Skip to content

Turtles All the Way Down

novel · in 92 videos (2017–2026)

John's novel about a young woman solving a mystery while living with mental illness, a story he calls personal because of his own illness. Published in October 2017, it spent 52 consecutive weeks on the NYT bestseller list. A film directed by Hannah Marks was shot in Cincinnati and released on Max on May 2, 2024.

By: John Green · Within: Aza Holmes, Daisy Ramirez, Davis Pickett, Karen Singh, Mychal Turner, White River High School · Adapted as: Turtles All the Way Down (film)

Videos by year: 2017: 36 · 2018: 9 · 2019: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 13 · 2026: 6

Also known as: TATWD

Threads

Also named in the threads: Four-minute rule for vlogbrothers videos (2007) · Looking for Alaska film adaptation in development (2007) · John's Pizza John mustache, worn on camera as a recurring bit (2011) · Looking for Alaska named the most challenged book in the US for 2015 (2016) · John fails to write a follow-up to The Fault in Our Stars: abandoned identity-thieves and con-artists novels (2012-2015) · Hank's star-rated reviews of things not normally reviewed, borrowing John's Anthropocene Reviewed idea (2017) · The Anthropocene Reviewed: John's podcast reviewing facets of the human-centered planet (2017) · John's labyrinthitis after the Turtles All the Way Down tour (2017) · John: make more Question Tuesday videos with the Turtles All the Way Down cast and director (2022) · Everything Is Tuberculosis: John's nonfiction book about tuberculosis (2024) · P4A 2026 edition · Hollywood, Ending: announcement and publication of John's novel (2026)

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

The Fault in Our Stars (23) · Amazon (9) · mental disorder (10) · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book) (10) · The New York Times (9) · Julie Strauss-Gabel (4) · Sharpie (4) · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast) (6) · Barnes & Noble (3) · Everything Is Tuberculosis (6)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2017

  • 2017-06-22 · My New Book — announcement: John announces he has written a book, Turtles All the Way Down, out October 10 and available for pre-order now. — 00:00:02
  • 2017-07-11 · Signing 200,000 Autographs — John: A selfish reason: for 2,000 days or so of writing this book John rarely knew if his work would make it in or bring him closer; signing, he knows people will like it and each one gets him closer to done. (hedged) — 00:01:14
  • 2017-08-01 · Death and How to Avoid It (...for a while) — ask: John says Amazon will soon run out of its signed Turtles All the Way Down copies, though bookstores across the US and Canada will have many, with updates at probablysignedturtles.com; Amazon buyers should buy now. (hedged) — 00:03:28
  • 2017-08-15 · Very Hard to Desclibe — announcement: John reveals the cover of Turtles All the Way Down, designed by Rodrigo Corral, who did the cover of The Fault in Our Stars; he calls it beautiful. — 00:00:01
  • 2017-09-05 · John Reads the First Chapter of Turtles All the Way Down — announcement: John says this video is him reading the first chapter of Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:00:02
  • 2017-09-12 · How Will the World End? Why Even Get Out of Bed? It's Question Tuesday. — announcement: John says the Turtles tour shows in Bellingham, Chicago and Atlanta are sold out, sorry it happened so fast. — 00:01:47
  • 2017-10-03 · Let's Talk about Books — announcement: John's new book, Turtles All the Way Down, comes out in exactly one week. — 00:00:00
  • 2017-10-17 · Look at Tiny Baby Hank — announcement: John: Turtles All the Way Down has reached number one on Amazon's bestseller list. — 00:01:23
  • 2017-11-09 · The New Zealand Five Cent Coin — John: The months before Turtles All the Way Down came out were difficult for John: overwhelmed by worry about its reception, the tour and publicity, and how to talk about his own mental illness. — 00:00:04
  • 2017-11-21 · Two Love Stories — John: Before the Turtles tour returned to Cincinnati, Kenny wrote John on Reddit that he met his girlfriend at John's signing five years ago and wanted advice on proposing. — 00:01:53
  • 2017-12-12 · 2017 is the Best? — ask: John invites donations with perks such as tuatara coins, deleted scenes from Turtles All the Way Down and a personalized self-care bunny, some limited: 'no pressure, em dash, a little bit of pressure'. — 00:03:30
  • 2017-12-22 · Christmas Questions Answered (With Katherine and Hank) — announcement: Hank: Turtles All the Way Down was named a best book of the year by twelve outlets including The New York Times, Time, NPR and Booklist, and is in bookstores. — 00:02:17
  • …and 110 statements more in 2017 — all statements of 2017

