Go ask alice is a fiction work written anonymously and first published in 1971. As the ala notes, books usually are challenged with the best intentionsto protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. Top 10 most challenged books lists advocacy, legislation. Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living.
In the 1970s, this fake diary scaredand temptedteenage. Go ask alice is based on a true story about a teenager who becomes addicted to drugs. A lot of the time i dont notice age with books when im lost in a story but i dont think the text has dated well. See a complete list of the characters in go ask alice and indepth analyses of alice, diary, parents, and joel. Go ask alice should be banned to middle school and elementary because it is not appropriate to expose them to the contents in the book. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of go ask alice and what it means. Some people maintain that alice in wonderland can only have been written by an author with considerable hallucinogenic mushroom experience under their belt.
Aug 28, 2015 the most dangerous book i read when i was about was probably go ask alice. But reasons it shouldnt be banned for high school libraries is because they are a more mature audience and they can handle the content. Because this tragedy know as the holocaust happened so long ago it is hard to relate to it. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous banned books. By thi time i was finished with the book i knew what i wanted i saw the exciting life i wanted. According to the library journal 1978, in may of 1978, a british colombian school board voted 43 in favor of banning go ask alice as encouraging experimentation with drugs and sex and for having no redeeming social or literary value go ask alice 920.
Like a blink of an eye the main character turns towards drugs, sex, and running away. The perks of being a wallflower the earth, my butt, and other big round things by carolyn mackler the absolutely true diary of a parttime indian by sherman alexie. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage p. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. The story starts off like any other book, with a normal day and a normal family. Only publishers weekly threw shade, remarking that it seems awfully well. Go ask alice has also ranked among the most frequently challenged books for several decades due. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. While in no way do i agree with banning or restricting the ability to read a book, its reasons for being banned are legitimate within the guidelines. Jun 16, 2002 a photograph is a secret about a secret, diane arbus famously said. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but.
This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the. A case against banning go ask alice by hazel dela paz on prezi. Censorship and book banning in america share flipboard email print. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. However, schools can ban books without this lengthy procedure. Beatrice sparks, a teen psychologist and mormon youth counselor was uncovered to have actually written the majority if not the whole entire novel. Sep 01, 2008 as as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends.
Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. Oct 03, 2016 go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. Jan 04, 2008 go ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has come out with a number of teens who saw their lives ruined by their bad choices offerings, each one presented as a true. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited. Go ask alice has been banned in the past for its language and sexual content. For example, a superintendent in new jersey had all of the copies of this book removed from. Adventures of huckleberry finn is the 4th most banned book in schools according to banned in the u. They just choose not to order the books in the first place. I know the book is over 40 years old but go ask alice really feels it.
Top books that were banned at schools whats your favorite banned book. The most dangerous book i read when i was about was probably go ask alice. Books are essentially a gateway to another world through written word. The book was published and marketed for years as a real diary, ostensibly the diary of a psychiatrists client now being published after the diarists death from an overdose as an object lesson to young people. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Nowadays ya lit is pretty universal harry potter really opened the doors for people to read childrens books no matter what their agebut in 1971 when our book was written that wasnt really the case. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice.
Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the. The go ask alice lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. I didnt know it was in diary format or that it could possibly contain facts. Go ask alice is one of the most banned books of all time. Please join us the last monday of november when we will be discussing lunas banned book choice annie on my mind by nancy garden. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. Go ask alice when the book was first published in 1971, the novel had no known author or editor as the cover stated anonymous. Rowling, alice by phyllis reynolds naylor, the chocolate war by robert cormier, and tango makes three by justin richardsonpeter parnell, and of mice and men by john steinbeck. Title stance on the book 3 articles it was banned challenged in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009 it was banned usually in schools and libraries title. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Kris from sf, ca this song was not written about the book go ask alice. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around.
Jul 17, 2016 go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 banned challenged books. A photograph is a secret about a secret, diane arbus famously said. The novel has numerous references to sex, heavy drug use, and teen pregnancy causing libraries and schools across the country to ban the novel from their. There are more than 5 million copies sold,so why ban it. Included are new features, more interaction, better integration with social media, and a widget to have go ask alice. D espite the popularity of go ask alice, the mystery of the diarists identity has never been truly solved, and none of her relatives have ever come forward to claim a share of the royalties. Go ask alice is a reference to a jefferson airplane song called white rabbit, which alludes to rampant hallucinogenic drug use in lewis carrolls alice in wonderland. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism.
Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Yet it was originally promoted as nonfiction, its still sold as by anonymous and the copy i have has this is alices true story on the cover plus the blurb on the back, the foreword and the psychologists comment at the back everything is still packaged to make out this is nonfiction. Jul 03, 2014 go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. Our county has a group which reads the questionable book and determines whether its educational value exceeds the weight of the objections against it. Mar 23, 2017 then, in 1978, a book called voices, a compilation of stories about troubled teens, was released, with jacket copy attributing it to beatrice sparks, the author who brought you go ask alice. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. It sits at number 18 on the american library associations list of 100 most frequently challenged books from 20002009.
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. Thirteen reasons why written by jay asher originally published in 2007, this new york times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after netflix aired a tv series by the same name. The book was written in 1967 and the song was originally written around 1965. While most of the visuals in this overview present selected banned books, this one, prepared by simply novel, gathers general facts about banned. Around mid1980s, a supposed editor of the book was uncovered. Im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the easier way, and go ask alice definitely falls into this category.
Well be looking at why the book was challenged, howif things have changed since the book was originally published and what we actually think of the book. Grace brought it with her from the great society when she joined up with jefferson airplane in 1966. Some books challenge the perception of everything while others can inspire a whole generation. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. A banned book is a book removed from a school or library by a school system, parental group, religious group or government. In the same vein, go ask alice is young adult literature because thats the audience it was specifically geared toward. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The survey of 860 librarians in school systems around the country also found a sharp increase in the number of local critics.
This is because of its strong commentary on sex, suicide. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the. A list of important facts about anonymouss go ask alice, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. Sep 23, 2014 in honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. I am always on the look out for classics and banned books often one and the same when i seen a copy of this book. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. Since its publishing in 1971 go ask alice has become one of the most controversial banned books. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to. The list go ask alice has been one of the most frequently challenged books, according to the american library associations frequently challenged books of the 21st century list, since its publication in 1971, for content relating to drugs, sexual explicitness, offensive language, and inappropriate themes for the target age group frequently challenged 1. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. As a highschooler,go ask alice shouldnt be banned because im mature enough to take in the intense content. In 1998 three new attacks arose to challenge its inclusion in education. Today we feature the year 1993 and go ask alice, by anonymous. But she just cant resist the way the drugs make her feelbeautiful and popular and connected to the world around her.
The book thief puts it in the perspective of a child from the perspective of death. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous banned. I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. Go ask alice banned book project go ask alice when the.
As as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends. A year later came jays journal, the diary of an adolescent boy who succumbs to satan worship, which similarly credited dr. The song white rabbit predates the book go ask alice. Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and. Go ask alice was the product of beatrice sparks, an author who has come out with a number of teens who saw their lives ruined by their bad choices offerings, each one presented as a true. After reading go ask alice and preparing a research project on it, i feel that the biggest reason books are banned is because of depiction vs. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous first published. Go ask alice is small, 224 under size pages and written in diary format so is a quick read. A banned book is one that has actually been removed from a library or school system, a challenged book is the attempt to ban such material. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Sep 14, 2012 leading up to banned books week 2012, ala will highlight one book from its new timeline of banned and challenged books each day.
Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and committed suicide, is the most frequently censored book in high school libraries, according to a survey of librarians. I wanted her life it seemed cool it was a way to lose weight. But it turned out to be and was finally admitted to be a complete fabrication. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books. Since its publishing in 1971, go ask alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. Without books, much of todays entertainment would not be the same. Due to its frequent and strong references to sex, heavy drug usage, and teen pregnancy, libraries and schools across the country have banned the novel as it sits at number 23 on the american library association ala 100 most frequently challenged books from 19902001. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to return home and stay clean, her pleas to god to. In honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. If go ask alice will continue to be banned, how will people like alice be able to relate. A personal opinion on the reasons why the book go ask alice. It gives a unique perspective to a topic that can become cast aside by todays generations. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age. I picked up this book at our recent friends of the library sale.
Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after. The top 5 banned books of this decade are the harry potter series by j. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube. Go ask alice should be banned from middle school and elementary libraries and only permitted at the high school level because of the use of vulgar language, the use of illegal substances, and the explicit descriptions of the activities being done throughout the book. The book is written in diary form, but the author is anonymous. Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, the top 10 most challenged books are.
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