Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug habit at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of go ask alice and what it means. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Talk about formative deaths in the history of literature. This is appropriate for all ages, it is good for everyone to know what can happen if you get.
As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book. She has a fun time with fawns friends and hopes that they havent heard stories about her. Everyone who encounters go ask alice goes through the same four stages titillated horror, for the young reader, at the book s dramatic depictions of drug use. As as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. But when she attends a party and drinks a soda laced with lsd, she begins a drawnout addiction to drugs that slowly but brutally takes over her life. 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. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two. Nov 20, 2003 based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Kris from sf, ca this song was not written about the book go ask alice.
Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler. 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. As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. The title is from the lyrics to the jefferson airplane song white rabbit. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. Go ask alice a real diary timeline timetoast timelines. R cover art for the 1971 prentice hall first edition. Kudos to the people who put together the go ask alice book of answers. The book is said to be the actual diary of an anonymous teenage girl who became addicted to drugs. First published in 1971, go ask alice is a controversial book involving teenage addiction. Grace brought it with her from the great society when she joined up with jefferson airplane in 1966. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, satanism, teenage pregnancy or aids, and are presented as cautionary tales. The song white rabbit predates the book go ask alice. 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.
Essay about go ask alice by anonymous 837 words bartleby. Go ask alice has been banned in the past for its language and sexual content. More like go ask alice why shes such a liar, beatrice. I had to choose a book by and american author and then pick five of fifty things to do with it, and this is one of the things i choose to do with my book, go ask alice. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage.
For example, a superintendent in new jersey had all of the copies of this book removed from. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. A fifteenyearold drug user chronicles her daily struggle to escape the pull of the drug world. The well known disney animation was based on alice s. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. 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 follows the journal entries of alice, a typical teenage girl, who quickly descends into the depths of drug addiction. 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.
My plan was to read this for banned book week, and although i did not finish it during the week i meant to, i. Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. 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. The stages of accepting that go ask alice wasnt real the toast.
Book banners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they think. Novel versus the movie adaption of go ask alice essay cram. A summary of july 27epilogue in anonymouss go ask alice. Alice was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this aboveaverage tv movie was based. If you are in an urgent situation, please visit our emergency page to view a list of 24 hour support services and hotlines. Do you believe this is a typical experience for someone who gets involved in drugs. Most leaders dont even know the game they are in simon sinek at live2lead 2016 duration. It is from an extremely reputable source columbia university, and is readable and accessible to the average teen. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Beth returns from camp, but alice finds that beth has changed. Explain in detail how the lyrics of the song parallel the story.
Here are the 10 young adult books every teen needs to read. Whether you love poetry or havent read a single poem since edward lears. The original book, alice s adventures in wonderland was written in 1865, whereas go ask alice wasnt written until 1971. Through out the history of film, many productions have been made based on best selling novels. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Obviously the author is anonymous so we can not decide if the author is american, but some of the hints and clues point out that it is a white. 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. An intelligent, sensitive girl with a literary flair, she experiments with drugs and the counterculture to escape from her low selfesteem. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. Communication has to go both ways, and were watching it fail colossally, which just exacerbates alice s feelings of isolation. This is part of my final for a project for my high school junior english class.
Reading go ask alice the 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 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. We dont know the troubled teenage girls name but we follow her rapid descent into her life as an addict. Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. Alice s parents worry about alice s hippie appearance. May 25, 2012 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. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. Haven is a definite must read and a good choice for reading.
Throughout the whole book, it brought the readers attention by giving us enough details. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Im not really sure which parts of myself are real and which parts are things ive gotten from books. Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they think. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Wanda, haven is a riveting, exhilarating and spectacular new story from a promising debut author that i couldnt get enough of. Its written in first person in traditional diary form. 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. Young adult books can be enjoyed by all ages, but the best readers for ya is of course, teenagers. As the years have gone by, more and more thoughtful readers believe that sparks, with help from others, faked alices story. How to go by making a magazine alice in wonderland. Though the story was widely criticized as a complete fabrication and dismissed as propaganda, its message remained powerful.
Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. Were still trying to get curtains hung and boxes unpacked and things put away. Go ask alice save to list other books you might like. Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style. Alice asks her mother for help, sewing a dress together for a christmas party to which shes been invited. 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. Virginia tech scholarly communication university libraries. Her parents try to express a serious concern, but alice is so consumed with her own thought process that she doesnt listen at all and then accuses them of doing the same thing to her. 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. Go ask alice summary the diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. It presents the facts, not fallacy, to all of the questions they have that parents and other caregivers may be too embarrassed to talk about.
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. The book was written in 1967 and the song was originally written around 1965. In 1998, when linda glovach published a new book, beauty queen, about a girl on drugs, she identified herself as coauthor of go ask alice. Go ask alice became a cult classic in the 1970s, revealing the inner thoughts of a teen in turmoil and detailing her attempts to pull herself out of her druginduced haze. She has a fun time with them and hopes they haven t heard stories about her. Sep 29, 2015 the anonymous diarist in the 1971 book go ask alice is just a normal 15yearold girl dealing with crushes, friendships, a new move and body image. A website that has information about health for teens 3. 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 by beatrice sparks goodreads share book. She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family. Book of answers is published and the site gets an overhaul and updated look go ask alice. The title go ask alice was taken from a 1967 jefferson airplane song called white rabbit.
Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. What is te climax in the novel go ask alice answers. Go ask alice by anonymous i have read this book at least 5 times. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay. 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. Gee, those adjectives make this book sound like a load of fun, dont they. A list of important facts about anonymouss go ask alice, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. After she meets a lot of people and did a lot of things, she learned very much. 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. If youre looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our weekly recommendation thread, suggested reading page, or ask in rsuggestmeabook. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
Be sure to give several specific examples from the text and the song. Alice is insecure around fawn and her friends, even though they seem to like her. 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. I am always on the look out for classics and banned books often one and the same when i seen a copy of this book. Alice alice is the anonymous protagonist her name is an allusion to a jefferson airplane song whose intermittent diary entries narrate go ask alice. I think this book writes in a interesting way while it teaches us a life lesson by expressing in diary form. Lyrics in the song white rabbit by the band jefferson airplane 2. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay uk essays. The most famous of these literary works was 1971s go ask alice, presented as the diary of an anonymous teen girl who began her career as a stoner at age 15 and died of an overdose just weeks after. Alice and chris are both dissatisfied with the establishment and their own families. I havent even known fawn very long and yet im almost jealous of all her other friends. An intelligent, sensitive girl with a literary flair, she experiments with drugs and the counterculture to escape from her low selfesteem and consuming loneliness. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction.
An award winning novel by the name of go ask alice did that. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography. Go ask alice is small, 224 under size pages and written in diary format so is a quick read. Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. 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. Sorry i havent had time to write for two days, but we havent stopped.
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. Radio default, go ask alice, live aradio, live set, 2015. For those of you who havent listened yet, we spend a lot of time chatting about the fact that the books anonymous authorship is kind of a big. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to return home and stay clean, her pleas to god to save her, her trust and love for her family.