Niya Cephas-Go Ask Alice

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I really enjoyed reading this book and not that I can relate to the extreme drugs use but that I can see how a young girl gets influenced in the wrong way and goes about her life trying to find herself and grow up basically. The diary type format made also made it an easy and relatable to see how 'she' progressed through her life. The personality of Alice throughout the book portrayed her as this simple-minded young girl going through her "normal" teen years. And I guess I can't say that I was completely confused with her attitude shift from a sweet, little All-American type girl to a hippie, hardcore, foul mouthed using girl. Although she had this shift when she was using the drugs she would go back to her sweet type of attitude when she was "clean" from the drugs. Such as in the beginning when she spoke about a popular girl calling her over to a party; "Oh diary, I'm so happy I could cry! It did happen! Jill called at exactly 10:32. I know because I'd been sitting by the phone with my watch in my hand trying to send ESP signals to her."(Page 26) Then later on in the book she wrote about how she was drugged and rapped; " I remember wondering why were they getting high when they had just set us out on this wonderful low and it wasn't until later I realized that the dirty sonsofbitches had taken turns raping us and treating us sadistically and brutally."

Although Alice went through these ups and downs throughout the book I finally realized that she basically acted out of whatever the situation was at hand. If she found new friends that introduced her to drugs and then left her high and dry she would react irrationally. If she said she would stop using drugs she would...until someone else came along and introduced her to some other drug. She acted off of impulse and I would say that was the only turn-off for me about her character. Ultimately Go Ask Alice was really enjoyable and heavy at some points to read and if I had to choose to teach this book in my classroom I would most likely opt out. Only because I just can't see myself teaching this particular book to my students.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 18, 2016 at 6:16 PM

    The trailer to this book had me very interested. I came from a school where drug abuse was a normality and young women often came to school with horror stories of withdraws and sexual abuse from unlikely people. I have not read the book, so I couldn't judge whether or not it is acceptable to teach in the classroom (according to me); however, you've made a strong case for the book. Having come from a drug-addicted school that earned the nickname "Pillcrest," instead of "Hillcrest," I might teach the book to relate the students to the struggles of drug use, and possibly throw a hidden message of understanding and escaping the net it does casts over their lives.

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  2. UnknownOctober 19, 2016 at 9:00 AM

    Your groups trailer made me want to read this book because of it being set in the 70s and the pictures/vibe you guys incorporated. I've never read a novel where the protagonist gives in to peer pressure or wanting to be accepted by others so much. I have to disagree with you and say that I would teach this to a class because it mentions real and serious issues.

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