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jennarendell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
empressmolly's review against another edition
0.5
What a crock of bull.
Obviously not written by a teen in the late 60s, and I think anyone with beyond a sixth-grade level of reading comprehension could see the clear phoniness of this. The antidrug propaganda (a cause I'm not unfavorable toward) was so strongly interlaced with conservative social beliefs (the main character feeling homosexual-ish desires and questioning society when she was on drugs, then discussing how she wishes she could be desired as a pure clean wife for her future husband when she was sober) that it was difficult to get through such thick rhetoric without laughing. Maybe the best way to get through it is by reading it as a comedy.
Besides that, this book is supposed to be about drug use, but the way drugs are discussed is so removed from the reality of an addict's life. The following spoiler may or may not be a spoiler since it happens so early in the book.An unintentional LSD trip was your gateway drug? Really? And that made you immediately want to do more drugs? On page 35 she writes "I simply have to see if [pot] is everything it's cracked up not to be! All the things I've heard of LSD were obviously written by uninformed, ignorant people like my parents who obviously don't know what they're talking about," which sounds like an adult trying to write about a bratty teen. But that's not all, because she immediately goes to try "torpedoes on Friday and Speed on Sunday." Speed as in meth. A few days after acid she shoots up meth.
After she graduates to harder drugs, she only writes about doing meth and heroin once and then never mentions any urges/cravings again? The entire book has no mentions (or a few if you read some parts generously) of the addicitve powers of dangerous drugs at all, and instead focuses only on LSD and marijuana. Actually, the book inaccurately depicts LSD as an addictive drug, which is crazy since if you're going to write propaganda for kids, why would you misinform them? I know pot is addictive, but LSD is not and it's been known to not be addictive for decades. As The Paris Review writes, "As antidrug propaganda, it’s so misinformed as to defeat its own purpose ('Anyone who says pot and acid are not addicting is a damn, stupid, raving idiot, unenlightened fool!')."
Lastly, I picked up on strong Christian overtones in this book (like when the narrator went to a church and was saved and ended many chapters with prayer, even saying once that praying gave her "the sweetest feeling" of her life), which I found I was right to notice since the author of this fake diary and others Beatrice Sparks was a Mormon counselor and had another "diary" accounting a young man's dangerous foray into Satanism—which, as we all should know by now, was never a real movement at all.Actual spoiler (unless you read the back of the book)The author's message of "turning to God to help you with drug addiction" felt kind of undermined by the death of the narrator. If turning to God would fix her troubles, why wasn't she saved? Was she making a case that this girl wasn't a true believer? This should probably be answered by a much more knowledgeable scholar but when I read it I just thought it was kind of slimy all around.
If there is even a sliver of truth or a single case this was based off of, I am sorry to that individual and their family for having what was sure to be an emotionally devasting time in their lives told with such carelessness.
Obviously not written by a teen in the late 60s, and I think anyone with beyond a sixth-grade level of reading comprehension could see the clear phoniness of this. The antidrug propaganda (a cause I'm not unfavorable toward) was so strongly interlaced with conservative social beliefs (the main character feeling homosexual-ish desires and questioning society when she was on drugs, then discussing how she wishes she could be desired as a pure clean wife for her future husband when she was sober) that it was difficult to get through such thick rhetoric without laughing. Maybe the best way to get through it is by reading it as a comedy.
Besides that, this book is supposed to be about drug use, but the way drugs are discussed is so removed from the reality of an addict's life. The following spoiler may or may not be a spoiler since it happens so early in the book.
After she graduates to harder drugs, she only writes about doing meth and heroin once and then never mentions any urges/cravings again? The entire book has no mentions (or a few if you read some parts generously) of the addicitve powers of dangerous drugs at all, and instead focuses only on LSD and marijuana. Actually, the book inaccurately depicts LSD as an addictive drug, which is crazy since if you're going to write propaganda for kids, why would you misinform them? I know pot is addictive, but LSD is not and it's been known to not be addictive for decades. As The Paris Review writes, "As antidrug propaganda, it’s so misinformed as to defeat its own purpose ('Anyone who says pot and acid are not addicting is a damn, stupid, raving idiot, unenlightened fool!')."
