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nikness44's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book when I was about 14 and I really enjoyed it. I often go back and read it every couple years. Its very heartbreaking but a good story that sheds light on the terrible reality of drug abuse.
luigii's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
zoeysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
kessler21's review against another edition
1.0
I am very angry with this book and the publishers of this book and the "author" of this book.
I saw a 50 year anniversary addition of Go Ask Alice at Wal-Mart. I had never heard of this book so I picked it up and was shocked to learn that this is a diary of a teenage girl and her battle with drug addiction. I wanted to get this book and one day, have my children read this book. I was slightly offended that I had never even heard of this diary.
So I bought the book, which I rarely do, and started reading. But something didn't seem right. Something didn't ring true. So I started Googling the book and low and behold, this is almost assuredly not a true diary of a teenage girl and her battle with drug addiction.
Beatrice Sparks claims this is an edited version of the diary but her second book, which claims to be a diary of a boy's journey with the occult, was found out to have only 21 authentic entries and the other 191 were fiction.
This book seems to be a someone's attempt to scare children away from drugs with dangers of addiction, vindictive addicts, rape, homosexuality at the same time, trying to remind teenagers that their parents aren't so bad and the world away from your family is much worse than you will ever have at home.
I am all for teaching children the danger of drugs and the wrong crowd. I thought this would be a good way to teach my children these lessons, but I am not okay with teaching them through lies.
This book should be marketed as fiction and stopped being published with the author "anonymous" so as to present it as a true diary from a teenager.
I saw a 50 year anniversary addition of Go Ask Alice at Wal-Mart. I had never heard of this book so I picked it up and was shocked to learn that this is a diary of a teenage girl and her battle with drug addiction. I wanted to get this book and one day, have my children read this book. I was slightly offended that I had never even heard of this diary.
So I bought the book, which I rarely do, and started reading. But something didn't seem right. Something didn't ring true. So I started Googling the book and low and behold, this is almost assuredly not a true diary of a teenage girl and her battle with drug addiction.
Beatrice Sparks claims this is an edited version of the diary but her second book, which claims to be a diary of a boy's journey with the occult, was found out to have only 21 authentic entries and the other 191 were fiction.
This book seems to be a someone's attempt to scare children away from drugs with dangers of addiction, vindictive addicts, rape, homosexuality at the same time, trying to remind teenagers that their parents aren't so bad and the world away from your family is much worse than you will ever have at home.
I am all for teaching children the danger of drugs and the wrong crowd. I thought this would be a good way to teach my children these lessons, but I am not okay with teaching them through lies.
This book should be marketed as fiction and stopped being published with the author "anonymous" so as to present it as a true diary from a teenager.
mary_do_12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i have come to the attention that this might not be real, and i will continue to ignore that fact. it is real to me.
and i sobbed like a baby.
and i sobbed like a baby.
mysteriesofmar's review against another edition
2.0
i've heard a lot of people tell me that they were forced to read this as a drug abuse prevention technique in high school, which makes me sad. my teacher gave me this book and wanted me to look for what was wrong with its message, and that's what makes this book important: to start a conversation about how we market and discuss drug abuse.
giving this book to a child in an attempt to stop them from using hard drugs is a mistake. this (probably entirely fictional) story was written to be something that scares you. scare tactics may work with some kids, but for others it might influence them to do just that. scaring children is not a good way of teaching them. instead, sit them down and talk to them about the facts because, believe it or not, kids can be pretty good at listening when you give them the chance. this is another discussion for another day, but i just want everyone to stop and think for a moment before they give this to a kid. it might not have the effect you want.
as a book, something read for pleasure, i derived absolutely no pleasure from having read this. i spent however many weeks reading this for a class assignment, and as much as i enjoyed criticizing this work and what it's used for in academia, i did not enjoy reading it. it scared me, but felt unrealistic all the while, and there was nothing that characterizes good literature in here. read if you want to know the controversy but otherwise skip so as not to waste your time.
giving this book to a child in an attempt to stop them from using hard drugs is a mistake. this (probably entirely fictional) story was written to be something that scares you. scare tactics may work with some kids, but for others it might influence them to do just that. scaring children is not a good way of teaching them. instead, sit them down and talk to them about the facts because, believe it or not, kids can be pretty good at listening when you give them the chance. this is another discussion for another day, but i just want everyone to stop and think for a moment before they give this to a kid. it might not have the effect you want.
as a book, something read for pleasure, i derived absolutely no pleasure from having read this. i spent however many weeks reading this for a class assignment, and as much as i enjoyed criticizing this work and what it's used for in academia, i did not enjoy reading it. it scared me, but felt unrealistic all the while, and there was nothing that characterizes good literature in here. read if you want to know the controversy but otherwise skip so as not to waste your time.
bookworm356's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahmcgurren13's review against another edition
2.0
Once I heard that the author's validity was in question, my whole attitude towards the book changed. It kind of ruined the book for me because I was constantly questioning if the information was accurate or even believable- there were very mixed reviews on here on the subject. Overall, I gave it two stars because real or not, it is an example of the damages drugs can do. At times, I personally felt it was borderline unbelievable, however it was written in the 70s, so again, I cannot say for sure.
whalenmaggie6's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5