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Looking for Alaska

by John Green

4.27 · rating details · 39,992 ratings · 4,805 reviews

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Pe...more

Paperback, 221 pages

Published March 3rd 2005 by Puffin

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Dec 01, 2011

karen rated it

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school, pretty-girls-make-graves, welcome-author, why-yes-i-ya

some people are careless, and in an adrenaline-fueled all-caps teen reviewing frenzy, will inadvertently give a major spoiler for this book.

avoid these people, even though ordinarily, they are pretty cool.

this is a really well-written teen fiction book. i mean, it won the printz award, i'm not discovering america here. i think i wanted to emphasize that it definitely reads like a book intended for a teen audience. and i think that me as a teen would have numbered this am...more

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Feb 06, 2012

Meg ♥ rated it

Shelves: e-books

This was the first book I ever read by John Green. It was given to me in 2007 when I had no idea who John Green was. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen. I really enjoyed the story, but I think I would have liked it even more if I wasn't already past that point in my life. Even still, I loved this book.

Miles is in search for the great perhaps, and has a fascination with famous last words. He meets Alaska Young who is basically the girl of his dreams. Their journey toge...more

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Apr 05, 2011

Mariel rated it

Recommends it for: workin' on leavin' the livin'

Recommended to Mariel by: exit does not exist

Shelves: thelostgirls, sob-story

What was I doing reading John Green's Looking for Alaska when I famously (coughs) despised large parts of the author's An Abundance of Katherines? (I'm emulating Miles here. Wait, I already talk like that!) 1. I disliked it enough to feel mean and want to give John Green another shot before writing him off forever as a potential book friend. 2. It was super cheap in the closing local Borders. 3. I'm not that original about selecting books. 4. What else are the late hours of the night for if not ...moreWhat was I doing reading John Green's Looking for Alaska when I famously (coughs) despised large parts of the author's An Abundance of Katherines? (I'm emulating Miles here. Wait, I already talk like that!) 1. I disliked it enough to feel mean and want to give John Green another shot before writing him off forever as a potential book friend. 2. It was super cheap in the closing local Borders. 3. I'm not that original about selecting books. 4. What else are the late hours of the night for if not reading? 5. I wasn't liking much the books I was plumbing through. Looking for Alaska is, if nothing else, readable. Rot & Ruin? Not so much. I wonder how long teen books about boy characters will benefit from my hatred of Rot & Ruin? (Noooo, Mariel, don't! You'll end up having to read another Maberry book. I definitely do not want to read another Maberry book.)

The John Green formula (is this is first book? I'm too lazy to look it up) is at play: Colin (from 'Katherines') had his "eureka" moments modelled after geniuses in history. Miles favors last words of famous dead people. It was a bit too cutesy for me that he ALSO wanted a "great perhaps". Too much emulating, for me. A boy comes to life realizations after a series of events that bring together and then drive apart the young characters. The formula isn't needed for a hook to get into that. However, I did like that John Green wrote about John Adams last words in the afterword. "Thomas Jefferson still lives." He didn't. I only knew about this from an episode of The West Wing (TWW nerds unite!). I like looking into stories about lives because of last words. It didn't really have much to do with Miles's relationships with his friends, though. I guess it was like the comic relief in a Disney film? It's there in case the parents are getting bored...

Colin got under my skin. It depressed me that the whole point was being better than everyone else. Miles and his friends are looking for distraction in each other. Solace, yeah, but mostly distraction. Making shit happen so they won't have to think about what they are really doing (or not doing. It IS a boarding school story). Alaska is a teen girl version of Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I've been coming across a few of these lately. Not that I blame them. I adore Clementine. What Clementine had, and Alaska didn't, is enough of a life outside Miles's perspective. Looking for Alaska is supposed to be about FINDING the girl outside of that. Green didn't quite make it there. I appreciated the sentiments, though. It's like watching a funeral of someone you don't know, to me. It sucks that they are dead. I could probably make up a story to myself about what they were like. I could pull it from abstract sources and get carried away with it. How much of it would be based on me? Miles? There's not enough MILES for that. He's kinda generic teen boy. Maybe that's good for the teens who feel this kinda mutual solace in each other for experiencing those teen things. I don't remember feeling part of a larger group. It was a long time ago, though.

Nice sentiments though. Dreaming of the future to escape the present? Good one, Alaska. I remember thinking those same things about people being energy that just changes form when I was Miles's age. That's the most religious I ever got. I'm sure I felt smart at the time. (Asshole.)

It was cool that Alaska said she smoked to die. Morrissey nod!

Okay, if I'm being honest I did feel an extra dab of sympathy for Miles being a Floridian who moves to Alabama. That was me, once.

I'll probably not read another John Green book. I don't need the distraction of hijinks right now (maybe some other night). It's hard enough going through life trying to patch together some feeling of humankind by wondering what other people go through. I take it on faith that this shit is hard. Now, what the hell was Alaska really thinking? Because I loved her when she didn't want to answer the whats, whens, whys, hows. Me too.

I'm glad that John Green wrote about people who cared about being people for something worth more than being better than other people. It wasn't a waste of time being around them even if I didn't get past the surface we're all in this together stuff. Sentiments are better than beat downs.

P.s. John Green probably loves the film Real Genius. I always used it to embarass my dog. "Where's mama's little soldier!" (um the part where the geek calls home and the evil kids use it to publically humiliate him.) I have no business picking on this stuff...(less)

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Aug 04, 2011

K.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Aaron Vincent

Shelves: ya, borrowed

I belong to the generation that enjoyed St. Elmo’s Fire, a 1985 American coming-of-age film that starred the then showbiz newbies, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andre McCarthy and Demi Moore. That was shown here in the Philippines when I was in my first year of working after college and I was able to relate to many of its characters so I watched it twice or thrice. Oh well, I was with my girlfriend then and you know how dark and cold were the theatres during those years when they were not yet inside...moreI belong to the generation that enjoyed St. Elmo’s Fire, a 1985 American coming-of-age film that starred the then showbiz newbies, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andre McCarthy and Demi Moore. That was shown here in the Philippines when I was in my first year of working after college and I was able to relate to many of its characters so I watched it twice or thrice. Oh well, I was with my girlfriend then and you know how dark and cold were the theatres during those years when they were not yet inside the malls.

So, now at 47, graying and with joints aching especially during cold mornings, I am just too old to appreciate a story about a bunch of young (college) kids who get into all troubles precisely because they are young. They drink booze, smoke, defy school rules, swear, have free sex and, in their attempt to cover their foolishness, do various kinds of franks towards the school authorities.

I definitely had my share of foolishness when I was at their age. I guess it had something to do with being young – the feeling when you want to assert myself, make a territorial mark between your generation and that of your parent’s or test the extent of their patience (and in so doing test whether they really care or not). Last Sunday, my daughter had an outburst inside the car saying that she did not have a friend at school. My daughter who was very active in school leading the Robotics Team, emceeing school programs, leading the daily prayer as one of the school DJs, being class president for at least two years and playing various kinds of sports during annual intramurals. She said that she felt alone (she is an only child) and she oftentimes ate lunch alone. My wife and I felt sad about her revelations. We thought that she was doing fine as whenever we were in her school, we oftentimes heard many of her fellow students greeting her “hi.” We even joked that she should be the most popular student in school. This was something that I and my wife did not experience when we were in high school as we were low-profile people then and even now in our respective life circles. We advised her to just make the most of what can still be done for the rest of the senior year - probably concentrate with a few friends instead of reaching out to all – as it is just 8 months before graduation. In college, she will probably have a totally new set of friends so she can forge new ties and hope those will be stronger and more lasting. Anyway, friends come and go. Those classmates-friends we had in college tend to stick with us after our school years as we normally land in the same field or industry. Moreover, in the end what really matter are the learnings from each friend we encounter in our lives. Learnings that help us to become better persons as we take our journey in this thing called life.

That’s why I was able to relate to this novel. I could imagine the disappointment Miles “Pudge” Halter felt when nobody but two attended his goodbye party for him. That’s why I could imagine the anxiety he felt facing his own “Great Perhaps” when he made his first step towards the boarding school, Culver Creek. That’s why I felt the pain and suprise when he was thrown off the creek just because he was sharing his room with Chip “The Colonel” Martin. That’s why I understood when Pudge and Chip cried with guilt and sadness with longing and fondness when Alaska Young disappeared from their lives.

This is a novel about being young and what goes with it – emotionally vulnerable, trying to fit in, trying to find one’s place under the sun, trying to face the whole world armed with what little knowledge and strength gained in the first one or two decades of stay on this treacherous yet still beautiful earth.

John Green shows us the generation of today. His characters may not be totally different from the St. Elmo’s buddies I used to relate with. However, this is their time. We had ours. So, let’s step down and give them the stage but keep ourselves at bay to coach if they ask us to. Otherwise, let’s leave them and let them strengthen their wings for them to fly away and fulfill the hearts’ wishes.

Thanks to Dra. Ranee for lending to me her copy of this book!(less)

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Mar 28, 2011

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Recommends it for: Those not unconcerned about reading a novel about far from conservative teens

Shelves: titles-i-love, exceeded-my-expectations, writing-to-which-i-aspire, thought-provoking, 2011-reads, glad-i-gave-it-a-chance

(Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

For the longest time, I thought that Looking for Alaska, John Green's Printz award-winning first novel, was about teenage boys taking a road trip to Alaska. (Way for me to assume too much from a title, huh?) But this novel isn't about the state known as Alaska but a girl named Alaska. Well, that changed things. ~~Will someone write the Alaskan road trip story for me, though? I'd really love to read one if there is one, preferably YA. If not, I'll add it t~~...more

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Apr 26, 2008

Kristopher Jansma rated it

Shelves: bookblog

I've been getting in touch with my inner Young Adult this week, in preparation for yet another final rewrite on my own YA book. This has, for the most part, amounted to listening to Death Cab for Cutie and reading Looking for Alaska - a book that I have been actively avoiding. The story of this is long and somewhat personal, so feel free to skip this part if you just want to know if the book is good.

