Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Young Adult Problem Novel
ISBN: 0-671-66458-1
159 pp.
Suitable for 15+

Readers Annotation: The book is an actual diary of a troubled teenage girl drug addict trying to come of age in late-1960s America.

Plot Summary: The teenaged girl writing in her diary, of which this book is based on, has no name, therefore anonymous. She comes from an upright, educated, upper-middle class family and is educated herself as she loves being surrounded by books. However, when she gets duped into taking LSD without her knowing, her life begins to spiral out of control. She begins picking up on the hippie culture and ideas, and eventually takes more drugs. She runs away to San Francisco with a friend only to come back home. But after a while, she runs away again, this time for Oregon, which is another trip that goes horribly wrong as she takes drugs, gets raped, and has promiscuous sex. She realizes that being clean is the right way to go but the kids at her school torment her to the point of her going into the psychiatric ward. She vows never to take drugs again. Will she stay strong or will she go astray?

Critical Evaluation: The first thing I realize when reading this story is how intelligent, educated, and well-read the teenaged girl writing in her diary is. Her words are descriptive to the point where she doesn't tell but shows what she is thinking. She is very sensitive and observant and her feelings are all over the place; teenage hormones raging. It's also quite sad that someone could face such an addiction that could ruin her life, especially since the book is first-person account. The reader almost cringes during her worst moments and we also have hope during her high times. The trend I noticed is that she had many highs and lows. When she would vow to not use drugs, she had family support and was riding on a high from life. But when something bad would happen, drugs would enter the picture, whether she liked it or not. Though the books has no chapters, it has a year's worth of dates that show decay, sadness, hope, and ultimately, a girl who is trying to find herself amongst the many problems in her life.

Author: The author is anonymous and all we know of her is her writings in her diary. She is very observant and sensitive, gushing about her latest crush, friends, family members, and life in general. It could also be the opposite where she hates everything. She seems to be one extreme or the other.

When writing the diary, she was 15 years old and when the book finished she was 16 years old. She comes from a well-to-do family as her dad is a college professor and she herself is very educated and intelligent. We know that she knows drugs are bad and even at first when she enjoyed taking them, the consequences she faced (rape, broken relationships, disrespect, breaking the law) was enough to turn her off. Unfortunately, the diary stops and within 3 weeks, she is found dead but an overdose of drugs. Whether is was intentional or not, no one knows.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Drugs
2) Sex
3) Rape
4) Mental Issues
5) Family
6) Friendship
7) Teen Culture
8) 1960s
9) Runaway

Challenge Issues: Due to the explicit first-hand references of sex, drugs, profanity, runaway, and even rape, this book is one of the most challenged books of all time.

A librarian should state that the ALA mission is "to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all," which is embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association's basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. Librarians must act as an extension, making sure that they educate the general public, and themselves, about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.

Why Included: I have heard too many thing about this book an I grabbed the opportunity to read it; I wasn't about to let it slip me by. The book is graphic and real, which grabbed my attention and many readers as well.