Go Ask Alice

Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. Simon & Schuster, 1971. ISBN-10:0-671-66458-1


Plot Summary
Presented as the true diary of a fifteen year old girl, Go Ask Alice chronicles the diarist's experiments with drugs. The diary begins with the young girl worrying about boys, her weight and the move to a new town and school. After the diarist unknowingly takes LSD at a party her diary turns to musings about drugs and descriptions of drug use. The diarist begins dressing like a hippy and taking drugs routinely. From that point, the book follows anonymous' journey to San Francisco, her struggles to quit drugs and her battles to stay clean. In addition to her struggles with drugs, anonymous struggles with her aging grandparents, her parents and her place in school. In fact, much of Anonymous' struggle is the difficulty in ignoring the kids who use drugs and making friends with the good kids.

Critical evaluation
As a true diary, this book is shocking, which is part of its power. The diarist's experiences are absolutely terrifying including rape, secret drugging of children, homelessness and harassment. The implication is that all of these troubles are the result of the diarist's drug use. Therefore, while some might object to the explicit descriptions, overall Go Ask Alice is anti-drug. In fact, the book also suggests that those who dress the wrong way and don't listen to their parents will fall to drugs.

Some have suggested that this book is actually a fictionalization of a teen's diary, which seems probable.


Readers Annotations
Sure, it's difficult being a teen, worrying about boys, friends and family. But life gets a million times more difficult once this 15 year old girl discovers how intoxicating can be.

Information About the Author
This book was originally published as the true diary of a young girl. Beatrice Sparks is credited as editor. However, later editions of this book are described as fiction. Beatrice Sparks is an LDS youth counselor and therapist who has published other true diaries of teens supposedly based on the experiences of her patients.

Genre
True diary

Curriculum Ties


Booktalking Ideas
Summer of love or summer of drugs

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 8+

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
Go Ask Alice is one of the most frequently challenged books as reported by the ALA. The narrator describes illicit drug use, sex, prostitution, and homosexuality. Nonetheless, the message of the work is clear. The consequences of the narrators drug use are so drastic that this book could only be described as discouraging drug use.


Why Book Included
 I've never read this famous book and thought it was about time!