I first heard of Looking for Alaska in my thesis workshop, when a girl very snidely t...moreI've been getting in touch with my inner Young Adult this week, in preparation for yet another final rewrite on my own YA book. This has, for the most part, amounted to listening to Death Cab for Cutie and reading Looking for Alaska - a book that I have been actively avoiding. The story of this is long and somewhat personal, so feel free to skip this part if you just want to know if the book is good.

I first heard of Looking for Alaska in my thesis workshop, when a girl very snidely told me I'd have to take out part of my own book because it sounded very similar to this book she'd heard about on NPR, which had not even come yet out at that point. Stubbornly I refused to cut the section (and even read it at my thesis reading) and when Alaska finally did come out, I flipped through just enough of it to decide my book was way better and then abandoned it. Sadly, Alaska has dogged me ever since. Agents and editors alike have told me that my book is too similar to it - which is apparently not a good thing - despite Alaska having won a number of awards and such. Anyway, sour grapes aside, I decided that if the comparisons are inevitable, I might as well know what I'm being held up against.

So what do the young adults of this world really want? Sex, apparently. And a stiff drink or twelve.

Looking for Alaska is about normal, skinny Miles Halter, quickly nicknamed Pudge, who gets into Culver Creek Boarding School and leaves in search of something more interesting. His quirky personality trait is that he memorizes the famous last words of various historical figures - a party trick that he uses to successfully get in with his roommate, who goes by "the Colonel" and the smoky little sexpot down the hall, Alaska Young. Wait, you might be saying, what's with all these funny nicknames? Well, Alaska turns out to be nearly the only name in the book that isn't a nickname - though we do find out that her parents decided to let her name herself at the age of 5. Even the Dean is referred to as The Eagle by the Culver Creekians. Try as I might I can't recall a lot of excessive nicknaming in my youth. I suppose there were a few guys I knew who pretty much went by their last names, when there were too many Adams or Brians in the bunch. I had one friend who referred to himself as the Emperor... but we didn't really call him that on a daily basis. Anyway, I digress.

The story is split into two parts - Before & After - and I won't give away the event that divides the two. All I will say is that the structure and the subject matter reminded me immensely of The Secret History by Donna Tartt (which incidentally was my main inspiration as well...) But just as I felt that the second half of History sags, Alaska does too. It's hard to talk about why without spoiling the twist, so I'll focus my energy on the Before section, which will give you the gist.

As I said earlier, Pudge loves Famous Last Words, (this is actually the facet that the snarky workshop girl told me was too close to my own book) and I expected to hate this quirk - but in fact it grew on me. The whole book grew on me - the romantic tension between him and Alaska is perfect, and there are an awful lot of incredibly poignant moments as Pudge grows accustomed to the school and it's strange rules and rhythms. Ultimately the book becomes a youthful meditation on life and death, which made me realize part of the joy of YA writing - just as in the Death Cab songs, the emotions can be laid much barer than in more serious literary works where things always seem to have to stay sort of ambiguous and sophisticated. Teenagers are supposed to be a little melodramatic, and that's sort of the joy of it. Badly done, you get Gossip Girl style antics, a lot of who-cheated-on-whom-with-whomever-else. But rightly done, you get something like the better parts of Looking for Alaska.

So what's leftover? A lot of ridiculous stuff. The Colonel and Alaska are more or less perpetually drunk (she buries wine bottles in the woods) and there's a good deal of cigarette smoking going on as well - for which they are occasionally punished. Fellatio is simulated on a tube of toothpaste (then performed in real life). Alaska's big hunky boyfriend from another school comes by frequently and everyone talks racily about how much sex they seem to have and just how much Alaska loves it. Worse than anything, when the characters are good and drunk (which is often) they will break out in absurd, spontaneous, freestyle rapping. In between all the genuine, poignant moments of the book, are a million moments where they're all so jaded and edgy and wacky you almost wish you could reach in and smack all their heads together. Maybe that's just me.

A friend of mine who actually went to boarding school observed to me the other day that none of the boarding school books she's ever read (including Alaska, which she did not like) give any realistic idea of the sheer volume of WORK that needs to be done. There's essentially no time leftover to get up to any trouble, she said. At any rate, Culver seems to be a somewhat less romanticised boarding school than the Exeters and Andovers of the world. It's in Alabama for one thing. Most of the rich kids head home on the weekends (leaving only our protagonists to get up to trouble). There's very little sense that any of them feel pressure to do well or accomplish anything extraordinary in life. The overriding question of the book is how one can escape the constant sufferings of life - not suffering like having to work hard or being humiliated or anything - think more like a teenager - it is the suffering of unrequited love, parents that just don't get it, the fear of getting expelled for one's various illicit pleasures, the embarrassment of puking on a girl... etc. Ultimately the book hinges on a more deeply serious moment - the sort that makes this philosophical question really important for them, and puts their previous, childish problems in perspective. However, as I said earlier, this moment comes halfway through, making the final half of the book one very tedious denouement.

Ultimately, the good in this book will stick in my mind far more than the bad. The character's absurdities and the shaky structure are both quickly forgotten upon putting the book down. I'm genuinely glad that I read it, and not only because now I have a better idea of what to avoid with my own book. Alaska is a great character, when she's not a little bit over the top. And maybe that's just what being a teenager is all about.

(less)

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Feb 13, 2011

Carrie rated it

Shelves: young-adult, favorites

In Looking For Alaska, John Green tells the story of Miles, a smart, skinny teen who decides to go to the same boarding school his father attended in the hopes of finding a different life. The reader gets a glimpse of what Miles’ home life is like at the beginning of the novel when his mother throws a going-away party for him, and only two people show up. Once at boarding school, Miles quickly befriends his roommate, nicknamed The Colonel. The Colonel introduces him to the rest of his inner circ...more

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Dec 29, 2010

Joyzi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Peeps who don't mind BJ (Buco Juice?)

Recommended to Joyzi by: John Green, vlog brothers

Shelves: e-book, fiction, religion, reviewed, ya-books, banned, disappointing-books, realistic-fiction, printz, contemporary-romance, 100-books-tfg

Book Review...down there somewhere

Caution : This book review was ridiculously self-absorbed and will not be entirely wholesome (R-16 will do).

***************************************
(You can skim this through, these are just self-absorbed anecdotes, scroll down for the Pros and Cons <that was my Book Review>)

First off I'd like to say that I've seen like this book Looking for Alaska for so many times in Listopia( a feature here in goodreads) and when...more

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Feb 20, 2011

jzhunagev rated it

Recommended to jzhunagev by: Aaron Vincent

Shelves: adventure, award-winning-best-seller, fiction-contemporary, young-adult-fiction, drama, romance-love-story, 2011-reads, comedy, from-book-to-film

Grand Possibilities: Things we Seek, Sometimes Lose and Always Gain
(A Book Review of John Green’s Looking for Alaska)

In Looking for Alaska, John Green explores the themes of friendship, suffering, loss, grief and coping. The novel follows a year in the life of high school junior Miles Halter (a.k.a. Pudge) a friendless Floridian who begged his parents to enroll him in Culver Creek Preparatory School, his dad’s Alma Mater. Miles dreams of starting anew at his elite Alabama prep ...more

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Mar 11, 2009

Leslie rated it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2009, ya, providence-public-library, you-re-my-obsession, dazzling-undertows

This is a decent book. I pretty much devoured it despite a big qualm. Perhaps it's sour grapes but why perpetuate the age-old idea that hot teen girls who are emotionally tore up = glittery/alluring? What about girls with tore-up physiques AND tore-up emotions? Oh, silly me. They’re repugnant.

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Jan 24, 2012

Heather rated it

Shelves: 2009, ya, ala-s-best-books

This book had been living in my TBR stack for ages and out of sheer boredom, I finally picked it up and began reading. Now that I have, I kind of feel bad that I waited to so long to do so. The book was quirky and completely hilarious at moments, although those moments tended to be completely ridiculous and over the top, but I have a weird sense of humor, so what can ya do? I don't remember being nearly as witty as these teenage characters when I was 16, nor do I recall pondering any serious ...more

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Oct 01, 2011

Alyssa rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Those in search of brilliance and a little bit of silliness.

Shelves: own, a-guy-of-ya, 2011-read, a-favourite-author, actually-funny, emotional, favorites, great-books, great-realistic-fiction, highly-anticipated, i-cannot-breathe-without-you, really-excited-for, reccomended, ya-romance, ya-loved

“I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.”

Boy genius Miles Halter is looking for the “Great Perhaps,” and he finds it at Culver Creek Boarding School, a selective institution for the intelligent and rich. Never does Miles believe he’ll find his "Perhaps" in the cigarette-smoking, Mountain Dew-drinking, beautiful cur...more

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Oct 10, 2009

Anna rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Anna by: my sister

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, books-for-boys

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I decided to read Looking For Alaska mostly because I wanted to know what all the hype was about... I heard so much about young author John Green and how great his first prize-winning young adult novel was. Well, now I understand why so many people are excited about this beautifully written book.

This was one of the most descriptive stories I've read in a while in the sense that the author described a lot of details without ever being "boring." He talked about events, emot...moreI decided to read Looking For Alaska mostly because I wanted to know what all the hype was about... I heard so much about young author John Green and how great his first prize-winning young adult novel was. Well, now I understand why so many people are excited about this beautifully written book.

This was one of the most descriptive stories I've read in a while in the sense that the author described a lot of details without ever being "boring." He talked about events, emotions, thoughts, feelings, and everything just flowed so very smoothly. I never once came across a sentence that felt forced or unnatural, or too detailed or not detailed enough. Even when Green described something over several pages, it was always interesting and I found myself not skipping over anything, which is extremely rare for me. I am a fast reader and a good reader and, as a result, tend to skip over stuff I don't find that interesting. But I read every single word in Looking For Alaska.

John Green totally nailed voice in this book. I believe this novel was semi-autobiographical and I'm sure that helped but he was 100% successful in getting across the personality of Miles "Pudge" Halter, the narrator. I really felt like I knew the character and could totally understand what he was going through in the book.

