Not alice beatrice sparks doesnt have a website, but one person has built an entire website about the book anyway, so click on through for all things alice. Banned in kalamazoo, mi 1970, saginaw, mi 1975, eagle pass, tx 1976 and trenton, nj 1976, number 23 on alas 100 most frequently challenged books 1990s, number 8 on the most challenged list in 2001 and number 6 on the same list in 2003. Go ask alice banned book project go ask alice when the book. Go ask alice guys, they made an afterschoolspecial movie that is totally faithful to the book and it has a young william shatner.
Go ask alice banned book project go ask alice when the. Go ask alice should be banned from middle school and elementary libraries and only permitted at the high school level because of the use of vulgar language, the use of illegal substances, and the explicit descriptions of the activities being done throughout the book. Go ask alice ebook by anonymous 9780689832499 rakuten. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
A lot of the time i dont notice age with books when im lost in a story but i dont think the text has dated well. Today we feature the year 1993 and go ask alice, by anonymous. In the tradition of go ask alice and lucy in the sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction. Top 10 most challenged books lists advocacy, legislation. Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools.
Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. Written in diary form, go ask alice walks you through the drug use and. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. 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. However, the ala keeps track of official challenges and go ask alice is a frequently challenged book. While this was my second time reading go ask alice, my first time. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage indepth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. As a parent, hopefully, you will ask your children what they are reading and what discussions they are having in their classes. Im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the easier way, and go ask alice definitely falls into this category. The title go ask alice was taken from a 1967 jefferson airplane song called white rabbit.
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. Sep 23, 2014 in honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. Its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do. Fritz april 7, 2015 go ask alice is a dark adolescent fiction novel written as a diary. In richmond, students sent a petition to the school board to protest the ban, and the richmond. I am always on the look out for classics and banned books often one and. A case against banning go ask alice by hazel dela paz on prezi. At the 16th of june, alices grandmother died in her sleep. If only alice could have some perspectiveyou know, without having to go through an overdose, massive mental breakdown, and subsequent hospitalization.
Go ask alice simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The title is from the lyrics to the jefferson airplane song white rabbit. This story follows the typical template for the say no to drugs genre of liturature. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. From sex and relationships to alcohol and drugs to fitness and nutrition, this comprehensive handbook is the first of its kind to provide muchneeded information for young adults who cannot get reliable or anonymous.
Title stance on the book 3 articles it was banned challenged in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009 it was banned usually in schools and libraries title. Alice is an anonymous character and the most we know about her is that she is white, middleclass teenager who struggles to fit. This information is taken from the official minutes of the wasilla library board. Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. The chumminess would proceed from here, with each stage. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. Go ask alice is a diary novel of a girl, but the reader is never given the authors name. Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube.
Now, its the controversy about the creation of the diary that has. I know the book is over 40 years old but go ask alice really feels it. Published in 1971, the novel attempts to expose how drug addiction rampant in the time period can ruin lives. Oct 27, 2014 i know the book is over 40 years old but go ask alice really feels it.
An overview of go ask alice, an anonymous diary of a girl. Thirteen reasons why written by jay asher originally published in 2007, this new york times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after netflix aired a tv series by the same name. Apr 07, 2015 on american library associations lists of most banned literature, go ask alice came in as number 25 between years 19901999, number 18 between years 20002009, and in 2003 alone, it ranked number 6 frequently challenged books. 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. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books. I am always on the look out for classics and banned books often one and the same when i seen a copy of this book. Joel gave her alice a lot of strength and offered her to go to the funeral. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her. By thi time i was finished with the book i knew what i wanted i saw the exciting life i wanted. She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need.
If you look online, you will find there is much discrepancy about this claim. This is the list of books palin tried to have banned. Go ask alice, which reads like a diary, describes a teenage girls experiences with narcotics and sex. Around mid1980s, a supposed editor of the book was uncovered. Explain in detail how the lyrics of the song parallel the story. There are more than 5 million copies sold,so why ban it. As as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends. For more information about banned books week, please visit. Also there is no exact tally of the number of places that ban a certain book. Someone evil and foul and degenerate wrote in my book, took over my life. Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and committed suicide, is the most frequently censored book in high school libraries. Alice acted like she was sick, so she didnt had to go to school.
Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they think. If go ask alice will continue to be banned, how will people like alice be able to relate. With over a million copies in print, this book has become a classic. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. Go ask alice is a supposed diary of a young girl caught up in the wild life of drug abuse in the late 1960s.
Alices adventures in censorship lewis carroll alice in. As many of you will notice it is a hit parade for book burners. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the. Mar 27, 2008 its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do. But even as i write i know i am telling even a bigger lie. Beatrice sparks, a teen psychologist and mormon youth counselor was uncovered to have actually written the majority if not the whole entire novel.
I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. An analysis of the book go ask alice by beatrice sparks. Good libraries have a system in place where the protesting adult must read the book he wants banned, write up a report of why, suggest an alternate book, and then his report, plus the librarys defense of the book, go before a committee, and the committee decides whether or not to keep it. Of course, the very fact that a book is on a banned book often makes kids want to read it and find out why. Sep 01, 2008 as as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends. Go ask alice when the book was first published in 1971, the novel had no known author or editor as the cover stated anonymous. On american library associations lists of most banned literature, go. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. After my current reading, i was left feeling uneasy about the ending and how.
Go ask alice is a diary of a teenage middleclass girl. Jul 17, 2016 go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 banned challenged books. A personal opinion on the reasons why the book go ask alice should not be banned. Books similar to go ask alice meet your next favorite book. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. A story of order and a nightgown with little anchors then a book about an anonymous diary full of lies about drugs and a life not worth living.
But it wasnt until 1968, nearly 20 years after her debut in folio the university of western ontarios literary. A mothers objection to language in go ask alice so stirred the principal thatwith no time for discussionhe demanded that the books be. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the. Similarly, banned makes us think about what we read, and what we ask our students and our children to read.
Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, the top 10 most challenged books are. The go ask alice book of answers is a groundbreaking guide that mines the best material from the eponymous awardwinning web site. If youre looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our weekly recommendation thread, suggested reading page, or ask in rsuggestmeabook. I know that our readers very much appreciate your thoughts about some libraries banning the alice books. Below is a list of books that have been banned, along with the reasons cited for banning them. The book is said to be the actual diary of an anonymous teenage girl who became addicted to drugs. If youre a teacher, this small book will cause you to think about the readings that we give our students. 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. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition against. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. Anyway i seem to be doing less and less right, im getting so that no matter what i do i cant please the establishment. I picked up this book at our recent friends of the library sale. In honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. 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.
Be sure to give several specific examples from the text and the song. Go ask alice is small, 224 under size pages and written in diary format so is a quick read. Maybe its partly to blame for the disconnect i felt to the characterstory. The alice munro revealed by her eldest daughter was determined and diligent. Yet it was originally promoted as nonfiction, its still sold as by anonymous and the copy i have has this is alices true story on the cover plus the blurb on the back, the foreword and the psychologists comment at the back everything is still packaged to make out this is nonfiction. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country.
After reading go ask alice and preparing a research project on it, i feel that the biggest reason books are banned is because of depiction vs. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited. He goes on to explain from a banned books week article he found, titled banned books that shaped america by jan carmichael, which explains that although the book was useful for a lot of people to be informed about the state of the meat industry, the book was still banned in yugoslavia, east germany, south korea and boston because it had. Banned books the official alice blog by phyllis reynolds naylor. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. If i look confused during the video, its because im still not quite sure how i feel about this book.
Jun 16, 2002 the alice munro revealed by her eldest daughter was determined and diligent. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous banned books. Alices adventures in wonderland was originally banned in china and other parts of the world because some people objected to the animal characters being able to use human language. Alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. This book is supposedly the real diary of a teenage girl struggling with drug use. 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. And people in the north are more likely to complain about institutions than. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. 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. Banned books the official alice blog by phyllis reynolds. Dec 08, 2011 after reading go ask alice and preparing a research project on it, i feel that the biggest reason books are banned is because of depiction vs. Grace slick wrote the song based on drug references in the classic novel alices adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around. Well be looking at why the book was challenged, howif things have changed since the book was originally published and what we actually think of the book.
34 979 424 230 1285 452 317 105 39 66 48 621 770 117 863 870 694 181 1545 474 91 1231 1473 1443 847 104 171 1175