Scan barcode
A review by boezaaah
Looking for Alaska by John Green
3.0
“But a lot of times, people die how they live. And so last words tell me a lot about who people were, and why they became the sort of people biographies get written about.”
I read this book for the first time when I was around 12. And back then, I considered it my favourite book ever. But looking back... I realise that everything about this book would have totally flown over my head. I think I just loved the idea of having an attitude like Alaska's. Kind of didn't give a shit about anything, but also gave a lot of shit about everything. And I can definitely see how this book played a part in my personality. In a way, I resemble Alaska a lot. My intention is not to romanticise this book at all, but I tend to unintentionally be extremely self-destructive, which is a trait of mine I feel was heavily influenced by this book. What I'm trying to get at is I don't think 12 year old me should have read this. I was impressionable and took everything as it came. So in a way, I'm very glad I reread this. I see a lot of myself in Alaska (although that may not be the greatest thing), and it was somewhat comforting to read about someone so much like myself. But I can definitely see the faults in this novel.
Firstly, I do think a lot of Alaska's character was romanticised in a way it shouldn't have been. This book is targeted towards teenagers, and a lot of us are terribly impressionable. I'm 16, and if I wasn't an avid reader, I probably would have romanticised Alaska too. Hell, I was a reader at 12 and still romanticised Alaska because I didn't know better, and Pudge and the Colonel viewed her as somewhat of a God, and I thought that was how she was supposed to be viewed as. I think I know what John Green was trying to get across with this book, but I don't think it was completely effective.
I'll admit, I love the idea of memorising famous last words. I think that aspect of the novel was interesting. And not to mention the endless amount of literature references (to mostly books I haven't read, but it still made my nerdy heart sing). ALSO... THE STRIPPER AT THE END OF THE BOOK. HE DANCED TO GETT OFF BY PRINCE. LITERALLY THE MOST SEXUAL SONG OF ALL TIME (and one of my favourite Prince songs). DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW BAD I GEEKED OUT OVER THIS? Holy shit. Huge props to you Green, you really killed it with that.
I thought I had more to say about this book, but I do think it's a valuable read if you're not as impressionable as 12 year old me and if you're a YA reader. I think it's the best book out of John Green's works (the works I've read being TFIOS and Paper Towns) and I'm really glad I reread this, even if it did take a bit of effort to get into. Nonetheless, I've read 3 YA contemporaries in the last little while and I think I'll be taking a break because I really struggle with them... So back to my fantasies and fiction for the time being.
I read this book for the first time when I was around 12. And back then, I considered it my favourite book ever. But looking back... I realise that everything about this book would have totally flown over my head. I think I just loved the idea of having an attitude like Alaska's. Kind of didn't give a shit about anything, but also gave a lot of shit about everything. And I can definitely see how this book played a part in my personality. In a way, I resemble Alaska a lot. My intention is not to romanticise this book at all, but I tend to unintentionally be extremely self-destructive, which is a trait of mine I feel was heavily influenced by this book. What I'm trying to get at is I don't think 12 year old me should have read this. I was impressionable and took everything as it came. So in a way, I'm very glad I reread this. I see a lot of myself in Alaska (although that may not be the greatest thing), and it was somewhat comforting to read about someone so much like myself. But I can definitely see the faults in this novel.
I'll admit, I love the idea of memorising famous last words. I think that aspect of the novel was interesting. And not to mention the endless amount of literature references (to mostly books I haven't read, but it still made my nerdy heart sing). ALSO... THE STRIPPER AT THE END OF THE BOOK. HE DANCED TO GETT OFF BY PRINCE. LITERALLY THE MOST SEXUAL SONG OF ALL TIME (and one of my favourite Prince songs). DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW BAD I GEEKED OUT OVER THIS? Holy shit. Huge props to you Green, you really killed it with that.
I thought I had more to say about this book, but I do think it's a valuable read if you're not as impressionable as 12 year old me and if you're a YA reader. I think it's the best book out of John Green's works (the works I've read being TFIOS and Paper Towns) and I'm really glad I reread this, even if it did take a bit of effort to get into. Nonetheless, I've read 3 YA contemporaries in the last little while and I think I'll be taking a break because I really struggle with them... So back to my fantasies and fiction for the time being.