I don't want to give too much away but the book deals with two totally different levels of conflict: typical coming-of-age issues and some not-so-typical problems like teen suicide (and depression). The suicide of Alaska Young serves as a defining moment in the book, when the Miles' question of "how do I get Alaska to love me?" instead becomes "how/why did Alaska die?" I think the shift in focus from the selfish to selfless was so thought-provoking yet so natural and conclusive yet inconclusive at the same time.

The book is a great read and I recommend it for almost anyone middle grades and above. I think everyone that reads it will appreciate the good writing and the deeper, thought-provoking questions that Green asks and sort of answers, to the best of his abilities. (less)

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Dec 08, 2007

Brooke rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Mostly

*SPOILER ALERT* This review contains plot information that some people feel gives away too much of the book. To me, the story isn't about the event occurring as much as it is about how it is dealt with among the characters - it's not the "surprise ending" I'm giving away. Don't read this review if you don't want to know anything about what happens in the book, event wise. A warning seemed fair.

Alaska Young, though the aching reincarnate of every High Scho...more
*SPOILER ALERT* This review contains plot information that some people feel gives away too much of the book. To me, the story isn't about the event occurring as much as it is about how it is dealt with among the characters - it's not the "surprise ending" I'm giving away. Don't read this review if you don't want to know anything about what happens in the book, event wise. A warning seemed fair.

Alaska Young, though the aching reincarnate of every High School boy's wildest dreams, is surprisingly likable and missable when she commits suicide halfway through John Green's "Looking for Alaska." But maybe it was just an accident. That is what her surviving best friends, Pudge and the Colonel, want to find out. Pudge is actually the book's main character; however, It is Alaska's presence and her subsequent absence that preside over this book. Pudge is a gawky teenager obsessed with famous last words who goes to find his "great perhaps" just like Rebalais cried out on his deathbed. Pudge's "great beyond" turns out to be a boarding school in the south where he meets a group of brilliant rule breakers and drinkers. Pudge immediately becomes obsessed with Alaska, the licentious superstar of the group. Alaska already has a boyfriend and though at times seems interested, Pudge never quite understands what he meant to her. But don't mistake this for another romp through teenage angst and authority bashing. The book takes a turn towards the introspective, philisophical implications of death - and suicide in particular. Alaska's biggest life question was "How do I get out of this labyrinth". As Pudge and the Colonel come to understand the Labyrinth as life's neverending, never answer yeilding puzzle, they come to better understand Alaska. But more importantly for me, they come to the realization that even though the "labyrinth sucks," as Pudge puts it, " I choose the labyrinth." Living is hard, and surviving it is what makes us great. This book is witty, entertaining, thought provoking, and profoundly touching. (less)

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Dec 28, 2010

Eunice Grace rated it

Before: I find the characters 'too much'. Too much smoke, too much booze, too much rap, too much porn and too much prank. But I continued reading nevertheless and then, POOF!

After: The book made me look for Alaska too. She's moody. She's unpredictable. But I never thought she'd be a pretty mysterious figure here. This book is unpredictable.

In spite all the booze and mischiefs, this book is thought-provoking and it will leave your mind dancing with questions too.

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Dec 01, 2011

rachel rated it

Shelves: ya, 2011, from-library, nice-surprise, read-for-one-of-four-book-clubs

Before I head to book club tomorrow night to share my feelings about this book with a group of girls whose opinions of John Green range from indifferent to love, I’m going to try to explain here why I’m not a fan of the whole John Green thing -- Looking For Alaska being in one big way indistinguishable from the other two books of his that I’ve read and in another way, refreshingly different.

Whether or not you love John Green depends heavily, I think, on whether or not you like his...more

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Aug 10, 2008

Jessica rated it

Shelves: printz

Looking for Alaska, by John Green, was the winner of the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award.

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” - Last words of Francois Rabelais

“How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” - Last words of Simon Bolivar

Miles Halter, a sixteen year old with a passion for last words, has decided to leave his high school and home to find his Great Perhaps at a boarding school in Alabama. Upon arriving, he falls in with “the Colonel,” his roommate, Takumi...moreLooking for Alaska, by John Green, was the winner of the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award.

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” - Last words of Francois Rabelais

“How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” - Last words of Simon Bolivar

Miles Halter, a sixteen year old with a passion for last words, has decided to leave his high school and home to find his Great Perhaps at a boarding school in Alabama. Upon arriving, he falls in with “the Colonel,” his roommate, Takumi, Lara, and Alaska. The group is an interesting blend of rebellious and studious, and it centers compulsively around Alaska, the epitomy of the desirable, untouchable high school girl of myth and fantasy. The characters flirt, plan pranks, and cram for finals in a very ordinary teenage fashion. However, the book is divided into two sections: before and after. The first heading is “one hundred thirty six days before,” so you know that the book is building up to a Great Something.

Green deals with teens in a realistic and important way. The characters are well-developed, and their actions and decisions come across as genuine. Definitely flawed, the characters are still very human and forgiveable. The sprinkling of famous last words and religious philosophy enhance the plot with precise dosages, rather than distract. Miles is a reliable and likeable narrator. I can see why this won the Printz Award and would recommend it to young adults and adults alike.

I think Miles found his Great Perhaps within himself. He had the courage to go to the boarding school in the first place; the courage to make new friends and love Alaska; and the courage to face difficulties and commit to relationships. I don’t think that the Great Perhaps is a destination but a journey. Perhaps teenagers passing through the trials of teenagehood to find who they are as adults constitutes a search for that Great Perhaps. Miles, by the end of the book, has matured and found his way to the other side of that particular perhaps, ready for bigger challenges and unknowns. Alaska, on the other hand, didn’t find her bildungsroman Great Perhaps, but rather chose to seek out a different path, in search of a different unknown - a way out of the labyrinth.(less)

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Feb 08, 2008

Caryn rated it

Shelves: youngreaderandteen, all-timefavorites

Oh. My. Goodness.

Let's have a chat about Looking for Alaska, yes?

I discovered this book on a video blog in which the author was attempting to explain why parents were trying to censor his book in public schools without actually reading because "you don't need to have cancer to diagnose cancer."

And then I found his video blog with his younger brother and decided that I should read his book to see if his writing sounds anything like his vlogging.
...more

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Aug 30, 2010

Tina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, 2010, contemporary, ya, tfg-100

Original post at One More Page

I have been seeing John green's novels for a while now, but I never had the time to pick them up. I think I saw Paper Towns first, but they reviews were saying that Looking for Alaska has more awards, so I was always on the lookout for it. Of course, I promptly forgot all about it, until I saw other book bloggers I am following posting reviews on his books. After one particularly boring night at work where I wrestled with the urge to buy a new book, I go...more

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Feb 14, 2010

Kat Alexander rated it

Recommends it for: EVERYONE (14+)

Shelves: favourites, good-books-that-make-you-think, reviewed, annotated, 101-books-before-you-die, signed, books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Looking for Alaska is not in fact a book about traveling the US, or someone disabled looking on the map, trying to look for a very large chunk of funny-looking land and not look stupid at the same time, but about looking for a purpose, a Great Perhaps, and maybe Alaska herself.

Alaska Young could have saved her mother's life. But like any other seven year old, she froze up. And so her mother died. Her father didn't blame her, not after the initial shock anyway. Miles, the lead charac...moreLooking for Alaska is not in fact a book about traveling the US, or someone disabled looking on the map, trying to look for a very large chunk of funny-looking land and not look stupid at the same time, but about looking for a purpose, a Great Perhaps, and maybe Alaska herself.

Alaska Young could have saved her mother's life. But like any other seven year old, she froze up. And so her mother died. Her father didn't blame her, not after the initial shock anyway. Miles, the lead character and narrator, didn't blame her. Takumi and the Colonel didn't blame her. But Alaska blamed herself. She got caught up in Simón Bolívar's labyrinth of life, death, or suffering, she didn't live to find out which it was. She did, however, make her choice (possibly prematurely): she said that the labyrinth is suffering. And the best way to get out? "Straight and Fast"

Miles Halter got caught up with Alaska upon coming to Culvert Creek, a boarding school a few miles south of Birmingham, Alabama, where there are Weekday Warriors, the Eagle, buferitos, and one Alaska Young. Miles is captivated by Alaska. She's not exactly your average crush, though. Alaska smokes "to die", drinks Strawberry Hill straight from the bottle, plays the best pranks, and flirts with everyone. And then... she tutors people in precalc so they don't flunk out of the Creek, takes stands for woman's rights, writes eloquent speeches, and plans to teach autistic kids when she grows up.

Alaska has violent mood swings and often flies off the handle.

Alaska Young is smart.

Alaska Young is beautiful.

And then... she dies. Suicide. The final half of the book is dedicated to the sole cause of finding out why. Dedicated to Miles and the Colonel and Takumi just trying to get answers. Dedicated to WHY did Alaska die?! WHY didn't she swerve?! Why, why, why did she have to die, so fast that Miles Halter, the last boy she kissed and the lover of last words, couldn't even hear hers?

And in the end... they figure out. She was broken. She had been broken since she was seven years old.

Alaska Young was smart and beautiful and broken.

And Alaska was loved. By Miles, by the Colonel, by Lara, by the Eagle, by everyone, and by me myself. Because what Alaska said, and Auden before her, was and is true:

You shall love your crooked neighbor
With your crooked heart.

(less)

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Dec 01, 2008

Staci rated it

Recommends it for: young people and older people alike

Recommended to Staci by: Audrey

O.K. I think that this must be the best book I've read this year! This one has been on my list for over a year and I finally checked it out to see what all the fuss was about. First off, let me explain about the fuss. The media specialist that I worked with purchased this book for the middle school library. The library lady (at-the-time) was fanning through the book, when the words "blow-job" jumped off the page and slapped her in the face! From there it just spiraled out-of-control an...more

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Jun 17, 2011

Ryan rated it

Miles leaves his parents to attend a boarding school in Alabama. His life in suburban Florida has hit a dead end in which he avoids people so that he can avoid suffering. Culver Creek Preparatory School is Miles' way of following in the footsteps of Francois Rabelais, who reportedly declared on his deathbed that he was leaving to seek a "Great Perhaps." At Culver Creek, Miles discovers smoking, drinking and girls, and more than a few commentators have taken issue with Green's treatment...more

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Jun 16, 2008

Casey rated it

Shelves: children-or-young-adult, 2008

Before:
I bought this for my class forever ago, but I haven't had the chance to read it because I have a group of girls who devour my Printz winners. Anyway, they wouldn't let me have it. I threated, I cajoled, I pleaded. They wouldn't budge. They all finally finished it, though, so it's going to be my first book of the summer.

