Difference between revisions of "Looking for Alaska"
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
'''''Looking for Alaska''''' is a teen coming of age novel written by [[John Green]] and published on 2005-03-03. The book was intended to be made into a movie, but, after years of stalling, it was eventually adapted into a [[Looking for Alaska (miniseries)|miniseries]] in 2019. Due to descriptions of teens drinking, smoking, and having sex, it became one of the American Library Association's [[list of ALA challenged books|most-challenged books]]. | '''''Looking for Alaska''''' is a teen coming of age novel written by [[John Green]] and published on 2005-03-03. The book was intended to be made into a movie, but, after years of stalling, it was eventually adapted into a [[Looking for Alaska (miniseries)|miniseries]] in 2019. Due to descriptions of teens drinking, smoking, and having sex, it became one of the American Library Association's [[list of ALA challenged books|most-challenged books]]. | ||
| − | + | The story follows Miles "Pudge" Halter, a skinny teen nerd who has grown bored of his simple home life and seeks a bigger challenge, in a distant boarding school. Once there he discovers that most of the kids are smarter than he is, and have with richer families, but he is still able to make friends with a few other students who aren't stuck up. In particular there is Alaska Young, a beautiful and teen girl who is way out of his league and keeps getting him into trouble with her constant desire to stave off boredom with pranks, sex (but not with him), and drugs. | |
==Personal== | ==Personal== | ||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | I first heard about John Green through his YouTube videos with [[Hank Green]] and was surprised years later | + | I first heard about John Green through his YouTube videos with [[Hank Green]] and was surprised to learn years later he was also a published author. I didn't look much into his books, but, while searching for a new challenged book to read, his name caught my eye, so I decided to try it out. I was impressed. |
==Review== | ==Review== | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
===Good=== | ===Good=== | ||
| − | * The three main characters are all well-written and believable. | + | * The three main characters are all well-written and believable teens. They get into mischief, abuse substances out of boredom, make poorly-thought-out mistakes, get embarrassed by sex, all the usual stuff. |
| − | * There are several passages which I thought were | + | * There are several passages which I thought were cleverly written. |
* Green does a good job describing how people react when a friend dies — a combination of sorrow, guilt, and anger. Also, I like that, while Green doesn't leave the reader completely hanging, he doesn't solve the mystery for them either. | * Green does a good job describing how people react when a friend dies — a combination of sorrow, guilt, and anger. Also, I like that, while Green doesn't leave the reader completely hanging, he doesn't solve the mystery for them either. | ||
===Bad=== | ===Bad=== | ||
| − | * Alaska Young, though a fully realized character in her own right, still functions largely as a [[manic pixie dream girl]] | + | * Alaska Young, though a fully realized character in her own right, still functions largely as a [[manic pixie dream girl]]. I assume she is meant to have undiagnosed bipolar disorder. |
| − | * Occasionally, I would read a simile or idiom that felt a bit forced or out of place. For example, there is a passage where Pudge compares Alaska to heavy rain, but it would have made more sense if it were used several chapters earlier, when it was raining | + | * Occasionally, I would read a simile or idiom that felt a bit forced or out of place. For example, there is a passage where Pudge compares Alaska to heavy rain, but it would have made more sense if it were used several chapters earlier, when it was actually raining. |
* Having the Colonel's mom cover for a prank is one thing, having Pudge's father take part in a prank seemed a bit far fetched. | * Having the Colonel's mom cover for a prank is one thing, having Pudge's father take part in a prank seemed a bit far fetched. | ||
| − | * The slow reveal of events as the | + | * The slow reveal of events as the teens search for clues is poorly paced causing the book to drag a bit near the end. |
| − | * The indestructible soul Pudge ascribes to Alaska | + | * The indestructible soul Pudge ascribes to Alaska in the end, while it fits the book's theme and the character's maturity, is still a bit annoying. |
===Ugly=== | ===Ugly=== | ||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
* I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails. | * I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails. | ||
* Because memories fall apart, too. And then you're left with nothing, left not even with a ghost but with its shadow. In the beginning, she had haunted me, haunted my dreams, but even now, just weeks later, she was slipping away, falling apart in my memory and everyone else's, dying again. | * Because memories fall apart, too. And then you're left with nothing, left not even with a ghost but with its shadow. In the beginning, she had haunted me, haunted my dreams, but even now, just weeks later, she was slipping away, falling apart in my memory and everyone else's, dying again. | ||
| + | * For a moment, she was quiet. Then she grabbed my hand, whispered, "Run run run run run," and took off, pulling me behind her. | ||
* But we can't know better until knowing better is useless. | * But we can't know better until knowing better is useless. | ||
* I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to. | * I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to. | ||
* They love their hair because they're not smart enough to love something more interesting. | * They love their hair because they're not smart enough to love something more interesting. | ||
* She's cute, I thought, but you don't need to like a girl who treats you like you're ten: You've already got a mom. | * She's cute, I thought, but you don't need to like a girl who treats you like you're ten: You've already got a mom. | ||
| − | |||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_Alaska}} | {{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_Alaska}} | ||
{{Link|GoodReads|https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska}} | {{Link|GoodReads|https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska}} | ||
Revision as of 10:36, 20 March 2024
| Looking for Alaska | ||||||||||||
|
Looking for Alaska is a teen coming of age novel written by John Green and published on 2005-03-03. The book was intended to be made into a movie, but, after years of stalling, it was eventually adapted into a miniseries in 2019. Due to descriptions of teens drinking, smoking, and having sex, it became one of the American Library Association's most-challenged books.
