
cereal
the frozen chicken nuggets really got to me
The best advertisement for a book is hearing its opening. Good idea. I am many times more likely to seek out this story now.
Also, I appreciate hearing the voice of a protagonist who clearly gets thought spirals worse than I do.
This is the first character of yours that, instead of wishing I could be like them, I am like them. I love it.
I would like John Green to read me an action-sci-fi novel. His voice, almost bored in the way he measures every sentence before speaking it in a tone that leads you to ignore how it sounds and focus on the words, is perfect for his own style of writing. He writes in a leisurely, expository tone which is perfect for oblique fandom references and really getting inside the mind of a teenager. But I want him to read me something action-packed, punchy and irreverent. Something without the casually sacred atmosphere and frequent navel-pondering. Something completely different from his usual work. Like The Enemy by Charlie Higson, where the action is in-your-face and tension is palpable. Or is this just me?
"Thought spiral" is such a perfect way to describe it
Oh I get it. So like Azel has OCD and it is that idea that has defined her way of thinking and also her way of life. like acting on her own will she decides to not talk to anyone because she doesn't want to. But she does not want to not on her own free will, but rather because her OCD forces her to focus and think in thought spirals, endless, constricting paths that really end up going nowhere, so she cannot will her will.
Azel wants be be normal and talk to her friends about art and gossip and stuff but the problem is she can't because all she is forced to think about is the germs growing in her stomach. In a sense she is a spectator in her own life, unable to even think about what she wants, much less do what she wants.
it makes you wonder: how much of Azel is really herself and how much of her is her OCD? If she can't even think, cant even will her wills, she must be fictional. she is a canvas that gets painted on not only by exterior forces, but also by herself, by her OCD
She pretends to be the author of her story because she has to, but really it is her OCD and Thought spirals that chooses how her story is told.
Love the first chapter and can't wait ready how Azel realizes her identity!
Yeah and isn't it cool how when she breaks the skin of her finger it makes a mark on her FINGERPRINT? aka a symbol of identity? Perhaps representing how her OCD is inextricably a part of who she is?
Sarah Burgess how i love critical reading! :') dftba!!!
I really like that Daisy said "and people who do not identify as ladies or gentlemen". Non-binary inclusion, yay!
I just put a big smile when I read that part : )
I find this book in a strange, almost closing, store and I love it. It was such a find to be like "Hey! It's John!" Now I regret not buying it but definetly will.
I feel like she sees the world I see and- as an autistic struggling with oversharing- this is so refreshing. ❤❤
I have a test in college tomorrow and John posts this. I have a conflict of interests.
You will need a 10 minute study break at some point, and this will be waiting for you.
Av J ahahahaha same here. Someone help me stop procrastinating please
Same here, but I managed to wait till evening (now) to check this out 💪
Talia Føre it's a hard life bud
The place only properly crazy people get to go
Cheyenne Wyoming
SO MANY THINGS FROM THE PODCASTS. There are times when you can relate to a story and there are times when it feels like someone tore a page out of your diary and is reading it to you. CAN"T WAIT FOR THE BOOK.
“Why is life so much easier for everyone else?” I asked.
He thought a moment before answering “Because living isn’t something we do, it’s something we have done to us”.
That didn’t answer my question, but it did replace it with the probably even harder question “why has life been done to me the way it has?”
Where is this from?
French the llama that was awesome 🐢
Thanks! -john
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how could i forget french the llama
I can't believe I was in his book title!
Thanks for being part of the title, turtles. I am sorry that you are not really, like, in the book as physical creatures much. -John
vlogbrothers it's okay but thanks for making a book for a really dedicated fan behind my internet persona and I'm more thankful for making my day.Sincerely, just another nerdfighter
turtles this convo is so cute haha
Finished this wonderful novel a month ago. Mr. Green does a wonderful job, at purtraying what it is like to suffer with mental illness. I have been a fan for years, Mr. Green, but to read your book, it became a space where I could see patterns of myself but from an onlookers perpective. The way you capture how quickly obsevive thinking can send one spirally down, to the empty void that is depression and self loathing. Her inner voice rings through book into the readers imagination almost to the point of reality, have the ready to scream ' Ava just breathe' Lastly, I just wanted to say thank you.
