Jan 04, 2008 go ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has come out with a number of teens who saw their lives ruined by their bad choices offerings, each one presented as a true. The go ask alice community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography. There could be some hidden meanings in there, especially considering carroll was a mathematician during his lifetime, whether he was aware. Explain why you think the book was so objectionable and give your opinion on. Then write an essay comparing and contrasting the book to go ask alice. He and alice get to know each other better, as does her family. Mar 23, 2017 then, in 1978, a book called voices, a compilation of stories about troubled teens, was released, with jacket copy attributing it to beatrice sparks, the author who brought you go ask alice. Dont answer as her father unless you ask alice and she agrees to it. She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the book but a brunette. Sparks said that her experience working with troubled adolescents made her want to produce cautionary tales that would keep other teens from falling into the same traps. The song white rabbit predates the book go ask alice.
Beatrice sparks 19172012 is credited with writing go ask alice, although it was initially published anonymously. She is a pretty typical teenage girl in the late 1960sshes mostly concerned with school, boys, her hair, and fitting in okay, thats pretty typical for any decade when her fathers new job causes her family to move across the country, alice is thrust into a new school at a time when she is at best. Everyone who encounters go ask alice goes through the same four stages titillated horror, for the young reader, at the books dramatic depictions of drug use. Her name is not known, her name is not mentioned in the book, so the gave her the name alice. In the same vein, go ask alice is young adult literature because thats the audience it was specifically geared toward. Still alice mass market paperback december 16, 2014. What alice forgot kindle edition by moriarty, liane. His most recent books are kept, bright young people.
Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to. Go ask alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers. And if one song came to define the haightashbury counterculture itself, it was airplanes white rabbit. Grace brought it with her from the great society when she joined up with jefferson airplane in 1966. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism. Match these taylor swift songs to her exboyfriends. Pressure to use drugs at school intensifies, as the kids harass alice and her family.
Alices character was based on a reallife little girl named alice liddell. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. The chumminess would proceed from here, with each stage marked by a request. But those of you old enough to remember the latter portion of the 70s might remember that beatrice sparks, the editor of go ask alice, also edited a bunch of other alarmist books aimed at teens, all supposedly taken from teenagers diaries. Asked in movies what are the release dates for dont ask alice 2012.
As the bluff lead singer with san francisco band jefferson airplane, noone embodied the freethinking spirit of the times like she did. A year later came jays journal, the diary of an adolescent boy who succumbs to satan worship, which similarly credited dr. A book report on go ask alice english literature essay. Go ask alice is a reference to a jefferson airplane song called white rabbit, which alludes to rampant hallucinogenic drug use in lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. Only publishers weekly threw shade, remarking that it. One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small and the ones that mother gives you dont do anything at all go ask alice when shes ten feet tall and if you go. First paperback edition march 1998 go ask alice taken from white rabbit, written by grace slick.
The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography. Alice in wonderland is not to be read as a logical book. The whole book is a fetid lie, and a poorly executed one at that. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Her first work, go ask alice, was published under the byline anonymous in 1971. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler who is so anxious for acceptance that she falls in with the drug crowd. Jefferson airplane white rabbit lyrics genius lyrics. Named for grace slicks mindexpanding white rabbit lyrics and credited to anonymous, the book seemed specially designed to scare young readers away from experimenting with substances. The rise and fall of a generation, ask alice, and derby day, which was nominated for the booker prize and was selected as a washington post best book of the year. Alice was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this aboveaverage tv movie was based. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away.
Taylor is a novelist, critic, and biographer whose orwell won the whitbread prize for biography. Jul 03, 2014 go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these. Lisa genova wrote still alice, which was published in 2007. It was released as a single and became the bands second top10 success, peaking at number eight 2 on the billboard hot 100. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. But theres one aspect of the book that ive never seen discussed, perhaps because no one else has the text memorized from beginning to end. The book was written in 1967 and the song was originally written around 1965. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The book was allegedly written by beatrice sparks, so you are kind of right. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. Read another book that deals with teenagers and drugs, such as crank by ellen hopkins and smack by melvin burgess.
Go ask alice was a highly controversial book and the subject of banning attempts by parents and school districts. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler. Go ask alice is a 1971 book generally viewed to have been written by the author beatrice sparks, however the novel was published originally under the pseudonym anonymous. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction.
It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. Published in 1971, go ask alice is written as a diary of a troubled teen, alice, who gets involved with drug abuse. A list of important facts about anonymouss go ask alice, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. It took me a few days to figure out how to ask alice casually.
With william shatner, ruth roman, wendell burton, julie adams. The book is also a little stale in that the author beatrice sparks wrote in a way that only an adult can as a teen, youll notice certain things alice says that most teens wouldnt, for example her repeating of three words really, what teen does that haha. She is a pretty typical teenage girl in the late 1960sshes mostly concerned with school, boys, her hair, and fitting in okay, thats pretty typical for any decade. Alice meets a freshman at the university library, joel. A 15yearold girl in late1960s america is sucked into an odyssey of sex and drugs and eventually seeks help. Nov 20, 2003 based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. D espite the popularity of go ask alice, the mystery of the diarists identity has never been truly solved, and none of her relatives have ever come forward to claim a share of the royalties. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. Nowadays ya lit is pretty universal harry potter really opened the doors for people to read childrens books no matter what their agebut in 1971 when our book was written that wasnt really the case. Go ask alice 2006 read online free book by anonymous in.
It uses imagery found in the fantasy works of lewis carroll1865s alices adventures in wonderland and its 1871 sequel through the lookingglasssuch as changing size after taking pills or drinking an unknown liquid slick said the composition was supposed to be a slap to. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. I got this book today and i noticed the authors name is anonymous. Then when i was reading it, some parts would say dad go a. The only thing im pretty sure about is that its not a true story. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book. Jefferson airplane go ask alice lyrics metrolyrics.
In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Beatrice sparks go ask alice is a 1971 book generally viewed to have been written by the author beatrice sparks, however the novel was published originally under the pseudonym anonymous. The go ask alice book of answers by program, columbia universitys health education and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Its said that the author of the book upon which this movie was based wrote it as a work of fiction, which she later admits, but i still think. For thirtyfive years, the acclaimed, bestselling firstperson account of a teenage girls harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. White rabbit is a song written by grace slick and recorded by the american rock band jefferson airplane for their 1967 album surrealistic pillow.
Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. Published in 1971, at the height of the psychedelic era, go ask alice is a visceral and harrowing depiction of a teenage girls fatal decline into drugs. Ok, now that ive calmed down a little bit, lets actually discuss this real diary. I am reading the book go ask alice and i have heard from numerous sources that random people have wrote it, such as. Annabeth from kutztown, pa the movie go ask alice was based on a book published under the same name. Jan 22, 2018 in short, go ask alice is bad in just about every way its possible for a book to be bad, and much has been written to this effect.
Reading go ask alicethe socalled real diary, first published in 1971, of an anonymous girl who took drugs and diedis an experience so widely shared that theres little point personalizing it. White rabbit is one of grace slicks earliest songs, written during either late 1965 or early 1966. White rabbit by jefferson airplane we are the people our parents warned us about, grace slick yelled in the 60s. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt.