Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

6 reviews

chezler24's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I am currently giving this book 2/5 stars although I probably would have rated it higher when I read it for the first time in middle school.  I get why this book was written; however, the execution feels a bit dated and cheesy. This book was written in 1971 - or should I say "diary was found" since we're supposed to be reading this under the assumption that this is a real diary from a real teenager - but the dialogue and pacing just feel off at points even for the target audience being older kids/young adults. The book definitely goes for shock factor with all the terrible things the main character does while on drugs and while maintaining her high, yet it almost borders on unrealistic at points. I think the most egregious thing for me was the epilogue ending that completely undoes any progress that had been made without any hope for rehabilitation or even explanation. Also, the handling of sexual orientation was not great at all. It kept popping up that drugs were the sole reason for anyone to question their sexual orientation and gender identity which is just a wild claim that gets glossed over. (Maybe this was to just hint at how naive the main character was, but since the whole book is pretty much propaganda I kind of doubt that there wasn't an ulterior motive.) I did learn that there is a TV movie adaptation of this book so it will be interesting to see how that holds up in regards to the diary format we've been given. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

bao_bao's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Rape and Eating disorder

Minor: Death of parent

lilacwhisker's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Suicide

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Abortion

elisweets's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This was one of my favorite books when I was in middle school. I used to read this book over and over again, but I haven’t read it in ages. 
Boy was I surprised to find out how much I disliked the book now.
1) I have one of the older copies that state that this is an actual diary of an actual 15 year old girl who got involved with drugs. As I was reading the book I started to realize how completely unrealistic the events of the “diary” seemed. I did some googling and found out that this who story was invented by Some life named Beatrice Sparks who was an American therapist and Mormon youth counselor as a cautionary tale for drug use. (Though people began to question her credentials and there is no proof of the PHD that she claims to have.) So this story was literally invented by religious fanatic who wanted to tell kids drugs were bad. That explains the bizarre amount of homophobia in this book as well.
2) I wish Beatrice worked harder to make this more realistic because omg. You’re telling me two 15-17 year olds ran away and started an entire business by themselves in the matter of weeks??? She couldn’t even properly explain what it felt like to be high on said drugs she was using. Smoking weed doesn’t make you trip out the way this book describes it. 
3) A lot of homophobic undertones and gay shaming. The main character experiences attraction to characters of the same sex but then in the same sentence talks about how sinful and gross that is.

I was severely disappointed while reading this. :( I can’t believe THIS used to be one of my comfort books

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, Child death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Addiction, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I like this book as a snapshot of life in the 1970s. A lot of the text brought me back to the pain of being a teenager. However, a lot of the plot isn't very plausible. There's also a lot of homophobia thrown in for no reason. I waited until after I finished the book to look up anything about its publication, and found out the real author's identity. That was very illuminating. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Trafficking, War, and Miscarriage

orangezest's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Rape