#10 Heartlands Best Reads of 2018: Turtles All the Way Down

What does it take to be a Heartlands Best Read of 2018?

—Alex has to have read the book. This is a big limitation right from the get-go, but, hey, it’s reality.

—Excellent writing. Good stories, good prose, good poetry. You won’t get there on the ideas alone.

—A strong sense of place.

—Preference is given to books published in 2018, though a good book from the past will make the list if I’ve read it this year.

—Books that highlight the broad themes of the Heartlands site. This began as a place to explore what’s happening in America, particularly focusing on life and ministry in rural areas. In light of the Great Divide, we now talk about that as “knowing the country whole.” A book that helps illuminate the country as it is or could be is going to get a leg up in this.

–I liked it, even if it didn’t meet any of these criteria. Hey, it’s my site.

So, let’s start the roll out! 

Coming in at #10 is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. If I do say so myself, I loved my headline summary of this book: Teenager Abuses Hand Sanitizer, Finds Self: The Beauty in Turtles All the Way Down. That’s about the size of this Young Adult book. Putting us in the head of a character struggling with OCD and invasive thoughts was a daring choice, but by the end of this story Green has us rooting for Aza and her friends. There are also some big scale meditations on life, the universe, and everything.

Click on the link for the full review.  And look for #9 soon.