Im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the easier way, and go ask alice definitely falls into this category. How did your impressions change after reading the book. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. Its said that the author of the book upon which this movie was based wrote it as a work of fiction, which she later admits, but i still think that this is a great movie that reflects what drug use. There are several books with 70sstyle crafts macrame, string art, clothing items, etc. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. Taylor as a writer of the highest intellect, vision, and imagination. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of. Ok, now that ive calmed down a little bit, lets actually discuss this real diary. Authentic, tragic tale of teen drug addiction a classic. This study guide consists of approximately 52 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of go ask alice. Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. Ranging from the dakota badlands to the drawing rooms of mayfair and the casting couches of the edwardian theater, ask alice is a remarkable novel that confirms d.
She told me that she started doing drugs after she read the book, thats how amusing the read was for her. But they can only do so much with a movie taken from a book. Ask and answer questions about the novel or view study guides, literature essays and more. The rise and fall of a generation, ask alice, and derby day, which was nominated for the booker prize and was selected as a washington post best book of the year. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and. But those of you old enough to remember the latter portion of the 70s might remember that beatrice sparks, the editor of go ask alice, also edited a bunch of other alarmist books aimed at teens, all supposedly taken from teenagers diaries.
What were your thoughts and impressions of alzheimers disease before reading this book, especially as it would affect a younger person. 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. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. The whole book is a fetid lie, and a poorly executed one at that. 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. This book presents itself as a diary, written over a period of about two years, by a girl in her midteens. He and alice get to know each other better, as does her family. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife. Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they think, i assume, that it will teach their children to do drugs, have sex, and disrespect those parents, like the diarist. Sixteen questions for the book club reading still alice by lisa genova. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. Alice meets a freshman at the university library, joel.
Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Especially in the beginning of the story, she is not very happy with her weight and it takes a long time to find new friends. The movie switched a lot of the scenes around and removed some of the characters. Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Pressure to use drugs at school intensifies, as the kids harass alice and her family. D espite the popularity of go ask alice, the mystery of the diarists identity has never been truly solved, and none of her relatives have ever come forward to claim a share of the royalties. Based on the bestselling book, go ask alice recounts a young girls ultimately fatal experiences with drugs in.
Who does lsd and then marijuana, she asked, as if id read the book for veracity at the ripe age of thirteen. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Some of the recurring reasons for it being banned are language, sexual content, and drug use. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. It was passed off as a real, anonymous diary for years and years, but the author is actually beatrice sparksdoes this change my opinion of the book. By now, the go ask alice readers narrative is a comic genre unto itself. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of go ask alice and what it means. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country.
The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. I love it so much because i believe it so much in that i know its not someone writing about someone, it truly is alices diary. The entire book reads like the literary equivalent of this tweet. The reader has to be mature, but the book should not be shot down because some people are too immature to read it. The go ask alice book of answers by program, columbia universitys health education and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks, 198208, avon flare edition, mass market paperback in english 1st avon flare printing 77. Everyone who encounters go ask alice goes through the same four stages titillated horror, for the young reader, at the books dramatic depictions of drug use. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage girls all. Our team members have advanced degrees in public health, health education. The narrator tries to change her image several times throughout the story.
It started when she was served a soft drink laced with lsd in a da. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. Her experiences have desensitized her to just about everything, so now sex is no longer some magical experience, its merely a tool to be utilized so she can get more drugs. On a normal day in alices world, she decides to buy a journal to write in it every week to record her. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feel beautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. Book of answers is published and the site gets an overhaul and updated look go ask alice. Although there is still some question as to whether this diary is real or fictional, there is no question that it has made a profound impact on millions of readers during the more than 25 years it has been in print.
This may have also occurred because i read the book before hand. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the authors best ideas. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. His most recent books are kept, bright young people.
Beatrice sparks, quote from go ask alice im partly somebody else trying to fit in and say the right things and do the right thing and be in the right place and wear what everybody else is wearing. The go ask alice community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Go ask alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers. The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. This is a pretty different attitude than the one alice has at the beginning of the book, huh. In the tradition of go ask alice halfshadowed face of a teenager on the cover, cautionary tale told in the form of diary entries, anonymous author. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. The author is still listed as anonymous, and it really isnt manifestly obvious, as it should be, that go ask alice is a work of fiction. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie.
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. Reading go ask alicethe socalled real diary, first published in 1971, of an anonymous girl who took drugs and diedis an experience so widely shared that theres little point personalizing it. This summary of go ask alice includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of go ask alice. Taylor is a novelist, critic, and biographer whose orwell won the whitbread prize for biography.
Go ask alice 2006 read online free book by anonymous in. I suspect she was exaggerating, but thats not the point. Howling hilarity upon rereading the book in this context. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15.