Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download.
Even so, the real author has never been identified, though there is strong evidence. 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. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. The sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my lifeand then i found out.
A year later came jays journal, the diary of an adolescent boy who succumbs to satan worship, which similarly credited dr. Go ask alice kept me mesmerized throughout the scenes, and its descriptions of the drug effects are very vivid and real. Go ask alice is the diary of a fifteenyearold girls experiences within the 1960s counterculture of drugs and free sex. Beatrice sparks s most popular book is go ask alice. Her name is alice and she is an orphan, brought up by an uncle and aunt and now going to live with a different uncle and aunt who, she is assured, will offer her better prospects.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. 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. Some of the recurring reasons for it being banned are language, sexual content, and drug use. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, satanism, teenage pregnancy or aids, and are presented as cautionary tales. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. 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. 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. Yet it was originally promoted as nonfiction, its still sold as by anonymous and the copy i have has this is alices 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. In the same vein, go ask alice is young adult literature because thats the audience it was specifically geared toward. Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style. 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. 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, a real diary in print for four decades. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of go ask alice and what it means.
To ask other readers questions about go ask alice, please sign up. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. This passage from the book go ask alice was when alice first decided to quit using drugs and to stay clean. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. Some sources have also named linda glovach as a coauthor of the book. Go ask alice books and videos both are available on below shared trusted websites. Go ask alice is a toprated book written by beatrice sparks, anonymous.
Then, in 1978, a book called voices, a compilation of stories about troubled teens, was released, with jacket copy attributing it to beatrice sparks, the author who brought you go ask alice. Go ask alice by anonymous if you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Pdfgo ask alice by beatrice sparks book free download 2 pages free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. Im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the easier way, and go ask alice definitely falls into this category. The narrator tries to change her image several times throughout the story. As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Read another book that deals with teenagers and drugs, such as crank by ellen hopkins and smack by melvin burgess. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these. Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to.
Beatrice sparkss most popular book is go ask alice. 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 diary chronicles her struggle to free herself from the pull of the drugs and her efforts to establish her own identity. 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. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. 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. Because this book is presented as a diary, it is written exclusively from the first person past point of view. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. There are several books with 70sstyle crafts macrame, string art, clothing items, etc. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. 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 first edition of this novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. 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. Her parents published the book because they thought that alice might of wanted an audience. A riveting firstperson tale of addiction, in the tradition of go ask alice and jays journal. 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. Beatrice sparks has 12 books on goodreads with 4964 ratings. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. Jays journal, though it received a lot of criticism for not being the true story, was a good read. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. Creating film adaptations for movies has become very common because directors can be sure that their target audiences are intrigued by the topic of their future film.
Sep 27, 2016 i think you mean go ask alice by anonymous aka beatrice sparks, but anywho. On a normal day in alice s world, she decides to buy a journal to write in it every week to record her. Go ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has. 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 by beatrice sparks, 198208, avon flare edition, mass market paperback in english 1st avon flare printing 77. The book doesnt offer and solution but if you think about it, you would never deal with drugs.
This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. The book was published in multiple languages including english language, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. 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. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Beatrice sparks january 15, 1917 may 25, 2012 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 anonymous diaries by anonymous and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The girl who wrote this diary lived in two different worlds, the real world and a fantasy world. The writer had admitted that the work is not a nonfiction book as as advertised, but this should be fairly obvious just by reading the book. The author of this diary began journaling on her sixteenth birthday. Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Mar 06, 20 author s message well, the protagonist was the author so she probably didnt know about anything at the time. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books.
Throughout the whole book, it brought the readers attention by giving us enough details. After several underground and some mainstream movementsthink of elvis presley, james dean. 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. Apr, 2010 ask alice there is something about the girl on the train speeding through kansas that makes her instantly likeable. 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. Books similar to go ask alice meet your next favorite book. 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. Go ask alice ebook by anonymous 9780689832499 rakuten kobo. In the tradition of go ask alice 1 go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Novel versus the movie adaption of go ask alice essay cram. I see on goodreads that the author is not credited as anonymous as it still is on. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. Nowadays ya lit is pretty universal harry potter really opened the doors for people to read childrens books no matter what their agebut in 1971 when our book was written that wasnt really the case.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Beatrice sparks, whom is known to the general public as the editor of go ask alice, populated the false impression that this book was based off of the diary of a young girl, whom fell into the elaborate and dangerous life of a drug addict. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration. 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. Mar 23, 2017 then, in 1978, a book called voices, a compilation of stories about troubled teens, was released, with jacket copy attributing it to beatrice sparks, the author who brought you go ask alice. An award winning novel by the name of go ask alice did that. Jan 01, 2006 go ask alice is a timeless book which talks about drug abuse in teenagers although it was written in the 70s it still fits in with the time. It was not only educational, but also entertaining and almost as mesmerizing as go ask alice. While some people believe that go ask alice is not a true diary after all, but the wholly or partly fictional work of beatrice sparks one of the books editors and the author of several fictional teen diaries, the diary indisputably evokes the drug and sexsaturated atmosphere of the late 1960s. Reyna marie to clear the matter, this novel was not based on a true story, nor is the events following alices life, or characters factual.
Go ask alice is written as the diary of a fifteenyearold girls daytoday struggle with drug addiction. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt. 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 is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. 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.
Then write an essay comparing and contrasting the book to go ask alice. 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. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. It was simple to stage, yet the action carries the plays powerful theme. I think this book writes in a interesting way while it teaches us a life lesson by expressing in diary form.
Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. The author wrote the book to give teens the information they need to protect. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. 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. 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. This book is advertised as being nonfiction written by an anonymous fifteenyearold author.
The go ask alice book of answers is a groundbreaking guide that mines the best material from the eponymous awardwinning web site. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read go ask alice. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. White rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to scare. Go ask alice should be banned from middle school and elementary libraries and only permitted at the high school level because of the use of vulgar language, the use of illegal substances, and the explicit descriptions of the activities being done throughout the book.
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