TY
I think this is your best book yet, John! You just keep getting better and better.
did you just make your fictional character suspect that theyre fictional in the opening line? Im not even mad
Mind blown O.o
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Benjamin Genco hahahah love this comment
Benjamin Genco +
Benjamin Genco +
I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say the bacteria thoughts came from that episode of Dear Hank and John where John found out about that being a thing and freaked out and also talked about it in the next episode. I really like this chapter
It did remind me of those episodes
xThePinkApple Was thinking the exact same thing!
I think you may have it a bit backwards... I'm pretty sure John's been freaked out by the bacteria-count-thing for much of his Adult life, and has used the Pod and now set a full novel as part of expressing it.
DFTBA. ++
Yeah this is more so coming from the fact that John has OCD and struggles with thought-spirals with almost the same topics (He talks a bit about them in this video from 100 days: th-cam.com/video/CcylG7ZuQb8/w-d-xo.html )
The latest updates are here. shortlink.im/R4lYx
This book is one of the most meaning pieces of text I believe I will ever have the pleasure of encountering. It felt like someone finally understood what it is like to be so fearful of your surroundings that you know may be harmless but can't help but to believe they aren't. There was a song included that I believed up until I read this book only existed between my parents and I, and when I heard it, I burst into tears. The dialogue and relationship between Daisy and Aza felt almost painfully personal and it truly felt real. This book is a modern work of genius and I hope that everyone gets a fraction of the enjoyment reading this novel that I did.
I remember very vividly the day this video came out. I had just started at my first medium term job a few weeks prior. I was on the way there, and I put on my cheap earbuds and listened to this video.
What struck me so deeply about it was that you wrote so unapologetically about the ways mental illness affects you. Obviously, novels are not to be consumed to analyse the lives of the people who write them, but it was inspiring to me. Truly writing about what you know, in the context of fiction, was something I felt ashamed of.
Later that day, I began to write about my own experiences with mental health, in the form of a story about identity and self worth etc.
This video made me pick up writing again. Maybe not entirely, but it gave me such a strong push. I'd always enjoyed writing as a kid, but when I got into my later teens I started to give up on the whole thing.
The story itself didn't exactly pan out. but it laid the groundwork for the story I am currently working on, which is very near completion! Whether that means trying to get it published or not, I don't know. But I have enjoyed the process so much. The way I understood myself more as I write has been invaluable. Writing has been very fun! Like, not every single day or anything, but certainly most. This video in a roundabout way led me to the conclusion that I have to like what I am writing, and I shouldn't write solely for the imagined enjoyment of others (which may seem like an obvious conclusion but I was 19 at the time). If I never watched this video, I really don't know if I would have made writing as important a part of my life as it has been these last few years.
Anyway, all that to say, thanks John. This video changed my life for the better. And watching it almost 5 years later, the memory came rushing back like it was yesterday.
I always found it comforting that your body, is your body plus pounds worth of bacteria. It's like you are a mini ecosystem.
I am glad that someone is able to find this idea comforting. ;) -John
And even the cells that form you are just a bunch of similar individuals that strike a deal to live harmoniously and die when the've lived long enough.
I find the emerging view of everything as ecosystems one of the main sources of hope for the world: th-cam.com/video/tMSlhpRhaKQ/w-d-xo.html
daniel campos It's like they really care about your well-being and are rooting for you to thrive
@stargazer209 I really like that thought, about them all rooting for you!
I think his Michael project should actually be pictures of people named RYAN
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Oh, Ryan... the lives you've touched.
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Thank you so much for sharing John! I can tell this book is so close to your heart. We need to write more books about mental health, where the protagonist isn't a villain.
Also, if the end of the first chapter makes you tear up, you can tell the rest of the book is going to be amazing. Bring on October 10!
Thank you for sharing this with us, John. As a person who was severely abused to the point of psychological trauma for having a mental illness, it means so much to me that a writer such as yourself is taking the time to tell the story of a young woman with mental illness. I greatly appreciate your humanization of this character. People with mental illness are dehumanized both casually and tragically every day, and I have great hope that this book will take part in challenging that. Thank you from the depths of my heart.
