Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green

Coming-of-age novels capture more than just the growing pains of adolescence. They’re also a snapshot of cultural history. John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down depicts the anxiety, exhaustion, and self-consciousness of main character Aza Holmes’s mental health struggles, with incredible compassion and empathy, reflecting a world that often feels too congested, demanding, and relentless. With a movie adaptation of the book coming out this last year, now is a great time to check out Green’s fiction if you haven’t already, and Turtles All the Way Down is a fantastic place to start!