If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. Although go ask alice has been credited to an anonymous author since its publication. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. Go ask alice was written over 30 years ago is it still relevant today. 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. Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration.
The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. Go ask alice anonymous diaries and millions of other books are available for instant access. She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. 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 author of this book really had no say on whether their name was added or not, because go ask alice is teenagers diary that was put into print, after she had passed away. The letters speak of depression and cutting, drug abuse and sex, music and poetry. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks go ask alice. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay. Go ask alice, a real diary in print for four decades.
Go ask ogre compiles jolene sianas actual letters, artwork. The diarys triumph comes at the end since alice discards it in favor of wanting to share herself with other peoplethe tool that enables alice to better communicate and understand herself has served its purpose. It felt like the author beatrice sparks wasnt sure how to end it got sick of writing and just kinda tossed that in. The diary also functions as the engine for go ask alice s epistolary narrative a narrative composed of letters. The author, frankie thomas, describes the four stages of experience in reading the 1971 classic. Go ask alice is written by an anonymous author essay 1234 words 5 pages.
He consoles her, and gets her permission to study at the university library. Does it change the way you feel about the book to think that it might not be a true story. Reexamining the documents, she realizes that writing these letters had saved her life. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book. Please note that the lexile measures for a small population of books have been recently updated. 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.
Essay about go ask alice by anonymous 837 words bartleby. 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. 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 still awash in controversy, 43 years. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Assuming the book is a real diary, alice is presented to us as she really was, with observations and experiences both dramatic and insignificant, as her life unfolds naturally. 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 book generally viewed to have been written by the author beatrice sparks, however the novel was published originally under the pseudonym anonymous. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style. Overall go ask alice is a really fantastic book diary.
Enhancements were made to more precisely measure materials read in k2 classrooms. Letter to the author write a letter to the author posing questions about the book. 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. Through out the history of film, many productions have been made based on best selling novels. Many of the earliest novels in the english language were epistolarysamuel richardsons pamela, for instanceand go ask alice adapts the style for its modern needs. Assuming the book is a real diary, alice is presented to us as she. An award winning novel by the name of go ask alice did that. Does the author understand what its like to be a teenager and address the problems that young people have. 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. This mysterious russian fictionalized drug memoir spurred me to rethink my pastand write a new kind of. When i bought you, diary, i was going to write religiously in you every day, but.
In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Howling hilarity upon rereading the book in this context. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks, 198208, avon flare edition, mass market paperback in english 1st avon flare printing 77. The book was adapted into the 1973 television film go ask alice, starring jamie smithjackson and william shatner. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. If you liked or wanted to like go ask alice, try reading. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a. Its an added unexpected ending you knew was coming,but you were not expecting to happen the way it did. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. 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. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
Where does the book go ask alice take place answers. White rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from. Even so, the real author has never been identified, though there is strong evidence. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month. What happens to alice at one unsavoury party changed her life forever. 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. 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. First, the titillated horror at the book s dramatic depictions of drug use.
If youre looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our weekly recommendation thread, suggested reading page, or ask in rsuggestmeabook. The sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my. Eighth grade students in tiverton, rhode island, must have been baffled when their teacher asked them to give back copies of go ask alice in the middle of a class discussion, on orders from a principal who had not read the book. Go ask alice book ottawa public library bibliocommons. The novel go ask alice is written by an anonymous author and is based on a diary kept by a conventional teenager who then turns into a suicidal drug addict. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition. 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. Yet it was originally promoted as nonfiction, its still sold as by anonymous and the copy i have has this is alice s true story on the cover plus the blurb on the back, the foreword and the psychologists comment at the back everything is still packaged to make out this is nonfiction. Linkletter, who had become a prominent antidrug crusader after the 1969 suicide of his daughter diane, also helped publicize the book. Go ask alice is also an epistolary work, a narrative constructed by letters in this case, diary entries. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage girls all.
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. Go ask alice has also ranked among the most frequently challenged books for several decades due to its use of profanity and explicit references to sex and rape, as well as drugs. 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. Although the vast majority of books that have lexile measures did not change, a small subset of books required updated lexile measures. Someone plants a joint in alice s purse, and she leaves school to go to his office. The author of this diary began journaling on her sixteenth birthday. 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. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. 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. Frankie thomas is the author of the showrunner, which received special mention in the. Go ask alice is supposed to be a diary, so theres quite a bit of anguished soulsearching and selfindulgent whining.
From the tangled tale of mass literacy one can pluck a few specific objects books. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read go ask alice. Be sure to startyour letter with a greeting and some information about yourself and your reaction to the book. 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. First paperback edition march 1998 go ask alice taken from white rabbit, written by grace slick. The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age.
Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. A riveting firstperson tale of addiction, in the tradition of go ask alice and jays journal. This is all to say that i essentially have go ask alice memorized. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. 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. The narrator tries to change her image several times throughout the story.
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. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of go ask alice. On a normal day in alice s world, she decides to buy a journal to write in it every week to record her.
Beatrice sparks is presented as its editor rather than its author, and one. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited. To ask other readers questions about go ask alice, please sign up. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download. Novel versus the movie adaption of go ask alice essay. Go ask alice anonymous diaries paperback january 1, 2006. Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. I was composing a letter to the middle school librarian who allowed her to check this book out.
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