The torture and hell of adolescence has rarely been. This passage from the book go ask alice was when alice first decided to quit using drugs and to stay clean. The girl who wrote this diary lived in two different worlds, the. Go ask alice and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. This is almost the only happy thing in alices life. Only publishers weekly threw shade, remarking that it. Created during the height of the drug era, the girl could be anyone from this time who found him or herself seduced by the mindaltering affects of marijuana, lsd, bennies, dexies, and heroin.
As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Beatrice sparks a fifteenyearold drug user chronicles her daily struggle to escape the pull of the drug world. Originally sold as the real diary of an actual teenager, go ask alice is the fauxmemoir of a 15yearold girl whose life is dominated by her drug problems. She is jealous of both of her younger siblings, a brother and a sister, believing she is the letdown child. 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. If the book doesnt make strict chronological sense, it. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. In go ask alice, the diary is written by a teenage girl over a twoyear period and chronicles her experiences with.
Im not really sure which parts of myself are real and which parts are things ive gotten from books. The question and answer section for go ask alice is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. Throughout the whole book, it brought the readers attention by giving us enough details. A dark and edgy firstperson cautionary tale about how one girls seemingly minor choices quickly spiraled into a life as a sex worker. Stream go ask alice unabridged audiobook at by user1868941 from desktop or your mobile device. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download. There are significantly more disturbing diary entries in the book that deal with rape, prostitution, and violence.
Essay about go ask alice by anonymous 837 words bartleby. A shocking true story for fans of reasons why ebook. 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. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. Go ask alice is an amazing story that is passed on a real persons diary. Browse a new selection of discounted kindle books each month. Then she helped by a priest that helps her reunite with her family. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. All of her family is okay and accepting the change except alice. Sparks, the editor of go ask alice, also edited a bunch of other alarmist books aimed at teens.
It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. 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. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. I wouldnt classify this passage as glorifying drugs, but the main characters reaction is such that she continues. Go ask alice quotes showing of 55 im not really sure which parts of myself are real and which parts are things ive gotten from books. Contains an excerpt of the companion diary jays journal p. 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. Go ask alice about this book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. In go ask alice there are many illegal substance references throughout the entire book. This is an excerpt from go ask alice, which recounts her first experience with lsd.
Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Alice hoped to be like her mother some day and wondered if her mother ever struggled with the same romantic and identity issues when she was young. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. The reader has to be mature, but the book should not be shot down because some people are too immature to read it. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Go ask alice, written by an anonymous author, is a diary kept by a fifteenyearold drug user. Alice asks her mother for help, sewing a dress together for a christmas party to which shes been invited. The poor girl in this story gets hooked on acid, which is possible to do, i know people who have been there before, and trys so hard to get past it. For 35 years, this acclaimed, bestselling firstperson account of a teenage girls harrowing descent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers.
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. 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. Books similar to go ask alice goodreads share book. 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. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and. The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. The author, through this book, doesnt wants his readers to look for advise in it, but to learn about the real.
Her dad is offered a new job and her family is moving to a new town. An analysis and recommendation of the book go ask alice. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the increasingly complicated world in which we live. 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. She is having a hard time finding new friends and feeling like she fits in. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Go ask a lice is a 1971 fi ction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism. Sparks, 82, 83 next, another reason go ask alice should be banned is the excessive use of illegal substances. The drug use written throughout the book is not appropriate for middle school or elementary, but should be permitted for high school level. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter. 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. 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. I think you mean go ask alice by anonymous aka beatrice sparks, but anywho.
Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. 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. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay. There is an alice in the book go ask alice, but shes a minor character mentioned in only one paragraph.
My favourite part of the book, is the part where alice met joel and she felt in love with him. If youre looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our weekly recommendation thread, suggested reading page, or ask in rsuggestmeabook. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. 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. Since then, she has collected and published seve ral other anonymous diaries of teens including jays journal, it happened to nancy, almost lost, anni es baby, treacherous love, kim. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. Go ask alice is written as the diary of a fifteenyearold girls daytoday struggle with drug addiction. A possible explanation for this novel relationship is that one of these drugs may enhance the. She feels very alone and misunderstood, seeking approval from her mother and other people. The diary begins right before alice s fifteenth birthday. 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. So mama waggled her fingers in the air, go, go, and settled her crown of hair, the color of browning roses, upon the bolster of the davenport.
Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Authentic, tragic tale of teen drug addiction a classic. An analysis of the book go ask alice by beatrice sparks. The go ask alice book of answers is a groundbreaking guide that mines the best material from the eponymous awardwinning web site. She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family.
This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Book of answers is published and the site gets an overhaul and updated look go ask alice. Im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the easier way, and go ask alice definitely falls into this category. Psychosocial correlates to lifetime lsd use among a. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. Beth is going to fix me up on a blind date with a nice jewish boy to quote her mother. And during ordinary hours, ada was known to be fond of alice, who was adas best friend and her only one. The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography.
But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feel beautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. 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. Go ask alice a real diary timeline timetoast timelines. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book.
As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Anonymous when alice turns 15 she under goes a lot of changes. Go ask alice is a fiction work written anonymously and first published in 1971. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Go ask alice, by anonymous by alyssa guthrie on prezi. Someone had written whore in bright orange lipstick on my locker. 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. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage indepth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book. Go ask alice was the first book she edited, though at the time the book was published she chose not to include her name on the novel. I think this book writes in a interesting way while it teaches us a life lesson by expressing in diary form.
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