2018

  • 2018-01-16 · My Hollywood Star, Brexit Pears, and Hank's Book: It's QUESTION TUESDAY — John: Answering a hostile question, John says Daisy in Turtles All the Way Down is wrong about a lot but right that Attack of the Clones is the most underrated Star Wars movie. (playful) — 00:01:16
    • There is Turtles All the Way Down merch at DFTBA.com: posters and a pencil set with quotes from the book. — 00:02:28
  • 2018-03-20 · The Russian Reversal — John says he used the construction a lot in Turtles All the Way Down (the storyteller is the story told; money spends you), because the book is about not captaining the ship of your self. — 00:02:15
  • 2018-04-17 · John Green Answers Your John Green Questions — John lives in Indianapolis, where TFIOS and Turtles All the Way Down are set; earlier he lived in Chicago (part of An Abundance of Katherines), Birmingham, Alabama (Looking for Alaska) and Orlando, Florida (Paper Towns). — 00:00:35
  • 2018-04-24 · This Video is about Red Eyed Tree Frogs? — John really believes, as he wrote in Turtles All the Way Down, that beauty is mostly a matter of attention: what you love matters, but how you love it matters much more. — 00:00:26
  • 2018-06-19 · My Signature Move — John: On about half the sheets John draws spirals, as close as he can get to the Raymond Pettibon painting he wrote about in Turtles All the Way Down; spirals sort of are his signature move even if he doesn't want them to be. (hedged) — 00:02:18
  • 2018-08-14 · Question Tuesday: Secrets & Primes — John reveals an inside joke with himself: each of his books has a prime-minus-one number of chapters; TFIOS and Turtles All the Way Down have 24, Will Grayson, Will Grayson and An Abundance of Katherines 20. — 00:01:12
  • 2018-08-28 · The Book Was Better? — announcement: John has just read Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker's beautiful screenplay adaptation of Turtles All the Way Down; he thinks it might actually become a movie and is excited but nervous. (hedged) — 00:00:10
  • 2018-11-20 · Cause for Celebration — John: When Turtles All the Way Down hit 52 consecutive weeks on the NYT bestseller list, John felt happy briefly, then anxious again; weeks later a quiet champagne toast with Sarah brought overwhelming joy and gratitude. — 00:01:56
  • …and 1 statement more in 2018 — all statements of 2018

2019

  • 2019-02-19 · Battling Apathy and Searching for Meaning on Question Tuesday — announcement: John says Turtles All the Way Down is being made into a movie, hopefully, and Hannah Marks, who is wonderful and often watches these videos, has been hired as director. (hedged) — 00:02:26
  • 2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — John: At a dead end, John asked Tuataria, the sleuthing community born of his and Rosianna's scavenger hunt before Turtles All the Way Down, to verify his findings and find the pictures. — 00:01:56
  • 2019-04-23 · untitled — John still likes the title Turtles All the Way Down, though it is slightly confusing for a book not about turtles but kind of about a different reptile. — 00:01:27
  • 2019-06-11 · Why I Haven't Written a New Book — John learned it has been 510 days since Turtles All the Way Down came out; a paragraph or two a day would have produced a draft of a sixth novel, but he hasn't written one. — 00:00:00
    • The Turtles All the Way Down paperback is published today in the US: cheaper than the hardcover, softer cover, a Q&A at the back and a couple of typos fixed. — 00:00:16
    • John is grateful that Turtles All the Way Down was generously received by critics and readers, with reviews in places like The New York Times and The Guardian. — 00:00:45
    • John intends to publish more novels, hopefully many more, and meanwhile is grateful his existing books still find new readers. (hedged) — 00:03:19
  • 2019-09-10 · Another Contender in the Room — John says a Raymond Pettibon painting, when he first saw it, ended up taking over his novel Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:01:27
  • 2019-10-15 · I'm Having a Lot of Feelings — John did not make the show, but remembers waiting for Turtles All the Way Down reviews two years ago with constant nausea, so he is happy and relieved for its makers. — 00:00:58
  • 2019-12-17 · The Best Days of My Decade — John: On December 29, 2016, unsure Turtles All the Way Down would ever be worthwhile, John was alone in a small Michigan cabin with bread, peanut butter and lots of Diet Dr Pepper. — 00:01:45
    • Stuck on the ending after a sleepless night, John called Sarah in tears; she suggested a time jump, and he wrote the last 15 pages in one go, joyfully, for Aza and himself. — 00:02:02

