Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Date/year published: 2005
Genre: fiction, young adult, contemporary, romance
Format: e-pub, borrowed from local library using Libby app, read on Kindle
Why I chose to read it: It appears on both the PBS Great American Read and the StoryGraph Banned Books Challenge.
Synopsis: Miles “Pudge” finds himself at a boarding school where he meets Alaska, a beautiful, funny, smart, and self-destructive girl. Pulled into her world, everything changes after.
Thoughts:
Okay, I admit I enjoy reading banned books. Why? Trying to discover the “evil” is entertaining for me. And quite frankly, I’ve discovered that most YA (young adult) banned books simply address topics that kids deal with every day, and have been dealing with for generations. But, for some reason, some adults have forgotten what it was like to be a kid, and don’t think the young folx in their life should read about the topic. Heaven forbid we actually help kids process their emotions.
Green isn’t one of those adults. He seems to remember quite well what young adulthood was like. “Looking for Alaska” deals with all the biggies – smoking, drinking, sex, mental health, suicide, rebellion, and anger.
I’ll get off my soapbox now.
The style of this book was interesting, there were no chapters.. Instead, entries “days/hours before” and “hours/days after” left the reader wondering what event created before and after. Tension built as the timeline drew closer to the ambiguous event. Though most readers could probably guess what was going to happen, it didn’t lessen the suspense. The “after” passages were just as important – emotions and responses to crises are just as critical and discussion worthy.
The boarding school was a relatable environment, even if one never attended boarding school. All the characters had unique personalities that worked well together; the friendships and relationships flowed and sputtered realistically. At first Alaska annoyed me, but as the story developed her traits became recognizable, which propelled the story along.
I did find it a depressing book, but that doesn’t mean it should be banned. Despite its depressing tone, it didn’t drag and was a fairly quick read.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Re-read? Possibly, but probably not. I like Green’s writing style and would prefer trying one I haven’t yet read instead of rereading one of which I’m already familiar.
Recommend? Yes. It realistically tackles many difficult emotions and issues. There’s a reason this is an award winner and listed as “genre defining”.
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