Go ask alice is a diary of a teenage middleclass girl. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. An award winning novel by the name of go ask alice did that. Go ask alice by anonymous was a completely eyeopening book that both broke my heart, and made me realize the morals of life although they werent mentioned. 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 is a memoir that follows the diary of a teenage girl during the late sixties. Mary rose does have problems with addiction, but she also. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Go ask alice is a well written book, and is now one of my favorites. The content of the book go ask alice is dedicated for those living in such darkness. Go ask alice anonymous is a story about a teenage girl who writes a dairy about her struggle with drugs and her decent into addiction.
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. May 22, 2019 go ask alice cemented my childhood suspicions about the perils of losing control. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. In general, its a book that has strikes much pit or worry on the lives impending to maturity. Go ask alice, which reads like a diary, describes a teenage girls experiences with narcotics and sex. Dec 08, 2011 for our final project my group read the book go ask alice by anonymous.
It has an array of problems that involve the youths. Everything seems normal at first, but that soon changes when she is enticed into the world of drugs. 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. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Alice is an anonymous character and the most we know about her is that she is white, middleclass teenager who struggles to fit in at school and to live up to her parents expectations. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel about the life of a troubled teenage girl. Even when she does get clean, she is pursued by the users as well as nightmares and well read the book. 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. Go ask alice is said in the front of the book that is the actual diary of a teenage girl. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. Go ask alice by an anonymous teenage girl 942 words. Named for grace slicks mindexpanding white rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to scare young readers away from experimenting with. I even stopped dancing for fear that somebody might spike my punch while i was doing the reebok.
Somehow, i have never gotten around to reading go ask alice before. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally. 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. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently. If you look online, you will find there is much discrepancy about this claim. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Named for grace slicks mindexpanding white rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to scare young readers away from experimenting with substances. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes go ask alice study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
Apr 25, 2014 go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. This is another of my teenage books that i reread to see what i thought about it and potentially sharing it with my children. Go ask alice anonymous diaries paperback january 1, 2006. It has sold over four million copies, was adapted as a tv movie with william shatner, and is still in print over 40 years later. Go ask alice by anonymous was a diary of a fifteenyearold girl, named melanie. Published in 1971, at the height of the psychedelic era, go ask alice is a visceral and harrowing depiction of a teenage girl s fatal decline into drugs. As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. The author narrates the story of a teenage girl suffering from drug abuse. The story is a look into a teenage girls life as she gets mixed up in the tragic life of drugs.
A teenager whose life is dominated by her drug problems recounts in her diary her experiences from her indoctrination into. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two. 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 teenage girl in the 1960s because. An unnamed fifteenyearold diarist, whom the novels title refers to as alice, starts a diary. To ask other readers questions about go ask alice, please sign up. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
Go ask alice anonymous diaries series by anonymous. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. I read it when i was in the seventh grade and was absolutely terrified by the searingly honest portrayal of what i assumed it felt like to do drugs. Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. Teenagers of every race, religion, and clique relate deeply to the words of the anonymous teenager within the book go ask alice, by an anonymous girl whose life enters a place where, as most teenagers, she has no idea who to turn to, or where to go. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of go ask alice and what it means. Theres no getting around the fact that alice has almost nonexistent selfesteem, so her sense of identity is determined by the people she surrounds herself with. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice.
Go ask alice npr coverage of go ask alice by anonymous. Buy featured book title go ask alice author anonymous. Nov 28, 2012 go ask alice anonymous is a story about a teenage girl who writes a dairy about her struggle with drugs and her decent into addiction. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks goodreads share book. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Essay about go ask alice by anonymous 837 words bartleby. Yes, the anonymous author of go ask alice was, in fact, a 50something mormon youth counselor named beatrice sparks, who would later go on to write jays journal about teenage satanism that ultimately ends with his death and it happened to nancy about teenagers and hiv that ultimately ends with a teenagers death. Go ask alice 2006 read online free book by anonymous in. In case you arent familiar with it, its supposedly an anonymous diary found by the parents of a fifteen year old drug user after she. Go ask alice by anonymous a teen plunges into a downward spiral of addiction in this classic cautionary tale. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage girls all. 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. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. Kop boken go ask alice av anonymous isbn 9781416914631 hos adlibris. She was like any other teenager that had a school crush, wanted to be popular, and was always conscious about the way she looked. Go ask alice book ottawa public library bibliocommons. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. The title comes from the jefferson airplane song from 1967, white rabbit, written by grace slick. Anonymous had convinced me that if i didnt keep a tight watch, bad things were inevitably going to happen. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. The novel go ask alice, written by an anonymous teenage girl, consists of her thoughts, musings, and feelings throughout her ever worsening battle with drugs. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. As with most of the things in my sisters room, i didnt know how shed acquired the muchthumbed book with the. I first heard of go ask alice when still in school in the 1980s. I knew of it but all i really knew is that it is considered a classic, was anonymous and was about a teenage girls descent into addiction. Go ask alice is written as the diary of a fifteenyearold girls daytoday struggle with drug addiction.
The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie the sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my lifeand then i found out the real story photo by birgit compton on wikimedia commons. Im now a mum and i decided a couple of years ago to read the book myself. Go ask alice anonymous haftad 9781416914631 adlibris. One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you smalland the ones that mother gives you, dont do anything at allgo ask alice, when shes ten feet tall. Her habit eventually becomes a problem, leading her to run away from home numerous times, before landing herself into serious danger. 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, following her experiences from her. Go ask alice, presented as the diary of an anonymous teen girl who. Published in 1971, at the height of the psychedelic era, go ask alice is a visceral and harrowing depiction of a teenage girls fatal decline into drugs. 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 is supposed to be a diary, so theres quite a bit of anguished soulsearching and selfindulgent whining. Mar 23, 2017 published in 1971, at the height of the psychedelic era, go ask alice is a visceral and harrowing depiction of a teenage girls fatal decline into drugs. 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. Through out the history of film, many productions have been made based on best selling novels.
The book continues its claim to be the actual diary of an anonymous teenage girl who became addicted to drugs. It was a brave decision on her part, but the text always stayed with me. Alice is an anonymous character and the most we know about her is that she is white, middleclass teenager who struggles to fit. Alice, once a shy, innocent girl, is sucked into the heartless world of drugs because of her need to be accepted. Challenges in 1978, school boards in richmond and langley, b. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to.
Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page simon. This is one that definitely needs to wait until middle or high school due to the content of drug use. School library journal this novel in diary form powerfully depicts the. Go ask alice was supposedly the diary of an anonymous teen girl who drank some coke laced with lsd and became a drug addict almost. Jan 04, 2008 do you know anything about the book go ask alice. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book.
It is written by beatrice sparks in the form of the diary of an anonymous teenage girl who becomes addicted to drugs. My very go ahead principal read it to the whole school in assembly over the course of a couple of weeks. Jul 03, 2014 go ask alice was a fake, but dear nobody is an actual, legitimate unless someone finds otherwise reproduced diary of a teenage girl. Go ask alice, a real diary in print for four decades. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property.
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