Oh, and by the way, I've become mildly obsessed with the author. John Green claims to be a nerd, but he's clearly very cool. And he thinks The Foun...moreBefore:
I bought this for my class forever ago, but I haven't had the chance to read it because I have a group of girls who devour my Printz winners. Anyway, they wouldn't let me have it. I threated, I cajoled, I pleaded. They wouldn't budge. They all finally finished it, though, so it's going to be my first book of the summer.

Oh, and by the way, I've become mildly obsessed with the author. John Green claims to be a nerd, but he's clearly very cool. And he thinks The Fountainhead is a failure of a book, which makes him a-okay in my book. Emily, I think you'd enjoy his blog: www.sparksflyup.com.

After:
I enjoyed this book a whole bunch. I loved the Colonel, and Pudge, the narrator, was wonderful. There's a blurb on the book that says something like, "The spirit of Holden Caulfield lives on," but I don't think this is exactly right, as Holden Caulfield was full of shit and Pudge delivered pretty straightforward narration. I will say I had one complaint: I didn't find Alaska all that alluring. In fact, I thought she was a major pain. I think John Green did a decent job of admitting that Alaska was in fact a pain, but I think he also wanted readers to see what Pudge saw in her. I just didn't.

I am also, by the way, now a little concerned that I should not offer this book to my middle schoolers. It's a little racy. It has a blow job scene. And while I happen to love blow job scenes in general and though I certainly don't think my middle schoolers are naive, I'm a little afraid it will lead to angry parents. I try to avoid angry parents when I can. I am considering a permission slip that says something like, "Please be advised that your child wants to read this book, and it has a blow job scene." Or maybe simply "some mature content." Yeah, mature content. That way, I can cover my ass. Covering my ass is key. Also key, though, is getting kids to see that the majority of literature is actually about sex, which makes them want to read. So, I guess the book stays.(less)

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Aug 29, 2010

Carla Jean rated it

Recommends it for: everyone (except maybe my mom)

Recommended to Carla Jean by: Elisa Munoz, Jim Naftel

Shelves: readin2008, booksiown, alabamaties, readin2009, thecomfortbooks, readin2010

The only reason I didn’t cry—both in laughter and in sorrow—was because I finished the book in a food court. And I'm in a fairly happy-go-lucky state of mind these days. Were I anything less, I think I would be shattered on the floor (in the best possible way).

I was skeptical when friends claimed Alaska was even better than Abundance. But friends were right. I wish my five star rating had the power to express just how much I loved this book.

--Read again April 17, 2008......more

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Feb 24, 2008

Sam Grace rated it

Recommends it for: Corinne bell, everyone

Recommended to Sam by: meg

Shelves: middlegrade-ya, she-has-eggs

I might adjust my 5 star rating to four after a little time has passed, but at the moment, only minutes after finishing the book, I am still feeling deeply satisfied. This is what it is to be a teenager. These are the questions you deal with. No matter how distant or similar your high school experience is or was to that of the main character's Alabama boarding prep school, the characters and their experiences are real and relevant. And heartbreaking as this is - as heartbreaking as being a teen ...more

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Sep 29, 2010

Phoebe rated it

Shelves: friction, hipsteria, kiddie-lit

A few months ago, I reviewed John Green's Paper Towns on here. I was disheartened by the clever distancing, the self-conscious cheekiness, the manic pixie dream girl paired with the bland narrator. I'd heard that Green's first book, Looking for Alaska, was similar, but better. That's very true.

There's this phrase I've read about that's used in Thailand, "same same, but different". I'd say that's the case with Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. Superficially, they're pretty...moreA few months ago, I reviewed John Green's Paper Towns on here. I was disheartened by the clever distancing, the self-conscious cheekiness, the manic pixie dream girl paired with the bland narrator. I'd heard that Green's first book, Looking for Alaska, was similar, but better. That's very true.

There's this phrase I've read about that's used in Thailand, "same same, but different". I'd say that's the case with Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. Superficially, they're pretty much the same books. Hell, thematically, they're pretty much the same books. Looking for Alaska manages to delve deeper, though--it's a much more meaningful exploration of the same themes.

Still, if you're not into clever distancing, self-conscious cheekiness, and manic pixie dream girls who are paired with bland narrators, this still might not completely win you over--I'm not sure it did, me.

