John Green's "Turtles all the Way Down" - A Teen Who Struggles with OCD as does He

John Green is a best selling author of novels including "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Paper Town" both of which were made into successful films. Green's characters are h.s. students experiencing the jubilance of youth & the bonds of friendship & romance formed during this youthful epoch.  The characters are admirable & likable.  His writing is abundant with literary & cultural references.  The term young adult fiction applied to Green's genre is balked at by this thoughtful & creative writer. His stories have intrigue & resonate deeply with emotions of angst & love; they're universal, stirring & enjoyable reads. "Turtles all the Way Down" shifts his storytelling to a deeper, more personal level.  Aza, our 16 year high old heroine has a lot of wonderful qualities but she's burdened with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).  As the book was released, Green shared his own struggles with these disruptive issues that overtake his life at times.  Aza is dealing with rites of adolescence, dating, friendship and thought to her future.  She allows us an insight into the troubling & at times overwhelming battles suffering from anxiety & OCD.  Aza's irrepressible friend Daisy has a sunny, funny disposition. Azi is just embarking on a boyfriend relationship with Davis.  Aza & Davis have both lost a beloved parent.  Aza still has her steadfast loving mother but Davis' billionaire father abandons him & his brother fleeing prosecution for shady financial dealings.  Daisy draws Aza into the mysterious disappearance of Davis' father for reward money for information leading to his whereabouts.  But what this novel is uncovering, is the mystifying, hard to fathom suffering of people afflicted with these disorders.  Daisy helps to draw Aza out of her downward spiraling vortex of dysfunctional thoughts that become so intrusive they leave little room for her to navigate in the world. Aza know's she has a serious problem.  But is unable to figure a way through to fixing it.    Aza describes her intrusive thoughts as a kind of bacteria that colonize her brain where she feels powerless to choose her own thoughts.  She feels trapped by thoughts that take over forcing her to think & behave in a repetitive, choking downward spiral.  We learn through Aza'a mom, friends & therapists how exhausting, disturbing, painful, off-putting & difficult it is for people within a close orbit of someone who manifests Aza's symptoms to cope.  Compared to Green's previous novels "Turtles all the Way Down" is more of a downer and less of a joyride.  It's the exploration into the vast unreachable understanding of another human being. "Nobody gets anybody, not really.  We're all stuck inside ourselves." The reward comes from finding empathy, compassion and support and trusting it will be there when you are burdened under heavy shells pushing you down.