Go Ask Alice Go Ask Alice discussion


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Anyone else dislike this book?

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Nati^^the insane, laughing  panda^^ white rabbit is sooooooooo creepy! all i have to say


Josie E. Im sorry but i disagre i must say that i realy enjoyed this book. yes at some parts it seemed a bit scripted but i realy felt for her and wanted to find out more after i was finshed. If you look in the copyright it tells you why the name was picked.


Brian Betke Ashley wrote: "The book seemed so pointless and so unreal... there was just so much going on and it kept describing how she felt while on the drugs and it seemed as though the writer wanted the reader to experien..."

The title comes from the Jefferson Airplane song. The author was a drug councilor from Utah. She was trying to combine common experiences from her patients. And yes, it did more to promote drugs than scare people away. But hey, even Sal Mineo did anti-drug films for school.


Robin Spano Loved Go Ask Alice - haven't read it since I was a teenager, so no comment on the writing style etc., but it's one of those books that has stayed with me. I found it helped me see why someone would get so heavily into drugs at the same time as being a strong caution against them. Not preachy, but honest and with a strong message.


Nikki I really did like this book; it kept me hooked. However the ending wasn't what i hoped it to be. this book allowed me to see how other people handle certain things


Amanda Go Ask Alice is a song about drugs.


Matthew Actually this book was not actually taken from the actual girl's diary. The writer, Betsy something or other was believed to have used several stories told to her by a group of kids she was in touch with at the time and she just combined the different tales how she see fit. Betsy ??? was one of these moralist writers that came out of the 60s and her aim was meant to scare the hell out of kids. There are several signs that this book was far from reality.

1. No one gets addicted to LSD its not that kind of drug.

2. All of the so called bad kids were from broken homes.

3. The drug experiences described in this book are just not reality. This book was obviously written by someone with no direct experience. Compare this piece of work to The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll and you'll see what I mean.


Matthew One other thing, the sentence structure in this book does not fit that of a 15/16 year old girl who believes only for herself.


Carly :/ It's a diary that was published later. I don't know. It seemed real to me, because as the story goes on her writing improves (as she's learning around her, despite the raw environment). It's hard for me to be too hard on her writing style considering it was a diary that wasn't intended to be published. I really liked it, personally. I think it's an important book.


Matthew Hey Carly:

Its been years since I read this so I can't remember if its on the beginning or end of the book but it is mentioned that the book is fictional. Also here is a link from snopes and what they had to say about it.

I hope those helps

http://www.snopes.com/language/litera...


Carly Matthew wrote: "Hey Carly:

Its been years since I read this so I can't remember if its on the beginning or end of the book but it is mentioned that the book is fictional. Also here is a link from snopes and what ..."


Wow. That. Wow. How manipulative. :/ I can't. Wow. Thanks for sharing this with me, that kind of angers me a bit.


Matthew Hey now you know. Like I wrote in an earlier post, read the Basketball Diaries or Forced Entries both by Jim Carroll. They are better books anyway and were were the real accounts of drug abuse by a former addict who got clean before it is too late.


Carly Matthew wrote: "Hey now you know. Like I wrote in an earlier post, read the Basketball Diaries or Forced Entries both by Jim Carroll. They are better books anyway and were were the real accounts of drug abuse by a..."

Thank you, I added those to my list of books to read. Also, I think it's cool that you're an award poet and have two books. I am a poet and am trying to write a book myself. :)


Matthew Hey Carly:

Actually I have three books out but thank you for noticing I appreciate it. My one piece of advice is take your time and remember to fish out your work and really learn your art, you'll create a better book this way.

Matt


Carly Matthew wrote: "Hey Carly:

Actually I have three books out but thank you for noticing I appreciate it. My one piece of advice is take your time and remember to fish out your work and really learn your art, you'll..."


Thank you. :)


message 66: by Amy (new) - rated it 4 stars

Amy I really liked this book. Whether it is real or not I enjoyed reading it and I'd read it again.


Grace When I picked it up at the library I was expecting so much more. The book definitely disappointed me, it was so boring I stopped after reading half of it.


message 68: by Steph (new) - rated it 1 star

Steph I enjoyed this book when I first read it... but when I found out it was lies, I felt betrayed. I wouldn't have minded a cautionary tale that admitted to being fiction, but being deceived was frightening and infuriating.


message 69: by Ana (last edited Jul 07, 2012 09:11PM) (new) - rated it 3 stars

Ana Ashley wrote: "The book seemed so pointless and so unreal... there was just so much going on and it kept describing how she felt while on the drugs and it seemed as though the writer wanted the reader to experien..."

I read this book last year whenI was 11 and I agree with you when you say that it seemed as if the author wanted the reader to expirience it, becuase she kept on pointing out how awesome it felt and was. But I think that the story is deep and really shows you that drugs can ruin your life forever...


message 70: by Diana (new) - rated it 1 star

Diana Rocha I feel yah. this book did nothing for me either.
everyone had always told me to read it, cuz it was amazing.
but i finally read it, and i didnt like it.
like it feel like there was no point to anything.


Allyson I thought it was an excellent book for high school and even middle school aged students> it is most deffinatly an excellent example of what could become of a straight set teen.


message 72: by Melina (last edited Jul 19, 2012 07:22PM) (new) - rated it 1 star

Melina I think what really irked me about this book was it posing to be a nonfiction diary, when it's bluntly not real. The story maybe real but the diary? fake as heck


Stevie Yeah, like previous people have mentioned it's a propaganda piece meant to teach kids to not do drugs. Once I found hat out I couldn't stand reading it, everything she said didn't sound right. I mean, a hit of acid would not be called a "fix". Acid is not addictive, physically anyway, and there are no recorded deaths from overdose.
Also some people said a teenager into drugs would not keep a diary, which is generalizing a little too harshly. I'm 19, and although I don't keep a diary I keep a trip journal so I can remember everything I've experienced and to contemplate my beliefs. In the book, from what I recall,she only uses Psychedelics, which would make her diary entries much more profound and contemplative. It's sickening to read a book claimed to be true so the government can keep a hold on something they don't even know much about.


Aleah Tiffany wrote: "I read the book back in high school and thought it was just okay. It's the real life diary of a girl who OD's so that's why it ends suddenly.

The book's title comes from a Jefferson Airplane son..."


That makes so much sense now!


Matthew Steven wrote: "Yeah, like previous people have mentioned it's a propaganda piece meant to teach kids to not do drugs. Once I found hat out I couldn't stand reading it, everything she said didn't sound right. I me..."

The Government had nothing with the writing of this book. It was actually written by Betty something or other, who is a right wing nut job.



Tonya Crist wait, it's fake?!?! :c


Stevie Matthew wrote: "Steven wrote: "Yeah, like previous people have mentioned it's a propaganda piece meant to teach kids to not do drugs. Once I found hat out I couldn't stand reading it, everything she said didn't so..."


Yeah I know, but the government shares a lot of the same ideals, I mean School boards have the book read in many high schools, they agree with and promote the book.


Matthew Actually didn't write that first part, I only mentioned that the Government had nothing to do with the writing of this book. Further, for those who are interested compare this book with the Basketball Diaries, and you will see a stark difference in how drugs are represented. Further, getting or taking a shot is a junkie term for shooting up heroin, not dropping acid.


Bekah Nicholson I read this book when I was in ninth grade and I really appreciated it because it opened up my eyes to the dangers of addiction. It was, however, a very depressing book. But yet, I would recommend it to every single one of my friends, because I feel that it is a very poignant story that everyone should read.


message 80: by [deleted user] (new)

I hated it.
It was so obviously fake, random people constantly giving you free drugs, bullied because you won't take drugs...

It's propaganda.


Makayla Secore I just finished reading this book and I'd have to say i didn't really enjoy the book. It might be because of the type of person i am but this book didn't really entertain me, and at points it was confusing.


Sarah We just read the book in our language arts class and it was a real eye opener. Even though it was a showing of the harsh life this girl had and these are all her private thoughts being announced to the world, it was worth hearing her story. They used her as an example to all to stay away from drugs and if you're already on them, it is possible to get out, fight back and win.


Maddie I read this book recently, at sixteen. I already have an aversion to drugs so there was no converting me, but it was just...terrible. The repetitiveness ('It was fun, fun, fun'), the narrator's naivety, the fact that it's unbelievable... I didn't believe a word of this. No way it's the diary of a real teenager.