2020

  • 2020-01-21 · Gifts That Changed My Life — John says that without that gift he might not have written Turtles All the Way Down. (hedged) — 00:00:58
  • 2020-02-11 · 1,100 Days: A Mental and Physical Health Update — John: In 2017, after exercising five or six days a week for 100 days, John could run seven or eight miles, slept better, his mental illness had improved dramatically, and he wrote much of Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:00:00
  • 2020-06-16 (said on 2020-06-07, implied) · a cool place — In a comment John says the river is where he got some Turtles All the Way Down ideas: north of Wallet Island Aza and Daisy visit Davis Pickett's property, and their river island is one he calls Aza Island. — creator comment
    • In a comment John says his contamination anxieties are very specific and don't include river water; he follows experts' advice calmly, isn't afraid of flying thanks to exposure therapy, and calls pathological thinking definitionally irrational. — creator comment
  • 2020-09-01 · get the show on — John says, as he discussed on the latest podcast episode, the three years since Turtles All the Way Down was published have been long and at times very challenging. — 00:03:24

2021

  • 2021-04-02 · John's World Record — Hank: John went from 150,000 signatures for The Fault in Our Stars to 200,000 for Turtles All the Way Down and now 250,000 for The Anthropocene Reviewed, flooding the market. — 00:01:27
  • 2021-04-27 · What is my new book about? — John: Turtles All the Way Down isn't really about a missing billionaire but about mental illness, free will and having your consciousness hijacked by intrusive thoughts. — 00:00:29
  • 2021-05-14 · This Vlogbrothers Stat Blew My Mind — Hank: On the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told Hank his idea of star-rating facets of the human-centered world; Hank made Hank Reviews Everything in four minutes and never thought about it again. — 00:01:35
  • 2021-05-25 · The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated — John: After a month touring for Turtles All the Way Down, published October 2017, John came home to Indianapolis and blazed a trail from his children's treehouse to the office, or shed, where he and his wife work. — 00:00:00
    • People assumed John shared his protagonists' worldviews or questioned him as if he were the protagonist; a famous interviewer asked whether he, like the narrator of Turtles All the Way Down, had panic attacks when kissing. — 00:02:29
    • Tempting as it is to make labyrinthitis a metaphor for a life lacking balance, John wrote against such symbolization of disease in his novels: OCD and cancer are illnesses to live with as well as one can, not battles or character flaws. — 00:05:41
  • …and 1 statement more in 2021 — all statements of 2021

2022

  • 2022-01-28 · The Most Dangerous Thing We've Ever Done on Stage — Hank: On their 2017 tour, Hank and John had Hank play Sweet Caroline on guitar and asked the audience to stay perfectly silent where the crowd chant normally goes. — 00:00:27
  • 2022-04-26 · An Amazing Day — John reports that today is the first day of the Turtles All the Way Down movie shoot, in Cincinnati. — 00:00:00
    • In a channel comment John notes the film is already a book, about a young woman, Aza, whose mystery-solving is derailed by obsessive thinking, and suggests reading it via a library or bookstore. — creator comment
    • John says the film happens only because many people read and cared about the book, responding generously to its exploration of anxiety, obsessive thinking, free will and other themes. — 00:02:41
  • 2022-05-03 · My Religion and My Banned Books — John says his books, especially Looking for Alaska and Turtles All the Way Down, have lately been removed from US libraries and schools for purported obscenity. — 00:00:00
  • 2022-05-24 · Hello! Meet Daisy! — announcement: John introduces Cree, who plays Daisy in the Turtles All the Way Down movie. — 00:00:00
  • 2022-05-31 · A Casting Announcement — announcement: John recalls that in March The Hollywood Reporter announced Isabela Merced would play Aza in the movie adaptation of his book Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:00:00
    • John announces, as the news no major publication covered, that he has also been cast in the Turtles All the Way Down movie. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2022-06-07 · Hello! Meet Aza! — announcement: John introduces Isabela Merced, the star of the Turtles All the Way Down movie, who plays Aza. — 00:00:00
  • 2022-06-21 · On Disease — John says he writes about disease, from OCD in Turtles All the Way Down to plague in The Anthropocene Reviewed, because it strangely circumscribes consciousness and we don't talk about it enough. — 00:01:56
  • 2022-07-05 · Director Hannah Marks Is Nervous To Meet You — announcement: John introduces Hannah Marks, director of the Turtles All the Way Down movie, and thanks her for directing it. — 00:00:29
  • 2022-09-13 · A Million Things at Once — announcement: John is going to see the first cut of the Turtles All the Way Down film this week (week of 12 September 2022); release is a long way off, and he is very excited and a little nervous. — 00:00:00
  • …and 8 statements more in 2022 — all statements of 2022

