A website that has information about health for teens 3. 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. Readers often look forward to seeing their favourite novel be brought to life. Since its publishing in 1971 go ask alice has become one of the most controversial banned books. Go ask alice is an amazing story that is passed on a real persons diary. Alice was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this aboveaverage tv movie was based. Title stance on the book 3 articles it was banned challenged in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009 it was banned usually in schools and libraries title. I am not sure why it is called go ask alice, there is a small encounter with a girl named alice but nothing worthy of naming the book after her although i did momentarily wonder if the alice she seen in the book, was indeed our narrator thinking of herself as another person the book is sad. 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. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. The best selling, 1971 novel, go ask alice far surpasses its film adaptation by beatrice sparks because of the removal of crucial scenes. 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, an information service originally available only to columbia university students but later accessible to others through its web site, takes book form in this eyeopening collection of questions and answers. 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. 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, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. Novel versus the movie adaption of go ask alice essay cram. As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this. The whole book is a fetid lie, and a poorly executed one at that. She means something and i take it another way or she says. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. First published in 1971, go ask alice is a controversial book involving teenage addiction. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl.
In a statement addressing the widespread outrage over her praise for a book with antijewish overtones, the novelist alice walker called its author. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a. 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 sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my lifeand then i found out the real story. It uses imagery found in the fantasy works of lewis carroll1865s alices adventures in wonderland and its 1871 sequel through the lookingglasssuch as changing size after taking pills or drinking an unknown liquid. Which, of course, means that it was insanely popular among teens and.
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. 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. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. Books similar to go ask alice goodreads share book. Sparks, 82, 83 next, another reason go ask alice should be banned is the excessive use of illegal substances. Go ask alice, by anonymous by alyssa guthrie on prezi.
Go ask alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers. If you dig a bit deeper, go ask alice can be loosely deemed a parable because, by definition, a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lessonand we think antidrug propaganda fits that description pretty well. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the increasingly complicated world in which we live. Book banners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they.
And the kicker is that its supposedly ripped from the diary of an actual teenaged girl. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. 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. Due to its frequent and strong references to sex, heavy drug usage, and teen pregnancy, libraries and schools across the country have banned.
Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. She gained controversy in 1971 by writing her book. Go ask alice was written as a sort of cautionary tale, antihippieculture propaganda directed at unsuspecting young teens. 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. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country.
If the book doesnt make strict chronological sense, it does obey emotional logic. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The drug use written throughout the book is not appropriate for middle school or elementary, but should be permitted for high school level. Go ask alice which was supposedly about a teenage girl taking drugs when in all probability was fabricated by this woman to alert people about the dangers of drugs. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. 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. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. Read on to find out my take on this extremely controversial book. Alice walker, answering backlash, praises antisemitic. She is jealous of both of her younger siblings, a brother and a sister, believing she is the letdown child. This is because of its strong commentary on sex, suicide.
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. Some of the recurring reasons for it being banned are language, sexual content, and drug use. Most leaders dont even know the game they are in simon sinek at live2lead 2016 duration. Mar 23, 2017 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. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Radio default, go ask alice, live aradio, live set, 2015. People were desperate to find ways to discourage drug use by any means other than the highly ineffective dont do drugs speeches in health class. Jan 04, 2008 do you know anything about the book go ask alice.
This is all to say that i essentially have go ask alice memorized. 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. She feels very alone and misunderstood, seeking approval from her mother and other people. White rabbit is one of grace slicks earliest songs, written during either late 1965 or early 1966. Jul 17, 2016 go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks. Its written in first person in traditional diary form. In go ask alice there are many illegal substance references throughout the entire book. The queries are representative of those emailed by anonymous visitors to the go ask alice web site. I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. 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. Jun 01, 2015 the second half of this exchange was used by evelyn waugh as the epigraph to vile bodies, in 1930, and the tone is a perfect match for the chill, directionless frenzy of waughs personae.
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. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. 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. Even the title hints at the fact that if you doubt that drugs are dangerous, all you need to do is go ask. Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to try out drugs. A personal opinion on the reasons why the book go ask alice. Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they.
Dec 08, 2011 after reading go ask alice and preparing a research project on it, i feel that the biggest reason books are banned is because of depiction vs. For example, the diarist goes from lsd to speed to heroin all in the matter of a. 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 was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has come out with a number of teens who saw their lives ruined by their bad choices offerings, each one presented as a true. So many people mistake the words they are reading as a tool to promote what the book is talking about. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Stream go ask alice unabridged audiobook at by user1868941 from desktop or your mobile device. Controversy behind go ask alice duffys napa valley rehab. Though go ask alice is a classic, its not a good book. So go ask alice is the story of a young woman falling into a spiral of drugs, depression, and debauchery after an accidental exposure to drugs.
The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Do books like go ask alice help or hinder addiction education and recovery. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay. Book of answers is published and the site gets an overhaul and updated look go ask alice. Though the story was widely criticized as a complete fabrication and dismissed as propaganda, its message remained powerful. In a 1995 village voice column for banned books week, nat hentoff described it as an extraordinarily. 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. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube. Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler.
Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks goodreads share book. 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. A dark and edgy firstperson cautionary tale about how one girls seemingly minor choices quickly spiraled into a life as a sex worker in the tradition of go ask alice and lucy in. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Lyrics in the song white rabbit by the band jefferson airplane 2.
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