A sad tale of a girl who was trying to turn her life around. It really shows the unbelieveable pressure people face when trying to kick addiction. ( )

Entertaining but obviously made up. (Or were we supposed to infer that?) ( )

This was a good book and is a good example of why kids should not do drugs because it can ruin your life. ( )

Go Ask Alice is written in a 1970’s era diary format by an anonymous author. An average teenage girl wants to be accepted by her peers. When she attends a yearbook autograph party, her “friends” slip LSD into her drink when they are playing a game. After her experience at the party, she begins experimenting with drugs and sex. The results of bad choices and the power of addiction are seen first hand when her life begins to spiral out of control. Separation from her family, living on the streets, and even being in a mental hospital can not make her stop using drugs. Just when she thinks she has conquered her drug addiction, an editor’s note explains that she died of an accidental or a premeditated overdose.

Go Ask Alice has the characteristics of a young adult novel. Teenagers could identify with the loneliness of this teenager. The plot is believable and of interest to teenagers. The reader is drawn into the mind and actions of the writer of this 1970’s diary. Characters displayed different life styles and were from different family structures. A school setting was included in the storyline. The teenage reader can relate to the realistic problems and struggles of the main character. The feelings, needs, interests, and experiences of the main character have made this book popular for almost four decades. Overall, the problems of teenagers have not changed with time. Go Ask Alice is a great book for teenagers to see the results of using drugs, and the power of addiction. Teenagers will enjoy the diary format. This diary can warn teenagers about the use of drugs, the addiction to drugs, and the struggle to be drug free.

The main character is not named Alice. Alice was a teenager that the main character meet when living on the streets.
Some authorities have commented that they believe it was not the written diary of a teenager. They believe it was either written or “edited” by an adult. However, it is a work of fiction and has stood the test of time. Over five million copies have been sold.

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's downfall. Can a bad trip be permanently dangerous to a person's sanity? Absolutely. But the sheer speed of the narrator's descent into addiction is laughable. And there is a scene where she describes shooting up speed and then in the next sentence worrying about how dangerous pot is. I just didn't buy it.

While the pure drama of all the bad stuff that happens to the narrator after she runs away from home (and continues after she returns home) will surely appeal to teens, Go Ask Alice is not a realistic or even a particularly well-written account of the life of an addict. It amuses me that this book regularly appears on banned book lists because it's purpose is not to encourage drug use; just the opposite.

For readers looking for similar books with a less preachy feel, try these:

Crank - Ellen Hopkins
Glass - Ellen Hopkins
Smack - Melvin Burgess
St. Iggy - K.L. Going
Beauty Queen - Linda Glovach
Crosses - Shelley Stoehr
Candy - Luke Davies (extremely graphic) ( )