Lastly, I picked up on strong Christian overtones in this book (like when the narrator went to a church and was saved and ended many chapters with prayer, even saying once that praying gave her "the sweetest feeling" of her life), which I found I was right to notice since the author of this fake diary and others Beatrice Sparks was a Mormon counselor and had another "diary" accounting a young man's dangerous foray into Satanism—which, as we all should know by now, was never a real movement at all.Actual spoiler (unless you read the back of the book)
If there is even a sliver of truth or a single case this was based off of, I am sorry to that individual and their family for having what was sure to be an emotionally devasting time in their lives told with such carelessness.
b0okcupidity's review against another edition
2.0
Not to trivialize the purpose of this book but my favorite and only highlighted line was "Lucy Martin is having a Christmas Party, and I'm supposed to bring a gelatin salad.".
That said, can you really trivialize a book when it's so clearly outdated and fictional (though originally touted as an actual account)? I found it to be insulting, in general, and I grew up in the DARE program. Things change, it has its place in the annuals of social movements, I guess.
That said, can you really trivialize a book when it's so clearly outdated and fictional (though originally touted as an actual account)? I found it to be insulting, in general, and I grew up in the DARE program. Things change, it has its place in the annuals of social movements, I guess.
corvuscrispi's review against another edition
1.0
This book is fake and went against the families wishes to become an anti-drug conservative piece.
edithcita's review against another edition
dark
medium-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
1.0
jillian1218's review against another edition
"Isn't that sad, to be in a spot where everything is so unbelievable you'd believe anything? I think it's sad, dear friend, I really and truly and desperately do."
The author doth profess too much.
The author doth profess too much.
kayhem502's review against another edition
1.0
Go Ask Alice was a strange book and I was pretty conflicted while reading it. I went in knowing the backstory of how this book became popular, was supposed to be the anonymous work of a real teen, and then the "shocking" truth (I don't know how anyone was fooled by this but I'll use a spoiler anyway, just in case) .
This book was difficult to get through, not because it was a difficult read, but because the language was so unbelievable for a teenager. Maybe teens talked like that back in the day, but I doubt it. At times it was so "cute-sy" I thought I would get a cavity just reading the lines. Then the language would shift to the point of sounding like an entirely new person. The lack of a consistent voice was bizarre.
I feel like knowing the history of this book does highlight some bigger issues of the times it was published in, and maybe it gives some insight on things that people, especially parents, were genuinely worried about at the time. However, this was so over the top, and so unbelievable that it was just a bit too much for me.
Spoiler
the fact that this was actually just a fantastic piece of propaganda written by an adult woman about a made up teenThis book was difficult to get through, not because it was a difficult read, but because the language was so unbelievable for a teenager. Maybe teens talked like that back in the day, but I doubt it. At times it was so "cute-sy" I thought I would get a cavity just reading the lines. Then the language would shift to the point of sounding like an entirely new person
Spoiler
which makes sense since this wasn't a teenager at allI feel like knowing the history of this book does highlight some bigger issues of the times it was published in, and maybe it gives some insight on things that people, especially parents, were genuinely worried about at the time. However, this was so over the top, and so unbelievable that it was just a bit too much for me.
bitsysbooks's review against another edition
5.0
“Go Ask Alice” by Beatrice Sparks is an amazing work of fiction. Because its main character is “anonymous”, you could put any person in their shoes. This is what makes this story so powerful and true to life; “Alice” could be anyone.
