For almost six years now, avid readers of John Green’s work have been anxiously awaiting a new book– luckily the wait is finally over. John Green’s newest novel Turtles all the Way Down recently came out on October 10th. Centering around a 16-year-old girl living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Green tells a story that for the first-time touches on mental illness struggles of his own. The author is currently touring the country with his brother, who he also co-founded Crash Course with, Hank Green. The Turtles all the Way Down tour includes 19 stops from the East to the West coast where the Green brothers are working to promote the new book.
On October 16th, the duo made a tour stop at Winter Park High School (WPHS). Both brothers used to call Orlando home and Hank Green used to attend WPHS, making this stop a more sentimental one for the Green brothers. Hundreds of tickets were sold as people of all ages flooded the school auditorium and received their pre-signed copies of the new book. The writer began the night by reading a few pages from the new release. He read a portion that really gives off the mindset and thoughts of someone with OCD; showing that it is not a condition to be taken lightly. After that, John Green continued to talk about Turtles All the Way Down and further explained why it was important for him to write about his own experience with OCD. Later, his brother Hank joined him on stage as they answered fan questions about writing, vlogging, their personal life and even sang some songs. A sophomore from Timber Creek, Noah Vazquez attended and really enjoyed the night saying that he “got to see a different side of John Green” that he hadn’t noticed before. Vazquez also said that “being at a book reading event at his hometown and being in that special audience was just really cool.”
The event at Winter Park was an extremely memorable night that I will never forget. John Green was so seamlessly able to mix conversation about mental health and other important topics but also, have a more lighthearted environment later throughout the evening. This mix in his personality mirrors his unique writing style as well, explaining how his books can have the reader laughing one minute and then sobbing the next. John Green’s new novel Turtles All the Way Down is a great read and was definitely worth the wait.