Sadie I actually really liked it when I first read it and i still can't say I dislike it now or anything...though I never really thought it was real. And it was kind of off-putting when I found out who the actual author was...


message 85: by Lynn (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lynn It is what it is. Have you seen the movie? Starring Kay Lenz?


Donna I read this book a while back. Anyways I absolutely love this book. You guys probably don't understand the concept or the message of the book. Its a mind changing experience. I can relate to this book so much its amazing, it may be really unrealistic to some readers. But not to me it was an eye opening experience. I've encountered situations with this type of matters but I've learned to be cautious thanks to this book and also to just say no. Its actually one of my favorite books.

But you know not everyone has the same taste in books!(:


message 87: by Lynn (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lynn I don't think anyone knows who wrote it.


Mickey Dee I love it. it's so real and very scary. I like things closer to reality.


Donna Mickey wrote: "I love it. it's so real and very scary. I like things closer to reality."

I Agree (;


message 90: by Emily (new) - rated it 1 star

Emily I did not like this book, which I thought was weird because I love books about teen problems like drug abuse. I found it to be unrealistic, because you cannot just quit using acid or smoking pot. The book was written to keep teens away from drugs, and that comes across to me as propaganda-like and fake. It makes me want to doubt what adults say about anything. Overall, I really did not like this book and it is not on my shelf.


message 91: by Kaylyn (new)

Kaylyn It was a big disappointment because someone highly recommended it to me.
I personally didn't think it was realistic whatsoever.


Gabriela Rivera House Ashley wrote: "The book seemed so pointless and so unreal... there was just so much going on and it kept describing how she felt while on the drugs and it seemed as though the writer wanted the reader to experien..."
A great Author will go so in depth in their book to help you experience what's going on. Why would you want to read a book when you don't want to feel along with the Author? I found it a good book because of that.


Brittany Definitely a propaganda. I read this book when I was young and enjoyed it -- now reading it or remembering it as an adult you can really understand the Editor's take on this as well as the reasoning behind publishing this as a novel to target younger kids.


Michelle Amanda wrote: "It bored me and I skipped a lot of pages."

I did the same thing... I went through the book very quickly.


Courtney LaSalle The events of the book could possibly be real for that time period. I don't know. Now whether this book is fiction or not is still not really known. The book is by Beatrice Sparks. There is a lot of controversy towards whether any of her books were real or if she was even really a psychologist.

Back to the book though. I am 24 and found that this book did nothing for me. It wasn't an eye opener it didn't make me think twice. Do I think It would kids today. NOPE Kids will do what they want.

The book was poorly written in my eyes.
Sometimes it was just down right unrealistic. Not believable to me.


Robin  Bright This book was the worst piece of propaganda ever written and published. The fact that it's presented as a real account of drug addiction is insulting to people who have actually had loved ones go through addictions -- it is not realistic, it is not okay to make kids think this is how people get tangled up in this kind of crap. It is basically a roundabout way of saying "don't do drugs kids because you will die." The main character is melodramatic and naive and she spirals downward way too quickly. She suddenly becomes a drug addict after taking acid accidentally -- like, really?
The only literary thing about this book was the fact that it is printed on a page and bound like a book. It is a just another blatant scare tactic used to get kids who know nothing about drugs to stay off of them. I support people not becoming drug addicts, please don't get me wrong. And I also support educating them on the dangers of drugs. But this isn't educating anyone, it is misinforming them and it is trying to scare them when really, all it did for me was make angry.


Jennifer I actually really enjoy the book, but then I started reading diaries edited by Beatrice Sparks, the same editor of this book, and I saw that in every single book the writing was the same but I let it go. But after I read Jays journal edited by Sparks it seems unreal what the book said and then I search online and it said that Sparks took other people diaries and only a few pages from the actual guy, this "diary" actually ruin the guy family and his reputation which was really sad.


Veronica-Lynn Pit Bull If I recall, I enjoyed the book. Of course I was 12 (and I suspect my standards for "enjoyment" were considerably lower than they are today) and that was over 30 years ago, so my memory on specifics is a bit hazy...


Aurelia I think the only person who didn't like this book is probably Alice. It's about her and she died.


message 100: by Stevie (new) - rated it 1 star

Stevie Lol LSD is not addictive.


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