I feel like I can already tell that this is gonna change the way I think
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And isn't that just one of the best things an author can do?
After watching the first three minutes I have to pause and comment because I'm wondering weather "Dear Hank and John" has influenced this book, or whether this book has influenced the podcast.
The book influenced the podcast. Or, more generally, my own fears and experiences influenced both the book and the podcast. -John
There's definitely both in all of his work. And also, things in his life influencing both his writing and his other public creations like the podcast.
vlogbrothers thank you for the reply! As someone who generally worries too much and gets caught up in thought spirals sometimes, I'm really looking foreword to reading the book as soon as it comes out. The first chapter made me a lot more exited because I find myself relating to the narrator.
ahhhhh
I wonder if we'll see any references to Cheyenne Wyoming in the book.
I’ve been putting off watching this for quite some time because I knew I’d need a quiet place to think afterward. John Green books are my favorite books not just for the story’s but the way everything has such a deep meaning to it. After I finish a book I’ll lay and stare at the walls of my room for hours just lost in the thoughts I didn’t know I could have.
The first chapter of Turtles all the Way Down has me intrigued to what the rest of the book has to offer me. I can’t wait to be cursing through Barnes & Noble one day and buy this book.
To Mr. John Green if you’re reading this, you’re books have opened my eyes and my mind to a completely different world. Thank you so much for that. I admire you and everything you do.
(I hope all of that makes sense.)
My God, John Green, if by some chance in this aimless world you read over these words, you must know what an absolute hero you are to aspiring writers. You speak the true voice of us teenagers, who, let's be honest, spend a good amount of their time thinking about why we exist and how, and less on the latest gossip. Your vocabulary is stellar, you speak a voice uniquely yours, and you remain an example of how we can all succeed and strive for education. With that, all I can say is thank you. Thank you so much for the words. I can't wait to read the rest!
Hmm, the character in the book wants to be the author of her own life, but she's not because John is. John made a video about OCD keeping him from being the author of his own life, is it just turtles all the way down? Does this book get super meta?
Thomas Urech no more meta than you want it to be! -John (accidentally signed in as crashcourse)
Thomas Urech What's cool is, no matter who the "real author" is, they share this disorder that seems to take over the mind and run a course that neither "author" can control. In the end, maybe the real author is OCD, but both John and Aza are fighting it for control of that pen.
Turtles indeed. Taking a mytheme (new one on me) as the basis for the title of your book is pretty meta. I hope I just taught John a new word. It pays him back for his history crash course. Maybe just an episode, they were really dense.
I feel like John being signed in as the wrong "author" is another meta layer to pull apart :)
Someone's been reading some Borges
As a 24 years old man with anxiety disorder and as a hypochondriac, I strongly relate to this. Thank you for this extremely accurate representation!
Ill be buying your bool by the way, for sure ;p
I owe so much to this man. So much, I can not put it into words. I've read all his books, including the ones written in collaboration and I've written him emails more than I have in my inbox, spam, drafts and sent mails all combined only to go unnoticed. Since, unfortunately, I can't write those long emails here I'll just say something so many people have said to him- You have helped me; you have changed the way I think and the way I see things. I just want to thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.♥️
John, this almost made me cry, it perfectly captures what it's like to have OCD. My brother has been struggling with this illness (it is one for him, because he is heavily affected by it) for over 7 years now and being his sister and the working interpreter for him and my parents at the same time, I have aquired an impressive amount of knowledge about it, without actually being ill myself. I can already hear how intelligently it is written and i can not wait for october! xx from Germany
As someone largely on the other side of OCD that grew from a phobia, this does a better job of communicating what I have felt, than anything else I have ever encountered. I am glad I did not find it when I was younger; the panic that would have followed listening to or reading this would have been all-consuming. It is evocative, without doubt.
I look forward to reading the rest! Thank you for writing this ♥️
That reference to the parasites is so Dear Hank and John.
Or as I prefer to call it, Dear John and Hank.
Now with actual sponsors
I imagine it isn't a reference exactly. It's something that's probably been in John's mind, so he talked about it on the podcast and wrote it into the book.
kiya12309 yes!
kiya12309 right
I need to get your book, John. I've had panic disorder for 7 years, since I was 16, and I haven't read any book yet that properly explain what it's like to have anxiety. It's important for people with anxiety to read this book so they feel understood and not alone, but also important that everyone else reads it so they can understand what it's like living with anxiety. Anxiety disorder is a very misunderstood mental illness. People don't understand why we can't just "chill out", "calm down", "relax"... it's not hat easy. My friend who also has anxiety already read you book and was highly effected. She loved it, though, and recommended it to me. Great first chapter 💜
What an amazing description, even using the phone in a way that aids the anxiety instead of distracting from it. At almost 50yrs I use my phone compulsively to distract from or redirect the fidgety energy of anxiety but that use is a redirection. Wow, the description is so very good!
I didn't know how to describe a panic attack until I watched a TED talk and began describing it as being stuck in the flair of startle of a car swerving into your own. I went back to the video and discovered he hadn't said that, I'd twisted something he had said, but descriptives of these internal processes are so rare.
I wasn't gonna buy the book but i guess now I HAVE TO DAMN YOU
Or nag your local library until they have a copy you can check out. Someone back me up here because it's too early in the evening where I am at in the world for someone to have damnation thrown at her face.
Same
SAMEEEE
JOHN I AM CRYING. I feel like I'm Aza. Your writing is so perfect and it was beautiful hearing you reading it. Thank you for sharing this with nerdfighteria!!!
Thank you, Gabby. I hope you like the rest of the book as well. -John
I can't wait it to read it, i've already pre-ordered it!! Thank you for everything
You'll never read this but I needed to say this, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you, a thousand times. Anxiety and the disorder it carries have been companies of mine for a few years now, and this 16 year old is beyond grateful that once in her life she can relate to a character as much as she does to Aza. I finally feel listened, I'm not invisible anymore... it's in my top five favorite books of all time, definitely. Thank you again.
About a month or two before this video came out I was diagnosed with an annoying but non-life-threatening heart condition which has caused me to experience health-related and existential anxiety/panic attacks for the first time in my life. I had no idea how debilitating they could be. This book has come at a perfect time. Thank you John!
I know there are plenty of books that exist in the world that cover mental illness and OCD but holy. Shit. I am thrilled that someone with an audience as large as yours will be able to enlighten people on what OCD is like. It's so much more than checking locks and using hand sanitizer and I'm so SO excited to read this.
Thank you for allowing the world to see a part of you that you may have preferred to keep hidden.
❤️💛💚💙💜
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1. someone please loop John saying "my boobs sweat" and make it a song or something.
2. John, you write the most amazing, precocious, slightly annoying but otherwise loveable characters!
3. I know that if you ever need a punishment for video lenght, my suggestion will be for you to write a Chewbacca love story that you have to read out loud for us :)
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John thank you for everything you do. I think every single one of your books has changed something about me and I think it's amazing that I can read a book about someone who has a completely different life but still thinks about the thinks I think about or enjoys things I enjoy. You have changed my view of the world and I like the way I see it now
I just bought this today and it was signed and I squealed. You are so talented and such an inspiration. I've been in a reading block lately and nothing has captured my attention but this...this piece of beautiful artwork captivated me and brought me to tears. It is so real and relateable and just..GAH you are by far my favorite author!!!! THANK YOU!
I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right before pressing play on this, and that was a mistake
Me toooooo! I was chewing mine as Aza was describing it...
fugithegreat me too
"Life is a story told about you, not one that you tell."
Wow, that was really deep for the first page.
But that is no 16 year old talking. It's John. I love it.
John Green has a way with words. Also who the f is Hank?
Vercingetorix if you are new, Hank is John's brother and the other half of this channel
Pakin Lertthamanon nerdfighteria.info/article/1079
Vercingetorix Hank is the spider chilling in the corner of my living room.
john green thank you for writing you speak to so many hearts and minds. you pour out your truth onto pages that relates to so many. you have been in my life since 2007 when you started vlog brothers, i was 15 at the time you have been with me for most of my young adult life and you have changed it constantly for the better. Currently i am doing my happy dance while i cry happy tears for turtles all the way down! i cant wait!
