Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
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Web ID: 16223801Loved this book
This book is an amazing book with a valuable lesson. The book shares a very important story that needs to be heard. I really like the way that this book was formatted through journal entries. This book was a quick read that I still think about.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Complete and utter nonsense.
Even though I knew going in that this supposedly true diary was proven to be a hoax, I was totally unprepared for the completely amateurish writing. The author was just playing into the fears of parents about their kids doing drugs, without really having any idea what she was writing about. Don't even bother buying this book, there are so many other really good books out there, read some of those instead.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Mixed Feelings...
'Go Ask Alice' was, on first impression, a great book. It contains real-world issues and is targeted towards my age group, but what really made it stand out was the fact that it was a true diary. The unnamed protagonist is on a seemingly perfect journey in life and then gets hooked on LSD. The book ends with the unexpected plot twist of the protagonist overdosing and passing away. I thought that this book was great after the first time I read it, but the more I thought about it and read it over, it seemed dramatized and overdone. When I finished the book, I thought, 'Wow, that really made me think'. And it did. I thought about how scary drugs were and how they could ruin someone's life. The message of the story is quite obviously a cautionary tale against drugs, and this is where my problem with this book begins. Rereading it after acknowledging the message of the book is quite a different experience. After I read it for a second time, I realized that many of the events in the story seemed exaggerated and unrealistic; why would a teenager keep a diary while living on the streets and suffering from addiction? While the realism of the book's plot is questionable, this book definitely had redeeming qualities. The main character's experiences with drugs are described vividly and the descriptions of experiences are very detailed. You get a lot of insight into who the protagonist is as a person, and that insight helps you understand why the protagonist makes the decisions that she does. These decisions are extremely irrational and don't make a ton of sense at first, but once you understand where she was coming from when she made decisions like running away and relapsing with drugs. Some of her encounters with family and siblings made me emotional because although she does drugs and is unwilling to quit at one point, she (almost) always wants the best for her family. One decision that she made really shocked me, though. Although she wants the best for her family 99% of the time, she contemplates getting her little brother hooked on drugs so he would understand why she is so unwilling to quit. That thought really surprised and disgusted me. Overall, I thought 'Go Ask Alice' was a solid book with certain downfalls, but I think it was a valuable read and would recommend it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not for immature teens
I first read this book (as a mature teen) in high school 1970s. I bought this book for my teen daughter, but I re-read it, now in my 60s. I don’t think my daughter should read this until at least in her 20s because content is too suggestive.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The worst propaganda book I have ever read
Clearly not written by anyone who has had these experiences. Is not fair or balanced. Read the Wikipedia article on it. Written by a therapist trying to steer people away from drugs, which is fine, but don’t pretend to be a real person. For what it’s worth, I have a degree in English. It is not even written well or in a convincing way. It has a clear agenda. I tried giving it no stars but I couldn’t.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
julitza.g
Go Ask Alice is the diary of an anonymous teenage girl who was addicted to drugs and followed them to the end of her life. She started accidentally at a party and told herself it was a one time thing. Then she started experimenting with other drugs. At the moment it made her feel amazing, but in the long run it ruined her life, literally. She died from an overdose. She kept telling herself that she could handle it and that she was definitely, positively, absolutely, never, ever gonna use it again, but she would enter the cycle once again. When she was finally starting to make a change, a girl put drugs in her food that made her go crazy, and she was put in an insane asylum. Her dad is a lawyer and managed to get her out, and when she did, she wrote as if she were ecstatic and grateful for her newfound life. But she would always add a phrase that made me think something was wrong. Things like 'how can my dad love me so much when I don't love myself', and 'I wish I was never born', which was not healthy. I noticed these things but I never really thought much about them. Then at the end of the book, she thinks she is strong and mature enough to stop keeping a diary, but it says three weeks later she was found dead from overdose. I could relate to this book, not specifically, but because it taught to appreciate my life. All teens have their share of problems, some obviously stronger than others, but seeing one of the worst case scenarios can humble a person greatly. This book made me realize how good I have it. There are so many worse things that could have happened to me and this book made me realize that. That's why I think this is an important book for people to read. This book is written by an anonymous author which I think is pretty cool. It is the actual diary of a person that really went through all these things. We’re always taught to say no to drugs, but there’s something different about learning it on a more personal level. We really got to know the main character before she got involved in drugs. Then we watched her life decline. Then she got a little better, then she crashed. Like a disease. Overall, I think this book is a great read for teenagers this day and age.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com