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Go Ask Alice

Beatrice Sparks (as "Anonymous"),

Anonymous

3.76 · Rating details · 239,052 ratings · 10,807 reviews

It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life.

Read her diary.

Enter her world.

...more

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Paperback, 213 pages

Published January 1st 2006 by Simon Pulse (first published 1971)

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Community Reviews

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Average rating 3.76 ·

Rating details

· 239,052 ratings · 10,807 reviews

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Aug 14, 2007 Rachel rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: stupid faces

i read this in high school and went "oh my god...i'm never doing acid" and then went " how can anyone pretend this is a real diary?!" and then ate lsd-laced peanuts, locked myself in a closet, pulled out all of my hair and woke up three weeks later in a hospital bed..."what happened?" crap crap crap...this book is crap. plotline:
1. i'm a good girl
2. i'm going to a party...with boys...haha
3. i'll have a beer
4. i might as well try a joint
5. cocaine is awesome. what a fun fun double-fun night!
6. ls ...more

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Oct 19, 2007 Madison rated it really liked it

Shelves: sad-but-good, own

It's hard for me to write this review because I don't really know where to begin.

Basically whether you believe this is fiction or not that should not matter. If you believe this story is too far fetched to be true, then I must say that you are absolutely wrong, because my (recovering) drug addicted sister is "Alice", I am the innocent "Alex", and our family is the one that will always love her and always take her back. Stories like this absolutely exist in real life. My sister even started using ...more

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Aug 17, 2007 Laura rated it did not like it

Shelves: fiction

This book is crap on its own. 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. One was called "Jay's Journal," and was purportedly about a teen who gets involved with Satanism and eventually commits suicide to escape the horror of it all.

Even as a 12-year-old, however, it was obvious to me that every si ...more

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Nov 12, 2007 Patricia Elzie-Tuttle (theinfophile) rated it did not like it

Shelves: youngadults, fiction

I was never forced to read this when I was younger, so I thought that I'd pick it up and read it now, for a laugh, being as there are days when there is just too much blood in my drug-stream.

7pm 12 Nov 2007

Well, I'm about 12 page into this book and I already hate Alice. Quite a lot, actually. I hope that as I read further, Alice's drug-induced diary entries mark an improvement upon her character.

1pm 16 Nov 2007

Finished the book 3 days ago, and just finally stopped laughing so that I can be able ...more

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Feb 07, 2011 James rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult

This infuriating book is the most repugnant piece of reactionary propaganda that I've ever had the misfortune to read. Go Ask Alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers; it helps when they also support a staunchly conservative, traditionalist agenda. The whole book is a fetid lie, and a poorly executed one at that.

OK, now that I've calmed down a little bit, let's actually discuss this "real diary." If there ever was a real diary (which seems hardly likely) it This infuriating book is the most repugnant piece of reactionary propaganda that I've ever had the misfortune to read. Go Ask Alice is unnecessary proof that sex and drug stories are the best money makers; it helps when they also support a staunchly conservative, traditionalist agenda. The whole book is a fetid lie, and a poorly executed one at that.

OK, now that I've calmed down a little bit, let's actually discuss this "real diary." If there ever was a real diary (which seems hardly likely) it was probably very mild compared to this oversexed and overwritten garbage. What seems most likely is that Beatrice Sparks set out to write a book that would prove that smoking a joint or two, having sex without marriage, and (gasp!) not praying all the time would lead to a tragic decline and fall, eventually leading to a premature death. Now, to be fair to Sparks, I'm sure that this literary hoax was on some level a serious effort to help kids avoid the pitfalls of drugs, etc., but the author goes about it a way that is misguided at best and ethically indefensible. If this is on some level a real diary (once again, extremely unlikely) the advertisement and sale of it as a lurid, trashy cautionary tale is a disturbing thought. But, the fact that it is a lie disguised as the truth is simply disgusting. It is a blatant slap in the face to all families who have suffered real drug related losses. It's the commercialization of tragedy.

Next, there is the writing style and storyline (remember, this is fiction) to consider. The book does tug at the heartstrings, but only in a way most abusive to the reader. If there is one thing that always upsets me in fiction, it is any tragedy involving the elderly; this has always bothered me. Naturally, Sparks kills off both of the narrator's grandparents in the most tragic ways the story allows. She exploits the reader's archetypal love of grandparents for cheap heartache (is it any wonder that this was made into a TV movie of the week?). If there was any clue to this book's lack of authenticity, it's the glaringly obvious fact that the grandparents will die before book's end, something a child could see coming. The reader is supposed to accept that a girl who can't figure out how a doctor can tell if a girl is a virgin, would, a relatively short time later, be using language out of a Henry Miller novel. The attempts to sound like an innocent girl and a jaded junkie are hackneyed and incompetent. The progression is totally unrealistic, but is still clearly the progression of a novel, not a real diary. I have to hand it to Sparks, she really throws in everything, including some outrageous, barely concealed homophobia: of course the drug dealers are gay, and drugs make the narrator want to be a lesbian and similar such things. And unsurprisingly, it must be pointed out at the end that the publication of this "real diary" is a commemoration of the "thousands of drug deaths that year." I think that if parents chose to sit down with their kids and talked about drugs without stigmatization instead of letting them read this crap, it would be a small, but much more intelligent (and certainly more tasteful) tribute to the dead and a step towards a more educated future.

Go Ask Alice was an important book for me; I can honestly say I've never run to the computer so fast to type out a review, good or bad, before. I do understand, truly, why books like Alice exist. Parents fear for the welfare of their children and want to have preventative measures, while kids love stories packed with drugs and sex. I just wish there was a way to educate young and old without having to read a ridiculous, exploitative forgery like Go Ask Alice. ...more

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May 26, 2012 Petra-X Off having adventures rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-true-story, death, popculture-anthropology, reviewed

This was written by Nancy Reagan* as propaganda for her "Just Say NO" anti-drugs campaign. It contains every single cliche about how making friends with anyone whose social life doesn't involve Christian youth clubs will inevitably lead to the sort of parties where teenagers can drink beer and have a puff of a joint and it is downhill all the way from there.

Drugs lead to getting in with a bad crowd, having sex, stealing, dealing, prostitution, homelessness and insanity! Only the pastor can save ...more

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Oct 16, 2007 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

I first read this book in sixth grade. When I tell people this, they usually look at me in an appalled fashion, and ask if my parents knew I was reading it. And I tell them, yes, my mother knew, before I was even finished with the first entry. I had/ have a tendency to talk openly with my mother, especially upon the topic of books. When she saw that I was reading it, she looked at me a moment, then said something along the lines of: "Rachel, if you weren't such a mature reader/person, I would t ...more

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Sep 10, 2016 Deanna rated it liked it

3.5 Stars

First published in 1971, Go Ask Alice is a controversial book involving teenage addiction. It's written in first person in traditional diary form. We don't know the troubled teenage girls name but we follow her rapid descent into her life as an addict.

"Anonymous" is a lonely teenager who feels like she will never live up to the expectations of her parents. She struggles with self-esteen issues, loneliness, etc. On top of that her family has now moved and she's having trouble making new 3.5 Stars

First published in 1971, Go Ask Alice is a controversial book involving teenage addiction. It's written in first person in traditional diary form. We don't know the troubled teenage girls name but we follow her rapid descent into her life as an addict.

"Anonymous" is a lonely teenager who feels like she will never live up to the expectations of her parents. She struggles with self-esteen issues, loneliness, etc. On top of that her family has now moved and she's having trouble making new friends. But things go from bad to worse beginning the night she's at a party and someone spikes her drink with LSD.

She likes the feeling the drugs give her and feels like they take the "edge" off. She doesn't feel so insecure and lonely when she's high. It's not long before she's experimenting with more and more drugs and it starts affecting all areas of her life. Her life quickly spins out of control.

I've read quite a few really good books about addiction and this is one book that I will never forget. I'm not sure if it was my age at the time or some of the things happening around me or both but it really had an impact on me.

As it was written in the 70's there will of course be some dated refrences (I didn't know until recently that the title of the book was taken from the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit"). It was also made into a movie in 1973.

When I read it years ago, I thought it was a true story. However there has been a lot of debate over how much of it (if any) is actually true. It's been under criticism for many reasons. Some say it was written by a psychologist about one of her patients, but greatly exaggerated. Even if it's entirely fictional I still took something away from it. We are all entitled to our opinions and I understand some may not like it. In my opinion if someone learns something from it then I'm happy they read it.

Yes, times have changed and drugs themselves have changed. But the one thing that hasn't changed is that addiction can still ruin lives the way it always has.
...more

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Nov 24, 2009 Manny rated it it was ok

Shelves: too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, older-men-younger-women, story-review, pooh-dante

- Alice?