This book consists of a series of diary entries that express how dehumanized “Alice” feels. “It’s my birthday. I am 15. Nothing”(3). This brief journal says so much. She thinks so little of herself that her own birthday doesn’t bring her joy. When “Alice” attends a party, she experiences her first interaction with drugs. She thinks getting high will improve her quality of life and begins to use drugs to change the way she feels. “Alice” is disillusioned to the fact that these drugs are slowly driving her to the point of no return. She ends up leaving home and her life continues to spiral out of control. She hangs out with the drug crowd and stoops so low as to deal to children at the elementary school. In the end, these drugs that she thought were her savior drive her to take her own life.
Overall, “Go Ask Alice” was an eye opening read. It shows what drugs can do to you, especially a young person. “Alice’s” fate was a tragedy. If only she realized what drugs were doing to her before it was too late. I hope that someday we will have a world with less “Alice’s.”
This book consists of a series of diary entries that express how dehumanized “Alice” feels. “It’s my birthday. I am 15. Nothing”(3). This brief journal says so much. She thinks so little of herself that her own birthday doesn’t bring her joy. When “Alice” attends a party, she experiences her first interaction with drugs. She thinks getting high will improve her quality of life and begins to use drugs to change the way she feels. “Alice” is disillusioned to the fact that these drugs are slowly driving her to the point of no return. She ends up leaving home and her life continues to spiral out of control. She hangs out with the drug crowd and stoops so low as to deal to children at the elementary school. In the end, these drugs that she thought were her savior drive her to take her own life.
Overall, “Go Ask Alice” was an eye opening read. It shows what drugs can do to you, especially a young person. “Alice’s” fate was a tragedy. If only she realized what drugs were doing to her before it was too late. I hope that someday we will have a world with less “Alice’s.”
kalpalreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is dark, emotional, and tense. It doesn’t have a trigger warnings list and it needs some, that’s my only critique (I’ll include one at the end of my review).
This book is short, like less than 300 pages, and it’s YA so I thought “oh I’ll be fine this can’t possible tear me to shreds in less than 300 pages” WRONG. SO WRONG.
This book deals a lot with addiction. The writing may seem juvenile but that honestly works for this because it’s a teens diary. It makes it feel that much more authentic.
It being written like a diary makes you feel like you’re a friend being confided in. It makes you want to hug the character at times, give them advice, or scream at them in frustration. But you can’t, you just have to sit a watch what happens next. That is extremely powerful given that the main theme is addiction and you often want to do all these things to a loved one struggling with addiction, but you can’t, or it won’t matter if you do.
I honestly forgot this was fiction, it feels so raw and real. I became extremely attached to the character, she felt like my friend, which made this all the more heartbreaking to read.
Because it’s written in diary format and not chapter format, it’s hard to find a “marked” stopping point, which makes this such a quick read.
The most powerful book I’ve read this year thus far. It’s one of those that sticks with you.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
(ED,) drug use, drug addiction, SA, SI, Bullying.
This book is short, like less than 300 pages, and it’s YA so I thought “oh I’ll be fine this can’t possible tear me to shreds in less than 300 pages” WRONG. SO WRONG.
This book deals a lot with addiction. The writing may seem juvenile but that honestly works for this because it’s a teens diary. It makes it feel that much more authentic.
It being written like a diary makes you feel like you’re a friend being confided in. It makes you want to hug the character at times, give them advice, or scream at them in frustration. But you can’t, you just have to sit a watch what happens next. That is extremely powerful given that the main theme is addiction and you often want to do all these things to a loved one struggling with addiction, but you can’t, or it won’t matter if you do.
I honestly forgot this was fiction, it feels so raw and real. I became extremely attached to the character, she felt like my friend, which made this all the more heartbreaking to read.
Because it’s written in diary format and not chapter format, it’s hard to find a “marked” stopping point, which makes this such a quick read.
The most powerful book I’ve read this year thus far. It’s one of those that sticks with you.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
(ED,) drug use, drug addiction, SA, SI, Bullying.
hurricaneflora's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0