The story follows Miles "Pudge" Halter, a skinny teen nerd who has grown bored of his simple home life and seeks a bigger challenge, in a distant boarding school. Once there he discovers that most of the kids are smarter than he is, and have with richer families, but he is still able to make friends with a few other students who aren't stuck up. In particular there is Alaska Young, a beautiful and teen girl who is way out of his league and keeps getting him into trouble with her constant desire to stave off boredom with pranks, sex (but not with him), and drugs.
Personal
| Own? | No. |
|---|---|
| Read? | Yes. Audiobook read by Wil Wheaton |
| Finished | 2024-03-19. |
I first heard about John Green through his YouTube videos with Hank Green and was surprised to learn years later he was also a published author. I didn't look much into his books, but, while searching for a new challenged book to read, his name caught my eye, so I decided to try it out. I was impressed.
Review
|
Overall: |
|
— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- The three main characters are all well-written and believable teens. They get into mischief, abuse substances out of boredom, make poorly-thought-out mistakes, get embarrassed by sex, all the usual stuff.
- There are several passages which I thought were cleverly written.
- Green does a good job describing how people react when a friend dies — a combination of sorrow, guilt, and anger. Also, I like that, while Green doesn't leave the reader completely hanging, he doesn't solve the mystery for them either.
Bad
- Alaska Young, though a fully realized character in her own right, still functions largely as a manic pixie dream girl. I assume she is meant to have undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
- Occasionally, I would read a simile or idiom that felt a bit forced or out of place. For example, there is a passage where Pudge compares Alaska to heavy rain, but it would have made more sense if it were used several chapters earlier, when it was actually raining.
- Having the Colonel's mom cover for a prank is one thing, having Pudge's father take part in a prank seemed a bit far fetched.
- The slow reveal of events as the teens search for clues is poorly paced causing the book to drag a bit near the end.
- The indestructible soul Pudge ascribes to Alaska in the end, while it fits the book's theme and the character's maturity, is still a bit annoying.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Representation
| Strong female character? | Pass | Alaska is confident, intelligent, and eager to change her world for the better. |
|---|---|---|
| Bechdel test? | Pass | Alaska and Lara talk to each other. |
| Strong person of color character? | Fail | Takumi Hikohito is Japanese, but he's a minor character |
| Queer character? | Fail | There are no queer characters. |
Quotes
- You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.
- I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.
- Because memories fall apart, too. And then you're left with nothing, left not even with a ghost but with its shadow. In the beginning, she had haunted me, haunted my dreams, but even now, just weeks later, she was slipping away, falling apart in my memory and everyone else's, dying again.
- For a moment, she was quiet. Then she grabbed my hand, whispered, "Run run run run run," and took off, pulling me behind her.
- But we can't know better until knowing better is useless.
- I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to.
- They love their hair because they're not smart enough to love something more interesting.
- She's cute, I thought, but you don't need to like a girl who treats you like you're ten: You've already got a mom.
Links
Categories:
- Books
- Books Published in 2005
- Teen Books
- Books written by John Green
- Fiction
- Book Genre - Drama
- Media Theme - Coming of age
- Media Theme - Death
- Media Theme - Friendship
- Media Theme - Suicide
- Media Theme - Teen
- Books I Don't Own
- Books I've Read
- Books Rated - 7
- Books with a strong female character
- Books that pass the Bechdel test
- Books without a strong person of color character
- Books without a queer character
