Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have tipped me. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. An intelligent, sensitive girl with a literary flair, she experiments with drugs and the counterculture to escape from her low selfesteem and consuming loneliness. Her dislocation from writing and words while on drugs becomes explicit when, under the influence of acid, alice stares at her right hand for. Im now a mum and i decided a couple of years ago to read the book myself. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Apr 25, 2014 go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. Go ask alice was a stark counterpoint to the freewheeling ethos of the early 70s that was ahead of its time, eventually fitting in perfectly with the war on drugs and d. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. The book go ask alice was the reallife diary of a teenage girl. However, not long after its publication, beatrice sparks, a psychologist and mormon youth counselor, began making media appearances presenting herself as the books editor.
The author, robert joseph levy, also wrote the buffyverse novel the suicide king. I read it when i was in the seventh grade and was absolutely terrified by the searingly honest portrayal of what i assumed it felt like to do drugs. The movie is based on the book of the same name that was published in 1971. Or maybe you saw the 1973 madefortv movie based on it costarring star treks william shatner. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. An award winning novel by the name of go ask alice did that. The book is said to be the actual diary of an anonymous teenage girl who became addicted to drugs. Jamie smithjackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler. 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. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. The list go ask alice has been one of the most frequently challenged books, according to the american library associations frequently challenged books of the 21st century list, since its publication in 1971, for content relating to drugs, sexual explicitness, offensive language, and inappropriate themes for the target age group frequently challenged 1. The book that defined my teen anxiety turned out to be a lie. Through out the history of film, many productions have been made based on best selling novels.
Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. Howling hilarity upon rereading the book in this context. When the family moves for the collegeenglishprofessor fathers new job, alice apprehensively approaches the unfamiliar and befriends another shy girl. Alice and chris are both dissatisfied with the establishment and their own families. Our team members have advanced degrees in public health, health education, medicine, counseling, and a number of. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Its said that the author of the book upon which this movie was based wrote it as a work of fiction, which.
As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on. I first heard of go ask alice when still in school in the 1980s. The title is from the lyrics to the jefferson airplane song white rabbit. Feb 22, 2009 go ask alice was originally promoted as nonfiction and was published under the byline anonymous. 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 attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. The song white rabbit predates the book go ask alice. Dec 27, 2009 clipfirst few minutesfrom the 1973 tv movie. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the increasingly complicated world in which we live. The lyrics were inspired from both lewis carrolls books alices adventures in wonderland and through the lookingglass in which alice ingests various substances. Edwin strattonmackay go ask alice is a politicallyfunded novel, a terror. Like a blink of an eye the main character turns towards drugs, sex, and running away. The lyrics were inspired from both lewis carrolls books alice s adventures in wonderland and through the lookingglass in which alice ingests various substances.
In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage girls all. Jan 04, 2008 do you know anything about the book 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. The book was written in 1967 and the song was originally written around 1965. Is alice in wonderland based on the book go ask alice. The book go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. A slayers diary is an original 2006 novel based on the american television series buffy the vampire slayer. Go ask alice is based on a true story about a teenager who becomes addicted to drugs. Lines from go ask alice that, in hindsight, should have. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to return home and stay clean, her pleas to god to save her, her trust and love for her family, and her ultimate failure. Alice was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this aboveaverage tv movie was based. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. When the family moves for the collegeenglishprofessor fathers new job, alice apprehensively approaches the unfamiliar and befriends another shy girl, beth, who shares her outsider status. For example, the rabbit hole symbolised the actual stairs in the back of the main hall in christ church. Nov 14, 2015 ome of the book s adventures may have been based on or influenced by people, situations, and buildings in oxford and at christ church. Beth returns from camp, but alice finds that beth has changed. Based on the bestselling book, go ask alice recounts a young girls ultimately fatal experiences with drugs in the early 1970s. In the tradition of go ask alice 1 go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous. This is appropriate for all ages, it is good for everyone to know what can happen if you get into drugs, and it can scare young kids away. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years.
It has sold over four million copies, was adapted as a tv movie with william shatner, and is still in print over 40 years later. Jan 22, 2018 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. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. Go ask alice white rabbit is a song written by grace sli. Final project timebased communication 2 a book trailer for the novel go ask alice. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from. Authentic, tragic tale of teen drug addiction a classic. An analysis of the book go ask alice by beatrice sparks. 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. This is all to say that i essentially have go ask alice memorized. 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. Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living.
