Bibliotherapy and OCD: The Case of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green (2017)

Abstract

This case study uses three different frameworks of inquiry to examine Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (2017) with a disability lens. The analysis extends beyond the traditional medical/social dichotomy and considers how disability is tied to both agency and identity. Narratives and counter-narratives of disability are also investigated, as well as disability markers used in previous scholarship. The discussion concludes with an argument to include the novel in secondary English classes to create mental health allies. A consideration for medical humanities scholars is also included to use Green’s text with patients with OCD, as a way for readers to find an identifiable protagonist.