2023

  • 2023-10-17 · My Next Book — John: In November 2017, just after publishing Turtles All the Way Down and a grueling tour, John's balance failed at home; he was hospitalized and diagnosed with labyrinthitis. — 00:00:00

2024

  • 2024-02-06 · The Truth of How Books Become Movies — John says that the day after Turtles All the Way Down came out, a movie studio offered to option it. — 00:00:00
    • John announces he got a call saying the Turtles All the Way Down movie is coming out later this year (2024) on Max. — 00:04:22
  • 2024-04-04 · The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie looks WEIRD!!! — announcement: Hank makes an extra Thursday video to announce that the Turtles All the Way Down trailer is out and the release date is May 2 on Max, formerly (and still in Europe) HBO Max. — 00:00:00
  • 2024-04-09 · Hank and John Reunited WITH RAX — announcement: John: Answering viewers, John says the Turtles All the Way Down film will stream on Max in the UK, the Netherlands and other listed places, out May 2 in most places including the US. — 00:04:57
  • 2024-04-16 · I Already Got Paid — John asks viewers to keep in mind in the coming weeks that he already got paid for the Turtles All the Way Down film, so financially he does not care whether they see it. — 00:00:00
    • John calls the Turtles All the Way Down movie brilliant, with extraordinary performances, the best portrayal of OCD as he experiences it he has seen in a movie, and funny and human. — 00:01:46
    • John says the film's trailer is live, linked in the description, and the film comes out May 2nd on Max. — 00:03:14
  • 2024-04-23 · Full Hank — announcement: John says the Turtles All the Way Down film comes out May 2 on Max. — 00:01:40
  • 2024-05-03 · Everything Wrong with Turtles All the Way Down — announcement: Hank says the film is on Max; in the US Max can be had through the Play Store, the App Store, Amazon Prime or Max.com. — 00:02:39
  • 2024-05-07 · A Secret about Art — John: Interviewing himself, John says he is thrilled with the response to the film so far: despite a minuscule marketing budget, it has reached so many people. — 00:00:29
  • 2024-10-22 · My New Book: Everything Is Tuberculosis — announcement: John says the book is not a young adult novel like The Fault in Our Stars or Turtles All the Way Down; it is not the opposite of his previous work, but it is different. — 00:00:10
  • 2024-12-10 · On Writing — John: Rereading, John sees the book continues 20 years of his work, extending his fascination with illness: cancer in The Fault in Our Stars, OCD in Turtles All the Way Down, plagues in The Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:02:39
  • …and 13 statements more in 2024 — all statements of 2024

2026

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says he desperately wants to be a proper mystery and romance novelist but can't write a proper mystery: Turtles All the Way Down mostly became about OCD, and Paper Towns about imagining other people complexly. — 03:07:36
    • John launches a signed mystery book perk: a signed copy of one of his books, such as Turtles All the Way Down, Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, The Anthropocene Reviewed or Everything Is Tuberculosis. — 08:08:39
  • 2026-03-31 · I've Been Keeping a Secret… — John: It is John's first novel in nine years: almost nine years have passed since Turtles All the Way Down came out. — 00:00:00
    • John did not write it mainly in the last year: he has been working on Hollywood, Ending (with a comma in the title) since finishing Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:00:29
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — John, recalling Turtles All the Way Down, says he is troubled that about half his body's cells are bacteria and other organisms whose chemicals change how he thinks. — 00:01:27
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John: In Turtles All the Way Down John tried to accept the problem and talked about his own OCD alongside the character's, which made him feel squeamish. — 00:04:25
  • 2026-10-16 · Is Happiness the Goal? — Hank: On the 2017 Turtles tour Hank worked on the line edits for his book in the back of the tour bus. — 00:00:00

Also named in: Project for Awesome 2026 part 4!