Ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has come. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. Sep 16, 2012 go ask alice 1973 full movie miss flowahs. Both chris and alice decide to go to san francisco thinking that moving to a different place is going to help them with quitting their addiction and habits towards drugs, alcohol, and sex. In interviews conducted over the next few years, sparks identified herself as the books editor and related that alice consisted partly of the actual diary of a troubled teen, and partly of fictional events based on sparkss experiences working with other teens. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read go ask alice.
The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. The writer had admitted that the work is not a nonfiction book as as advertised, but this should be fairly obvious just by reading the book. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. 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. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks goodreads share book. What happens to alice at one unsavoury party changed her life forever. Im now a mum and i decided a couple of years ago to read the book myself. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. The author, through this book, doesnt wants his readers to look for advise in it, but to learn about the real world in which some teenagers have to live through. Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration. Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler who is so anxious for acceptance that she falls in with the drug crowd.
It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. The author, frankie thomas, describes the four stages of experience in reading the 1971 classic. The narrator tries to change her image several times throughout the story. The novel is in epistolary format, being comprised entirely of diary entries and as such, was first thought to be an autobiography. In interviews conducted over the next few years, sparks identified herself as the book s editor and related that alice consisted partly of the actual diary of a troubled teen, and partly of fictional events based on sparkss experiences working with other teens. Go ask alice anonymous diaries paperback january 1, 2006. It was a brave decision on her part, but the text always stayed with me. The story starts off like any other book, with a normal day and a normal family. Jill peters came by and said she was going to have a few kids over tomorrow night and shed call me. A list of important facts about anonymouss go ask alice, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. Go ask alice by anonymous a teen plunges into a downward spiral of addiction in this classic cautionary.
Beatrice sparks was an american therapist and mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the real diaries of troubled teenagers. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. July 9th i dont know whether i should be ashamed or elated. Go ask alice, written by an anonymous author, is a diary kept by a fifteenyearold drug user. This author is a fraud go ask alice by anonymous the book brats. Sparks is also the so called, anonymous author to go ask alice, and. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. This passage from the book go ask alice was when alice first decided to quit using drugs and to stay clean. 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. Someone plants a joint in alices purse, and she leaves school to go to his office.
Writer linda goldberg also addresses the speed at which, who she. There have been other books that deal with teenagers and drugs, most notably crank by ellen hopkins and smack by melvin burgess. On a normal day in alices world, she decides to buy a journal to write in it every week to record her. 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. 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. Go ask alice is written by an anonymous author essay 1234 words 5 pages. First paperback edition march 1998 go ask alice taken from white rabbit, written by grace slick. Make it sound like something that you might write in a diary. Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to try out drugs. Go ask alice is written by an anonymous author essay. My very go ahead principal read it to the whole school in assembly over the course of a couple of weeks. The sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my lifeand then i found out.
Aug 05, 2019 this author is a fraud go ask alice by anonymous the book brats. Review by richard gage, struthers high school, struthers, ohio excellent script with a great message. Her first work, go ask alice, was published under the byline anonymous in 1971. Go ask alice author unknown july 7th im at grans and today a strange thing happened.
The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, satanism, teenage pregnancy or aids, and are presented as cautionary tales. Call alice when she was just small when the men on the chess board get up and tell you where to go and you just had some kind of mushroom and your mind is moving slowgo ask alice i think shell know. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a.
Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to. 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. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. May 25, 2012 beatrice sparks was an american therapist and mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the real diaries of troubled teenagers. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. The novel go ask alice is written by an anonymous author and is based on a diary kept by a conventional teenager who then turns into a suicidal drug addict. The book is written in diary form, but the author is anonymous. Some of the recurring reasons for it being banned are language, sexual content, and drug use. Go ask alice is written by an anonymous author essay bartleby. Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. Read one or more of these books and compare them to go ask alice. Frankie thomas is the author of the showrunner, which received special.
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. In go ask alice, the diary is written by a teenage girl over a twoyear period and chronicles her experiences with drugsmainly marijuana, acid, and speed. Beatrice sparkss most popular book is go ask alice. Beatrice sparks couldnt stay out of the limelight when go ask alice was. I only know that last night i had the most incredible experience of my life. Alice was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this aboveaverage tv movie was based. Choose your favorite scene from the book and rewrite it using modern language. In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage girls all. Go ask alice is based on a true story about a teenager who becomes addicted to drugs. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download 2. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from. This is all to say that i essentially have go ask alice memorized.
Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style. 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. R cover art for the 1971 prentice hall first edition. First, the titillated horror at the book s dramatic depictions of drug use. Both chris and alice decide to go to san francisco thinking that moving to a different place is going to help them with quitting their addiction and habits towards drugs, alcohol, and.
To ask other readers questions about go ask alice, please sign up. Our team members have advanced degrees in public health, health education, medicine, counseling, and a number of. From the author of the american book awardwinning when my brother was an aztec, natalie diazs. May 16, 2018 go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. On a normal day in alice s world, she decides to buy a journal to write in it every week to record her. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from the office mar 19. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page simon. Beatrice sparks has 12 books on goodreads with 411521 ratings. 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. I first heard of go ask alice when still in school in the 1980s. It was simple to stage, yet the action carries the plays powerful theme. 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. In the tradition of go ask alice halfshadowed face of a teenager on the cover, cautionary tale told in the form of diary entries, anonymous author. Its said that the author of the book upon which this. Go ask alice by anonymous was a completely eyeopening book that both broke my heart, and made me realize the morals of life although they werent mentioned. Starting march 31, 2020 youll be automatically redirected to the new site. The go ask alice community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book.
As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. It felt like the author beatrice sparks wasnt sure how to end it got sick of writing and just kinda tossed that in. Like a blink of an eye the main character turns towards drugs, sex, and running away. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. 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.
There are several books with 70sstyle crafts macrame, string art, clothing items, etc. 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. Originally sold as the real diary of an actual teenager, go ask alice is the fauxmemoir of a 15yearold girl whose life is dominated by her drug problems, following her experiences from her. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download. Go ask alice book ottawa public library bibliocommons. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. It started when she was served a soft drink laced with lsd in a dangerous party game. Its said that the author of the book upon which this movie was based wrote it as a work of. Go ask alice was originally published by prentice hall in 1971 as the work of an unnamed author anonymous. The script allows for great impact with a minimal set.
This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. 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. Mar 23, 2017 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. Knowing this, then, it is important to note that the author of the diary is not alice. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of go ask alice. Go ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has. First, the titillated horror at the books dramatic depictions of drug use. Reyna marie to clear the matter, this novel was not based on a true story, nor is the. 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. The author, through this book, doesnt wants his readers to look for advise in it, but to learn about the real world in. He consoles her, and gets her permission to study at the university library.
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