This story follows the typical template for the say no to drugs genre of liturature. As alice set off to the library to research drugs, she ran into the guy who helped her the night she got drugged, bill, who asked her out on a date. This is appropriate for all ages, it is good for everyone to know what can happen if you get into drugs, and it can scare young kids away. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Go ask alice, written by an anonymous author, is a diary kept by a fifteenyearold drug user. Go ask alice teaches you what can happen when you get into drugs and its hard to stay away from them once you have started and know how easy it is to get ahold of them. But it is unfair to maintain that something is a true story when in fact. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. Third, the revelation, for the adult reader, that go ask alice is not, in fact, a real diary but a. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around.
I did give it an extra star in recognition of the fact that it probably read better. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. For thirtyfive years, the acclaimed, bestselling firstperson account of a teenage girls harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. A website that has information about health for teens 3. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. The list go ask alice has been one of the most frequently challenged books, according to the american library associations frequently challenged books of the 21st century list, since its publication in 1971, for content relating to drugs, sexual explicitness, offensive language, and inappropriate themes for the target age group frequently challenged 1. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie.
Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Go ask alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. Jul 03, 2014 go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. This passage from the book go ask alice was when alice first decided to quit using drugs and to stay clean. Who does she sell drugs to that makes her feel really guilty and upset. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book. Though go ask alice is a classic, its not a good book. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt.
Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. In a hybrid work of biography, memoir and literary criticism whose title alludes to alice munros comingofage novel, lives of girls and women, sheila munro examines the writing life and. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. The line in this song, go ask alice, provided the title of a 1971 book published by an anonymous author. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive. The author, through this book, doesnt wants his readers to look for advise in it, but to learn about the real world in which some teenagers have to live through. Her name is never given, and the diary is suspected to be fictional despite being promoted as true. She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family. Mar 23, 2017 then, in 1978, a book called voices, a compilation of stories about troubled teens, was released, with jacket copy attributing it to beatrice sparks, the author who brought you go ask alice. Nowadays ya lit is pretty universal harry potter really opened the doors for people to read childrens books no matter what their agebut in 1971 when our book was written that wasnt really the case. Go ask alice a real diary timeline timetoast timelines. A year later came jays journal, the diary of an adolescent boy who succumbs to satan worship, which similarly credited dr. As alice set off to the library to research drugs, she ran into the guy who helped her the night she got drugged, bill, who asked her out on a.
Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Alice decided to ask jill to get her some marijuana to try for the first time. Go ask alice anonymous diaries paperback january 1, 2006.
The go ask alice book of answers is a groundbreaking guide that mines the best material from the eponymous awardwinning web site. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. Book of answers is published and the site gets an overhaul and updated look go ask alice. If you are in an urgent situation, please visit our emergency page to view a list of 24 hour support services and hotlines. Revelation, for the adult reader, that go ask alice is not, in fact, a real diary but a. The story starts off like any other book, with a normal day and a normal family. I think this book writes in a interesting way while it teaches us a life lesson by expressing in diary form. Go ask alice is a supposed diary of a young girl caught up in the wild life of drug abuse in the late 1960s. The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography.
Most leaders dont even know the game they are in simon sinek at live2lead 2016 duration. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. But theres one aspect of the book that ive never seen discussed, perhaps because no one else has the text memorized from beginning to end. The sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my. Jun 16, 2002 in a hybrid work of biography, memoir and literary criticism whose title alludes to alice munros comingofage novel, lives of girls and women, sheila munro examines the writing life and. Essay about go ask alice by anonymous 837 words bartleby. Howling hilarity upon rereading the book in this context. Alice meets a freshman at the university library, joel. Go ask alice follows the journal entries of alice, a typical teenage girl, who quickly descends into the depths of drug addiction. Like a blink of an eye the main character turns towards drugs, sex, and running away. He and alice get to know each other better, as does her family. Alices character was based on a reallife little girl named alice liddell.
Library journal an important book, this deserves as wide a readership as libraries can give it. From sex and relationships to alcohol and drugs to fitness and nutrition, this comprehensive handbook is the first of its kind to provide muchneeded information for young adults who cannot get reliable or anonymous. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. In the same vein, go ask alice is young adult literature because thats the audience it was specifically geared toward. The book was a diary of a young girl in the 1960s who had a drug addiction and died. White rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to scare. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, satanism, teenage pregnancy or aids, and are presented as cautionary tales. Both chris and alice decide to go to san francisco thinking that moving to a different place is going to help them with quitting their addiction and habits towards drugs, alcohol, and sex.
She is a pretty typical teenage girl in the late 1960sshes mostly concerned with school, boys, her hair, and fitting in okay, thats pretty typical for any decade. The book is said to be the actual diary of an anonymous teenage girl who became addicted to drugs. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks is an epistolary work, meaning that is structured as a series of entries such as letters or in this case, a diary. Pressure to use drugs at school intensifies, as the kids harass alice and her family. A list of important facts about anonymouss go ask alice, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. Alice is the anonymous protagonist her name is an allusion to a jefferson airplane song whose intermittent diary entries narrate go ask alice. Jan 22, 2018 in short, go ask alice is bad in just about every way its possible for a book to be bad, and much has been written to this effect. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism. Go ask alice, a real diary in print for four decades. Go ask alice is based on a true story about a teenager who becomes addicted to drugs.
The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. The book is written in diary form, but the author is anonymous. Go ask alice is a reference to a jefferson airplane song called white rabbit, which alludes to rampant hallucinogenic drug use in lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Go ask alice is a 1971 book generally viewed to have been written by the author beatrice sparks, however the novel was published originally under the pseudonym anonymous. Throughout the whole book, it brought the readers attention by giving us enough details. In go ask alice, the diary is written by a teenage girl over a twoyear period and chronicles her experiences with drugsmainly marijuana, acid, and speed. Edwin strattonmackay go ask alice is a politicallyfunded novel, a terror story to. The obituary also references her doctorate, although this is another fact that nilson.
She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the book but a brunette. Beatrice sparks was an american therapist and mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the real diaries of troubled teenagers. Returning to it as an adult feels a bit like youre taking part in a piece of pop culture in the vein of scared straight or reefer madness. Lyrics in the song white rabbit by the band jefferson airplane 2. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools.