IRP #1

[Kelsey]

Part 1
The book I read for this midterm was Looking for Alaska by John Green. This book is your typical love story along with a major unexpected twist. The book first introduces us to the character, Miles Hatler. He is your typical high school nerd whom nobody knows exists. He has a fascination with reading and memorizing the last words of deceased people like Thomas Jefferson. He finds himself attending a new boarding school where he meets his best friend and only friend, Chip,”the Colonel”, Martin. The Colonel introduces Miles to the beautiful and mysterious girl of his dreams, Alaska Young. Together they fall in love (at least Miles thinks so) and break all the rules the head of Culver Creek,“The Eagle”, has set for them. All three of them are having the time of their lives and living the dream, until something unexpected happens that changes their lives forever.

Part 2
For starters I'm not a huge reader and don't typically enjoy reading, but this time was different. Even if you aren’t a huge reader I would highly recommend this book. Once I read the first few pages I was hooked and interested. I really enjoyed John Green’s style of writing immensely. He really helped me paint a picture of what I was reading by the words he chose and the way he said them. This helped me also to relate to the story in ways most books don't. He writes about high school students who are at some points stressed and overwhelmed during their high school life, and how they turn to their friends for support. I can really relate to this because at some points I get really stressed about school and sports, and find myself turning to friends in this time in need for support and love. I loved reading about all the mischievous pranks and shenanigans the three high schoolers pulled and the awkward love between Miles and Alaska. These things really added to my enjoyment and interest of the book. Overall I would give this book a solid 4 out of five, simply because I would have chosen a different ending to fit my likings.

Part 3
I believe the book, Looking for Alaska, has multiple themes that could work, but I believe the theme that sticks out most is love. In my opinion the story is trying to show us that all love is worth fighting for even if it seems hopeless and a waste of time. Miles was desperately in love with Alaska from the first time he set his eyes on her, but she didn’t feel the same way entirely. She was in love with another guy. Green writes, “I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep… But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane” (Green 49). This quote shows how desperately he wanted to love her, and how he wanted her to love him back, but she was just so different from him. In this quote Miles is showing us that he doesn't think he is good enough for Alaska. He is revealing all his flaws and comparing them to her perfection. He also compares himself to a drizzle while she is a hurricane. This is another way of him saying she is too good for him. Even after everything and the emotional rollercoaster she puts him through, Miles never gives up on them and loving her. Green writes, “I would never know her well enough to know her thoughts in those last minutes, would never know if she left us on purpose. But the not-knowing would not keep me from caring, and I would always love Alaska Young, my crooked neighbor, with all my crooked heart (Green 136). No matter how deceptive or mysterious Alaska was he will always love her with all of his heart whether she is there or not. He believed she was worth fighting for no matter what emotional impact it had on him.