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. Then, helplessly, i turned back to the first page editors note. Alice s parents worry about alice s hippie appearance. Alice alice is the anonymous protagonist her name is an allusion to a jefferson airplane song whose intermittent diary entries narrate go ask alice. The story starts off like any other book, with a normal day and a normal family. Go ask alice is a 1971 novel by beatrice sparks that bills itself the reallife diary of an anonymous teenage girl. 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 is written in diary form, but the author is anonymous. Reyna marie to clear the matter, this novel was not based on a true story, nor is the events following alices life, or characters factual. My very go ahead principal read it to the whole school in assembly over the course of a couple of weeks. Alice and chris move here and vow to stay off drugs. The sobering message of go ask alice had a huge effect on my lifeand then i found out the real story.
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 books title references go ask alice, a controversial book which was an account of drug abuse. Go ask alice which, btw, was insanely popular when i was a kid is a work of fiction that is commonly attributed to a therapist not a psychologist named beatrice sparks. Someone plants a joint in alices purse, and she leaves school to go to his office. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. I am not sure why it is called go ask alice, there is a small encounter with a girl named alice but nothing worthy of naming the book after her although i did momentarily wonder if the alice she seen in the book, was indeed our narrator thinking of herself as another person the book is sad.
He consoles her, and gets her permission to study at the university library. Go ask alice now streaming on youtube is a 1973 movie based on the once alleged true story of a young drug addict named alice. 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. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of go ask alice. Beatrice sparks, whom is known to the general public as the editor of go ask alice, populated the false impression that this book was based off of the diary of a young girl, whom fell into the elaborate and dangerous life of a drug addict. The narrator is never named, but were going to go ahead and hop on the bandwagon of people who call her alice based off the title. She is a regular kid who is going to school like all the other kids but one day the drugs came into her life and she is desperately trying to stop using them.
Go ask alice teaches you what can happen when you get into drugs and its hard to stay away from them once you have started and know how easy it is to get ahold of them. Now streaming on youtube is a 1973 movie based on the once alleged true story of a young drug addict named alice. It starred jamie smithjackson, william shatner, ruth roman, wendell burton, julie adams, and andy griffith. Go ask alice 1973 offers an antidrug message with a side. Is the book go ask alice based on a real girls diary. Go ask alice simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sparks later claimed that the book was based on a real diary she received from a real teenage girl. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. 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.
It was a brave decision on her part, but the text always stayed with me. 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. Go ask alice was originally promoted as nonfiction and was published under the byline anonymous. However, not long after its publication, beatrice sparks, a psychologist and mormon youth counselor, began making media appearances presenting herself as the book s editor. The book s title references go ask alice, a controversial book which was an account of drug abuse. 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. Reyna marie to clear the matter, this novel was not based on a true story, nor is the.
Go ask alice 1973 offers an antidrug message with a. Novel versus the movie adaption of go ask alice essay. In case you arent familiar with it, its supposedly an anonymous diary found by the parents of a fifteen year old drug user after she. While the book s origin was once steeped in controversy, it is mostly forgotten now. Its said that the author of the book upon which this movie was based wrote it as a. Sep 15, 2019 download go ask alice pdf by beatrice sparks. Go ask alice is a fiction work written anonymously and first published in 1971. Go ask alice is based on an actual diary of a fifteenyear old drug user. As powerful and as timely today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. Sparks worked for the late television host art linklater whose daught. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks goodreads share book. The narrator is never named, but were going to go ahead and hop on the bandwagon.
The original book, alices adventures in wonderland was written in 1865, whereas go ask alice wasnt written until 1971. Apr 12, 2010 is alice in wonderland based on the book go ask alice. This quiz is based on the anonymous book entitled, go ask alice. Go ask alice white rabbit is a song written by grace. Kris from sf, ca this song was not written about the book go ask alice. The story is based off the diary of a teenage drug user. Go ask alice white rabbit is a song written by grace slick, and recorded by the american psychedelic rock band jefferson airplane for their 1967 album, surrealistic pillow. The abc television network broadcast a madefortelevision movie, go ask alice, based on the book. This is the true story of a young girl caught in the chaos of the drug scene. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. While the books origin was once steeped in controversy, it is mostly forgotten now. Grace slick wrote the song based on drug references in the classic novel alices adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks is an epistolary work, meaning that is structured as a series of entries such as letters or in this case, a diary.
1289 1349 1036 668 222 853 1169 114 378 598 1485 345 1395 331 329 836 589 517 516 6 1254 660 1001 1104 1514 1113 1483 954 1576 1013 501 1347 1372 179 732 557 1034 1300 1037 306 711 1245