Looking for Alaska is apparently semi-autobiographical. It's set at a bordering school that bears a striking resemblance to the school that Green attended. The narrator, Pudge, is, like Green, from Florida, and is into memorizing the last words of famous folks (a trope I found, like the use of literature in both this book and Paper Towns, not nearly as brilliant as I suspect I was supposed to). And mid-way through the novel, Alaska dies--this is not a spoiler; I am not spoiling; the back cover gives it away--in a manner quite like some of Green's classmates. Perhaps this is why the narrative is that much more convincing. For the most part, the setting rings true, and is quite vivid--and most of the characters ring true, too. They are much more people-ish than the characters of Paper Towns, who were more like caricatures than human beings. And there were a few scenes--for example, one where Alaska and Pudge explore the abandoned dorms during Thanksgiving, searching for porn--that hit very deep, indeed.

But when it comes down to it, I still don't really love stories like this: stories where better, more interesting girls exist only as a means to bring brilliance to the comparatively unbrilliant lives of unbrilliant boys, and especially stories where they have to martyr themselves to do so. Green's heroines resist this somewhat actively--Alaska is, supposedly, a feminist; she tells us as much, but it's never really reflected in any of her actions--but he still defaults to the manic pixie stereotypes over and over again. I honestly don't think this would bother me if I were younger. In fact, when I was younger, I found the idea of being some man's Marla or Clementine quite appealing. But now, as an adult, I find myself wanting to shake the Joels and the Pudges of the world by the shoulder and repeat to them Clementine's words, which are never, ever heeded: "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours." And I want to shake my head at the girl who I once was and tell her that taking a bit part in someone else's life is not nearly as romantic as these clever boy authors always make it seem.(less)

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Oct 14, 2011

BritishWotsit rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: honour-shelf

A brilliant book for a number of reasons, but the main reason above all, was that it had soul!
You get book's that read off the pages like an instruction manual, and then you get books that replace your dreams and inspire you to live.
This book triumphantly finds itself in that second category.

So I'm on my way to France, and this book struck me as the one to read. My gut instinct has never been so right. I consumed this whole book in my 12 hour car journey across England an...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Tricia added it

Did not finish.

This book was just too much--too much smoking, drinking, sex, and foul language. As a teenager, I hated it then and I don't want to rehash it now. I didn't care about any of the characters except Miles and I hated how he just went along with everything thrown in his path without a second thought--the smoking, drinking, porn, etc.

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Apr 16, 2009

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, read-in-2009

Miles Halter is a young man who is fascinated by the last words of people. He's read a ton of biographies about various personalities from history and collects their final words.

Miles decides to attend a boarding school in Alabama, where he meets his new roommate, the Colonel and the mysterious, quirky girl Alaska. Miles falls instantly head over heels for Alaska, though she does have a boyfriend who attends another school. The two have a vibe and a flirty banter than dominates th...more

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Jan 03, 2012

KeepCalmKelsey rated it

Shelves: favorites

Hmmmm.... Where to begin?
Okay, I shall start by saying that I don't like bad endings. I don't like un-romantic, depressing endings. And this is not to say that I am completely disregarding the depressing, and heart-wrenching moments contained in books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

I'm not saying that Looking For Alaska has a bad, un-romantic, or depressing ending, on the contrary, but there is a point to which I almost stopped reading because of a specific, unfortunate...moreHmmmm.... Where to begin?
Okay, I shall start by saying that I don't like bad endings. I don't like un-romantic, depressing endings. And this is not to say that I am completely disregarding the depressing, and heart-wrenching moments contained in books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

I'm not saying that Looking For Alaska has a bad, un-romantic, or depressing ending, on the contrary, but there is a point to which I almost stopped reading because of a specific, unfortunate mishap.
A type of mishap that a girl like me (one that normally employs herself by reading books with fairytale-like endings) may have previously frowned upon. But, don't dispair; I read on, thankfully, as this book offers such a message to me that others cannot even dream to understand.

The author's writing style is extremely witty. Mr. Green finds a way to morph and mesh extremely shocking and relatable events with humor -- which honestly made the book very enjoyable and that *one* part bearable, in my opinion. I really did love this book, I assure you. I am slowly coming around to different, unexpected endings -- something that has been in the works a while.

Though this story is fiction, perhaps based on "true events" of the author's life, I have been enlightened by many topics covered in this novel. Filled with last words of guidance and hope, not only did I learn to love the story line, characters, and overall message, I was also able to learn some things about myself. To be reminded that nothing in life is concrete, and that in one instance, everything I hold dear can be stripped from my ownership, is frightening. However, to love with such a passion for such possessions in every moment of life is key -- because in the end, when we leave this life for the next, "that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end . . . and that part has to go somewhere, because it cannot be destroyed."

As a matter of principle, I will try and focus on finding the 'Great Perhaps.' Much like the protagonists, it will not only give me strength and will as an individual, but it will help me to understand, persevere, and survive the labyrinth known as life -- with all its happiness and suffering.
To play the cards I am dealt, one hand at a time.

Thanks for reading :)(less)

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About John Green

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this page for more information.

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. The film rights to Looking for Alaska were purchased by Paramount in 2005. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Mi...more

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Quotes from Looking for Alaska

“When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.” — 2,386 people liked it

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” — 1,823 people liked it

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