This book came out on my birthday, and John Green is my favorite author. So, getting this beautiful, beautiful book gift wrapped in my hands on none other than October 10th was a dream come true and a dream worth dreaming... the book was amazing and a great way for me to understand what people with higher levels of anxiety than my own (I have moderate) feel like and go through in everyday situations. Thank you so much for this literary treasure. You are definitely an inspiration to this aspired writer. ❤️
(it was a signed copy and I almost fell out of my chair in surprise and happiness when I saw the signature)
OMG John, you've done it again! You have always had greatest talent to make characters relatable in the most bizare of ways.
The first chapters is already very intense (in a good way) and touching. Also thank you so much for reading it yourself, John! I would love to hear more of if read by yourself! (Project for awesome is coming up *hint* ;) )
Seeing yourself as the canvas is so much more depressing than seeing yourself as the paint.
I love this very much...I really want to know how it continues!
I feel like someone's taken a piece of my heart and brain and put it on paper to be spoken out loud. Oh my gosh.
As a psychologist I love that the book is from a perspective of a mentally ill person! I know this book will not be only about her disorder which is great! Tfios made the point cancer kids are just kids, and maybe Tatwd will make the point of psychological disorders are just like physiological disorders. They don't define you, not unless you let them. John, this made me more excited about the book. DFTBA
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So... who are you going to cast as the gut bacteria in the movie?
I'll probably play the gut bacteria myself, but then they'll get cut from the finished movie. -John
+vlogbrothers come along Jackie
vlogbrothers +++
Someone will eventually see your acting potential... 😂
vlogbrothers John does not cast his films.
There are a lot of comments down here, but I still want to say that I loved it. I'm getting a copy as soon as I can, though thought spirals make it hard to read I will try my best to finish it, along with your other books. Thank you for helping me through countless panic attacks and more, it means a lot to me. I hope you have a nice day, week, month, year and so on. Never stop being you, for you are truly amazing, and it would be a shame to lose a light as bright as you in this world. Thank you.
This is incredible. My own "thought spiral" anxiety is a realitively recent development and I've never had a way to express it. It's like I think of a bad thing and then I obsessively spiral down thinking of every facet of the imaginary situation. Most of these situations involve the death or debilitating injury of either myself or those I love so obviously they are not good. I lost my sister to extreme anxiety and depression last year (via suicide) and I think some more understanding and less stigma is gonna be a great result of this book. John, thank you. She was a Nerdfighter through and through and you guys helped her to never forget to be awesome.
As always, being exposed to any part of one of your books has given me an overwhelming desire to drop everything and read said book. However, this is the first time this has occurred for me when I did not yet have access to the book, so all I can do is rewatch you read this chapter instead of doing my school work, because I know myself well enough to know that this will take less time than either contemplating what could be coming next in Turtles or the 8 hours I require to reread TFIOS... Basically, I'm obsessed with Turtles already... October still feels too far away. I love everything about this first chapter, and still maintain that I could listen to you read a phone book. Thanks for teasing the first chapter, but also how dare you torture us with the first chapter before we can acquire the entire masterpiece. Best wishes!
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hahah you should feel better , I ' ll only receive the book at the end of the winter as a birthday gift xD Aaaaah it's amazing how an upcoming event can make one's day so much brighter and the next months so worth living !!!
I cannot stop crying. Anyone who suffers from mental illness of any kind: we love you, your friends and family love you, and all is well. Stay safe. People care.
That was beautifully written. I last read one of your books some years ago and I’d forgotten how much I love your style
Hi. I’ve been a huge fan for a while. But I just finished reading Turtles All the Way Down (sorry it took so long). But this story really helped me. You know how in many coming of age movies the students are reading books that somehow perfectly relates to what the main character is going through? Well, somehow, for some reason, that is exactly how you’re book are in my life. I’ve been struggling with some depression and anxiety (not nearly as severe as Aza’s) and it has been really scary for me because I have never had to deal with my mental health before. I have also been dealing with a lot of missing. Missing people, things, parts of my life that I have left. TATWD has really helped me solidify the depths of my feelings. Thank you. And I know people must say this to you all the time. And I know that the chances of you reading this must be like really small. But I thought you should know. Or rather I thought I should write this. So thank you. For this story. For being able to write it. For unknowingly and indirectly helping me. For sharing.