- Mm-hm?

- They told me to go ask you.

- Ask me what?

- Ah... I guess, should I do drugs?

- Well, how would I know? I'm just a made-up girl in a piece of anti-drugs propaganda that somehow became more famous than it deserved.

- Hey, don't be like that. I meant, if you actually had existed, then what would you have said?

The rest of this review is available elsewhere (the location cannot be given for Goodreads policy reasons)

...more

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Jun 05, 2008 Meredith rated it did not like it

Bwaaah. So disappointing. Some of my co-workers were discussing this book at lunch one day, and I remembered being super curious about it when I was younger, but for some reason never got around to it. Unfortunately for my enjoyment of the book, I did some digging before reading it. I see on Goodreads that the author is not credited as "Anonymous" (as it still is on the cover of the book), but Beatrice Sparks. On the book, Sparks is listed as the editor, but a preface still states it is the real Bwaaah. So disappointing. Some of my co-workers were discussing this book at lunch one day, and I remembered being super curious about it when I was younger, but for some reason never got around to it. Unfortunately for my enjoyment of the book, I did some digging before reading it. I see on Goodreads that the author is not credited as "Anonymous" (as it still is on the cover of the book), but Beatrice Sparks. On the book, Sparks is listed as the editor, but a preface still states it is the real diary of a real teenager. Now there are three possibilities here, 1. Sparks has the most depressing job ever, surrounding by teens facing fatal distasters, but always keeping a diary about it, 2. Sparks stalks especially literate high-risk children across the country, 3. Sparks totally made it all up. Go Ask Alice is one of about seven diaries of anonymous teenagers edited by Sparks (with Jay's Journal even having the same cover, but with a boy instead), who also is apparently a Mormon youth counselor. SO, unsurprisingly, there's a bit of an agenda going on, with the plot lines seeming a little to hyperbolic and a pretty obvious anti-hippie/free love vibe throughout the book (and a bizarre and troubling underlying theme of drug use causing homosexual desires and behavior, which is later regretted and seen as intensely shameful and dirty).

So, if the events of the book are not true, it robs it of the punch at the end of the book. But maybe if it's written really well, it would be redeeming. Sadly, no. This is a book written by an adult, I suppose, trying to sound like a teenager. Apparently, teenagers use the phrasing "I do, I really, truly do!," "I want to, I would really, really, want to!," a LOT, as well as an excrutiating number of sacchrine adjectives and adverbs (along the lines of "Daddy is such a lovely, sweet, caring, lovely, lovely Daddy!"). Ugh.

Some reviews I've read also attack the diarist as exceptionally weak, self-pitying, and self-absorbed, with no willingness to change her circumstances. I didn't have a problem with her characterization, however, since a kid would likely have self-esteem issues in order to be tempted into the lifestyle that she had. Also, this is supposed to be a diary, where someone would reveal their thoughts, fears, and flaws, without really trying to defend themselves. I can't imagine a diary that I wrote in middle school would be free of weakness or self-absorption.

I suppose there was an underlying noble cause in wanting to scare kids off drugs motivating the creation of this book, so it has some sort of value. But at least from my experience, kids read this book and were freaked out in around 5th grade, a while before they would even have an interest in drugs (contrary to Go Ask Alice, 10 year olds do not generally sell LSD to elementary school kids in upper-middle-class suburban neighborhoods). Once kids got to the age where they would be tempted to use drugs, the scariness of the book had faded, and it was more of a "hey, remember that crazy book we read when we were little?" The unrealistically exaggerated plot lines also probably distances kids from relating the diarist's lessons to their own lives.

I guess what I'm getting at is the hoax in authorship robs the book of the punch delivered in the epilogue (which is itself given away by reading the summary on the back of the book, amateurs), which would be the only poignant/jarring aspect of the book. The rest is simply drug scare tactics written poorly. If you don't have authenticity to rely on, you need something else to carry your book. ...more

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Jan 29, 2008 Sarah rated it really liked it

My daughter read this book. I was ready to freak out - This book is way too graphic for an 11 year old. I was composing a letter to the middle school librarian who allowed her to check this book out. I was preparing a lecture for Ashley about what is and is not appropriate for a child to read. Then Ashley came to me and started talking about drugs. She started talking about the things that kids say about drugs at school. She told me that she and her best friend had a teary talk about how sad the ...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Emily May rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, 2011

I couldn't even finish this book. I found it a real boring drag, even though it's only a novella. I tried so hard to get through it, I kept thinking surely it must get better... but it didn't. I couldn't stand the narrator, I felt no connection with her and despised most of her views. My eyes skipped through paragraphs in a desperate bid to get past extremely boring parts... only to find they continued throughout the book.
It wasn't a very good diary, you didn't seem to get a proper look inside t ...more

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Sep 04, 2019 Grady Hendrix rated it really liked it

Apparently, when you're a teenager, everyone wants to put LSD in your food nonstop. ...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Mary rated it did not like it

I read this for the first time in college as part of a reading-intensive young adult lit class, and it was the worst of the many, many books we read. For one girl in the class, it was the only book of the many, many we read that she actually liked, solely because it was the only one she morally approved of (man, how she loathed Weetzie Bat). She went on to become our slacker school's valedictorian. She was a poet and used the word "tapestry" too much in her writing. I think all of this is quite ...more

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Aug 02, 2008 Mista Frade rated it did not like it

This is a sensationalist piece of garbage. A DARE commercial on speed (pun was intended) and I just didn't care about anyone because it was so poorly written. ...more

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Jul 09, 2007 Carly rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult

This book is pretty silly & most likely a work of complete fiction. It was written back when conservatives thought they needed to fictionalize drug abuse in order to frighten teenagers. Luckily, this is a new millenium & most of us know what crack whores look like or have known people whose lives have been ruined by drugs. Most kids read this book at a young age & find it too thrilling to realize it's anti-drug propaganda. If you're not convinced that Go Ask Alice is fiction, read another "diary ...more

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Jun 02, 2014 Alex rated it liked it

Recommends it for: squares

Shelves: 2014, favorite-reviews

On July 10, she was secretly dosed with LSD at a party.
By July 20, she was using intravenous drugs.
By September she had bought a leather fringed vest, and it was all over.

"This was the scene, these were the swingers, and I wanted to be a part of it!"

So it goes in this 1971 classic of hysterical anti-drug malarkey. Within a few months our unnamed heroine has been gang raped on heroin; shortly after that, she's become a "Priestess of Satan" and drugs have literally "took her the homo route." That' ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: 20th-century, young-adult, novels, classics, literature, united-states, fiction

Go Ask Alice, Beatrice Sparks
In 1968, a 15-year-old girl begins keeping a diary, in which she records her thoughts and concerns about issues such as crushes, weight loss, sexuality, social acceptance, and relating to her parents. The dates and locations mentioned in the book place its events as occurring between 1968 and 1970 in California, Colorado, Oregon, and New York City. The two towns in which the diarist's family reside during the story are not identified, and are only described as being Go Ask Alice, Beatrice Sparks
In 1968, a 15-year-old girl begins keeping a diary, in which she records her thoughts and concerns about issues such as crushes, weight loss, sexuality, social acceptance, and relating to her parents. The dates and locations mentioned in the book place its events as occurring between 1968 and 1970 in California, Colorado, Oregon, and New York City. The two towns in which the diarist's family reside during the story are not identified, and are only described as being college towns. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفدهم ماه آوریل سال 2018 میلادی
عنوان: ب‍رو از آل‍ی‍س‌ گ‍م‍ن‍ام‌ ب‍پ‍رس‌: ی‍ک‌ ک‍ت‍اب‌ ف‍وق‌ال‍ع‍اده‌، ن‍وش‍ت‍ه‌ای‌ از واق‍ع‍ی‍ات‌ دردن‍اک‌؛ ن‍وی‍س‍ن‍ده‌ گ‍م‍ن‍ام‌؛ م‍ت‍رج‍م‌: م‍ص‍طف‍ی‌ (م‍ج‍ی‍د) ک‍ارب‍خ‍ش‌؛ ت‍ه‍ران‌: م‍ص‍طف‍ی‌ ک‍ارب‍خ‍ش‌ راوری‌، 1382؛ در 168 ص؛ شابک: 9640642835؛
عنوان: خ‍اطرات‌ آل‍ی‍س‌؛ ن‍وی‍س‍ن‍ده‌: ن‍اش‍ن‍اس‌؛ مت‍رج‍م: ع‍ل‍ی‍رض‍ا طب‍اطب‍ای‍ی‌؛ ت‍ه‍ران‌ : ن‍ش‍ر آب‍ی‌‏‫، 1386؛ ‏‬در 195 ص؛ شابک: 9645709822؛

کتاب حاضر یادمانهای دختر پانزده‌ ساله‌ ی معتادی، در کشور آمریکاست، که خانواده‌ ای با موقعیت اجتماعی بالا داشته، و به ظاهر مرفه بوده است. دختر در آغاز دوره‌ ی جوانی، و بحران‌های آن، تنها محرم اسرارش، همین دفتر خاطرات بوده است. وی به شدت در دام مواد مخدر افتاده، و در مدرسه همه او را، به عنوان یک معتاد، و فروشنده‌ ی مواد می‌شناسند. بر اثر حادثه‌ ای، به وسیله‌ ی پلیس دستگیر می‌شود، و آن‌ها او را برای نجات از اعتیاد، و مشاوره، به یک تیمارستان، تحویل می‌دهند. دخترک ساعات مشاوره و روان‌پزشکی بسیاری را گذرانده، و مجددا به خانه بازمی‌گردد. خانواده، توجه بیش‌تری به او معطوف می‌کنند، اما اعتیاد هم‌چنان ادامه دارد. تا روزی که او تصمیم می‌گیرد، دست از نوشتن خاطرات بردارد. درست سه هفته پس از این تصمیم، هنگامی که پدر و مادرش، از سینما به خانه برمی‌گردند، او را مرده می‌یابند. آن‌ها به پلیس و بیمارستان خبر می‌دهند، اما اینکار حاصلی ندارد، چرا که دیگر کسی نمی‌توانست کاری انجام بدهد. ...؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Feb 15, 2009 drowningmermaid rated it did not like it

Shelves: audio, author-lies-like-a-dog, unintentionally-hilarious

What drug you would have to be on to believe that this was a real diary?

Maybe Squeaky Clean Jesus Powder.

And yes, this is coming from someone who has never done drugs, and believes strongly in the illegality and deleterious effects of all drugs, including (and in some cases especially) marijuana.

I cannot tell you how much I hate the hypocrisy of missionary efforts like this one. "Oh, here's an idea! I'll wrap my didactic message in a 'true' story! My lies are sanctified by the holiness of my c ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Bren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, classics, better-or-worse-than-expected, dark-and-heavy, read-and-reviewed, addictions-and-addictive-behavior, drama-tearjerker, social-issues, character-study, realistic-young-adult-fiction

“It's a good thing most people bleed on the inside or this would be a gory, blood-smeared earth.”
― Beatrice Sparks, Go Ask Alice

Man. This book.

Somehow, I have never gotten around to reading Go Ask Alice before. I knew of it but all I really knew is that it is considered a classic , was anonymous and was about a teenage girl's descent into addiction. That's it.

I did not anticipate liking it all that much. I was wrong. I have had a tough time concentrating on reading lately, with the corona virus ...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Evan rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebook-special-coll, none-too-good, 2010-reads, all-time-hall-of-shame, drugs-n-shit, fucked-up-women, psycho-drama, 1960s, retro-lounge-funky, pulp-trash

This book has it all: Teen sex, preteen whores, gay and lesbian sex (not looked upon favorably), drug usage of all types, rape, hippies, communes, hitchhiking, lecherous bohemians, wild parties, drug pushing to 9-year-old grade-school kids, Berkeley burnouts, surreal drug dreams, lots of imagery involving death and maggots, teen vengeance and peer/herd cruelty and vicious rumor-mongering, babies in peril, cats spun in washing machines, girls in an insane asylum, menstruation and teen pregnancy i This book has it all: Teen sex, preteen whores, gay and lesbian sex (not looked upon favorably), drug usage of all types, rape, hippies, communes, hitchhiking, lecherous bohemians, wild parties, drug pushing to 9-year-old grade-school kids, Berkeley burnouts, surreal drug dreams, lots of imagery involving death and maggots, teen vengeance and peer/herd cruelty and vicious rumor-mongering, babies in peril, cats spun in washing machines, girls in an insane asylum, menstruation and teen pregnancy issues, glue sniffing, body image woes and purging, and references to fucking as "balling," a term which fell out of usage to that effect approximately in the fall of 1974.

And for all of that - FOR ALL OF THAT! - the book is a BORE!

I mean, what can you say? We all know this thing is a fake; and passages such as the one where her dad cites statistics on VD and suicide and other social ills and somehow she manages to remember and write them down verbatim hours later in the "diary" kind of give the thing away.

I like the attempt at "authentic" touches, eg.: "Everyone knows that sex and shit* go together," with the asterisked "shit" referenced at the page bottom as "*drugs" just in case the shocked adults aren't hip to the diarist's youthful lingo.

The writing style goes from the goo-goo-ga-ga golly gee-willikers level to the usage of more sophisticated words such as "nary" and "woebegone" at the drop of a hat.

I am wondering how, when our diarist heroine was in the gutter and writing her diary entries on paper bags and such, she managed to maintain the clarity of mind to actually stow away these inconvenient pages to get them pasted back into the diary. And, presuming that she kept the diary with her (since she had it with her on all her travels, based on the dates and locales) -- and based on the fact that the diary is said to have not been filled -- why she would need to use scraps of other kinds of paper at all. (Methinks the REAL author has trapped herself in her own dramatic license... The Hercule Poirot in me, folks.)

The boffo bleak abrupt ending is probably what takes the wind out of most readers' sails. The book is a cautionary exploitation classic in the grand tradition -- with Gramps and Granmamma and gingerbread men and Christmas trees and God and Holy Matrimony and virginity always imperiled by the lurking dark menace ever at hand. It's one of those books where LSD and pot are put on the same level to create guilt by association, as in the sentence: "Anyone who says pot and acid are not addicting are foolish!" In fact, our woebegone gal tries all the hard substances first, but it's pot that throws her over the edge. Riiiiigghhttt...

I'm giving the thing two stars for sociological interest and for at least being a fast-enough read to not have wasted too much of my life. ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Sarah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, z2015

The only reason I read this book is because I thought it was an autobiography. When I finished reading it, I did some research and found out that it was not a real diary. Now that I know it isn't a true story, I don't really have anything good to say about it.

It really bothered me that the author said it was a real teenagers diary, when really it was just a work of fiction. The author was clearly trying to scare people with this book. When I was reading the book, the only redeeming quality was The only reason I read this book is because I thought it was an autobiography. When I finished reading it, I did some research and found out that it was not a real diary. Now that I know it isn't a true story, I don't really have anything good to say about it.

It really bothered me that the author said it was a real teenagers diary, when really it was just a work of fiction. The author was clearly trying to scare people with this book. When I was reading the book, the only redeeming quality was the fact that I thought it was a real story. While I read it though I did question the authenticity of the "diary". First of all it just seemed unlikely that a drug addict would constantly write in a diary and keep it with her all the time. Secondly, it didn't sound like it was a 15 year old's diary. Even when she wasn't on drugs, it just didn't sound right to me. Halfway through I wanted to stop reading because I was so bored and I was skimming but I kept going so I could find out what happened and also so I could give it a negative review.

The message I got from the author was - "don't do drugs ever. Don't even do them once because then you'll get wrapped up in that world and you'll get raped and abused and beaten and once you decide to get clean, drug users will track you down, bully you, beat you, rape you, drug you and you'll land in a hospital with horrific injuries and then land in a mental hospital. You will be marked for the rest of your life and then you will die because of drugs. Don't do drugs ever. And don't have sex before marriage."

I do think drugs can ruin lives. It was only here a few weeks ago that a young girl died from taking ecstasy. But this book didn't do anything productive. If it scared people out of doing drugs, I suppose that's a plus but for me, it was not a good book and it didn't have a positive clear message. The one good thing (I suppose) about this book was that it told teens that it is okay to speak to someone if you're in trouble.

Don't read this. It's not good.
...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Debbie rated it liked it

Shelves: banned

Though purported to be the real diary of a 15-year-old girl who became addicted to drugs during the 1960's, Go Ask Alice is actually a work of fiction.

The narrator unknowingly takes LSD (acid) at a party and has a great trip. She is instantly addicted and a few weeks later, she is willingly sucking down any and every drug she can get. Come on!

While I am certainly not an advocate of drug use, there is no scientific evidence that LSD is addictive--or marijuana, another key ingredient the narrator ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 Kerri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An interesting one to review. I've read this book three or four times, beginning when I was about ten -- I was enthralled by it then, completely invested in 'Alice' and devastated yet fascinated by the downward spiral of her life. At that time in my life it was easily a five-star book, especially because it was a true story (!).

Of course I later learned that it's a fictional book, presumably written to scare kids off drugs. I don't actually have an issue with that message, though I'm not sure th An interesting one to review. I've read this book three or four times, beginning when I was about ten -- I was enthralled by it then, completely invested in 'Alice' and devastated yet fascinated by the downward spiral of her life. At that time in my life it was easily a five-star book, especially because it was a true story (!).

Of course I later learned that it's a fictional book, presumably written to scare kids off drugs. I don't actually have an issue with that message, though I'm not sure that tricking someone into believing a person existed is the ideal way to go about that. If I'd known as a kid that the book was essentially a lie, I think I would have felt quite betrayed, though luckily by the time I found this out it had been quite a while since I'd last read it.

I do think there is some value to it, for the right age group, but it's dated of course, and doesn't really hold up to scrutiny. Knowing it is fiction makes it feel quite hypocritical in some ways and I'm unsure how I feel about it now. However, I'm leaving the four-star rating because, while I can't bring myself to give it five, it did have an undeniable effect on me in my early years, and really meant a lot to me.

I think the book has a lot of good intentions and means well, but it seems odd to try and pass this off as something other than a novel (I'm not sure about more recent copies, but mine is insistent that Alice was real, this is her real diary, her real life etc). It made me a little paranoid when I was younger, the shocking ease of how someone could get you addicted to drugs and then before you know your entire life has fallen apart -- I know this can happen, but obviously this book doesn't actually have any real authenticity to it anymore, which kind of takes away it's power. There are probably many better books available to teach kids/teens about drugs, the risks etc, but this is the one I read! For all its faults, at least you could use it as a conversation starter of sorts.

Sorry the rather mixed, slightly rambling review, I suppose I'm torn about this one. It used be a very meaningful book to me, but I'm honestly unsure if I would recommend it -- at least not without drawing attention to the issues I mentioned above. ...more

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Oct 22, 2016 Elle (ellexamines) rated it did not like it

Shelves: z-2015reads, y-notowned, 1-star, contemporary

Go Ask Alice is one of the least believable fake diaries I have ever read. The protagonist is so robotic and idiotic and rings false at every turn.

This story is also just clearly meant as a “don't do drugs, or you will die” cautionary tale. The character actually ends the book resolved to drop her drug addiction, and then dies at the end. I take issue with this form of narrative punishment; I prefer stories where characters make mistakes and yet persevere. This story would be more powerful as a ...more

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Jan 24, 2008 xAnissax rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

This book is something every kid should read before high school. The main character is slipped LSD and hooked on drugs. As she becomes an addict, her diary explains her deepest fears and thoughts. The truth in stories can be scary.

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Aug 15, 2019 Charlotte May marked it as library-loans

My first pick from my TBR box and it ends up being the first book I ever added to my want to read shelf on Goodreads back in 2016!

I'm intrigued :) ...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In my opinion GO ASK ALICE is a very realistic book. Because it was written and published in 1971 you have to forgive the book being a generation behing in coolness, if you will. However, coolness is not what GO ASK ALICE is about. This diary style written book is a story of a 15 year old girl who goes through the trials and tribulations of the basic teenager who throughout the book remain anonymous. Anon finds her diary to be her only friend and confides in it for almost 2 years. During this ti ...more

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Aug 23, 2007 Courtney rated it it was ok

I picked this book off the self to read at work as I am determined to familiarize myself with the collection more and because it's a "classic" and on the ALA banned book list.

While reading I often found myself thinking..."What? No 16 year old girl says that. This was obviously a part the editors edited heavily." Then I realized how often I was thinking that. The whole thing struck me as oddly UNrealistic even though it was supposed to be a real account. (And is shelved in our non-fiction section ...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Rosianna rated it did not like it

The way I felt about this book entirely changed once I found out that it wasn't a real diary, which provided insight into how much the background story of a novel affects my enjoyment of it. Does it make it any worse a book? Yes. What struck me the most about the book in the first place was the supposed 15 year old's ability to be honest with her diary - I constantly lie to my own, never trusting it with the truth, or trusting myself with it - so when that need for someone to be honest with it f ...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA A journal of a young girl who is addicted to drugs; tells her experiences on the drugs, how they affect her life, trying to get clean. It's a shortish read. I read this book approximately 7-8 years ago. [s]	4	15	May 03, 2020 01:58AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA; Fiction; protagonist experiences with addiction. [s]	7	80	Feb 24, 2020 10:21PM
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About Beatrice Sparks

Beatrice Sparks

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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. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy or AIDS, and are presented as cautionary tales. Although Sparks always presented herself as merely the discoverer and editor of the diaries, records at the ...more