A note from our Executive Director: As our peer support group launched earlier this spring, a survivor recommended that we start a book club and the suggestion was met with so much enthusiasm! One survivor - the author of this book review - suggested we start with Go Ask Alice. As we continue with book club, we look forward to sharing perspectives and reviews from participants. Please also scroll to the bottom of this post to read more about Restorations’ policy around amplifying survivors’ voices and compensating them fairly for their energy and contributions.
What stood out to you about the book?
Go Ask Alice is a captivating, eye-opening book of the struggles of adolescence alongside the harsh underbelly of recreational drug use and the world of addiction. Although set in the late 1960’s, Go Ask Alice is still relatable today. A novel that can serve as an educational and preventative tool for young teens as well as a reminder to many adults of the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.
That is what really stood out to me while reading the various diary entries that make up this novel: to think that here we sit in the year 2020 and as much as the times have changed, many aspects of this novel still ring true. Youth today not only struggle with many of the same adversities the main character, Alice, had to overcome, but also have the added layer of technology and social media to navigate. This book shares a multitude of lessons on the acts of forgiveness, second chances, the value of a support system, and the ramifications of untreated mental health.
Youth today not only struggle with many of the same adversities the main character, Alice, had to overcome, but also have the added layer of technology and social media to navigate.
Were there any parts or elements of the book you didn’t like or found challenging?
The book as a whole is an easy and intriguing read, structured as such that you are walking though life in Alice’s shoes. As a result, portions of the book can be heavy. Although many experiences are detailed and the author was able to make readers empathize with Alice, much of the book leaves you questioning why and how things happened the way they did. Many injustices go unanswered, and it can be a struggle to digest the missing pieces of this book’s ending.
What does this book mean to you specifically as a survivor?
As a survivor, this book was almost personal to read. Although I did not struggle with drugs or addiction, I related to Alice and saw a plethora of similarities between her teenage years and the struggles of my own. I felt her pain as she struggled through body image challenges, from her binge eating to her starvation diets. I felt her anxiety as she sewed the perfect outfit to wear on the first day of school, fearful of other people’s judgements. I reminisced as she shared stories of what it was like to live in a tight knit family, much like my own. Then when her world came tumbling down, I connected with the feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, survival, depression, pain, anger and fear. For I too have felt many of those same emotions. I even related to her keeping a diary as I too once found great strength in pouring out my heart within a diary’s trusted pages.
I first read Go Ask Alice in my pre-teen years in the eighth grade. I can remember being captivated by the diary entries and in fact did not know it was a work of fiction. I remember thinking, “woaaaaa note to self: don’t drop acid!” I had just learned drugs like mushrooms or LSD even existed from the prevention programs I was taught in school. I didn’t know where one would get drugs let alone fathom the idea of getting high and running away with my best friend to another city (like Alice did in the book). Things like that happened in books and maybe in major cities, I thought! My naive attitude back then was much the same as Alice’s. In fact, a blissful state of nativity mixed with the overwhelming sense of needing and wanting to belong is what set me down my own path to becoming exploited.
In fact, a blissful state of nativity mixed with the overwhelming sense of needing and wanting to belong is what set me down my own path to becoming exploited.
Now reading this book in my late 20’s after living through my own struggles as a teenager and young adult what I take away from this book is how lucky I am to have such an amazing family and support system. It rings true that there is power in numbers and to overcome adversity it can be a huge blessing to have a helping hand. My story has a much better outcome than Alice’s, and I mourn for her character and also for the members of her family who struggled right along side her.
Who would you recommend read this book?
I would highly recommend this book to pre-teens and teens who are curious to take an inside look of the dangers of drugs. What I think could be even more powerful is if schools, book clubs, and youth groups could read this book as a group and start an open discussion and dialogue. I believe it could be extremely impactful to allow youth the opportunity to crush down barriers and create an environment of peer support.
Not only do I believe this book can be a learning tool for youth, but it also benefits adults. This book serves a good reminder of just how hard teenage years can be and perhaps help to replenish empathy when engaging with teens.
For parents and guardians of teenagers, this book serves a good reminder of just how hard those teenage years can be and perhaps help to replenish empathy when working with teens.
Book rating out of 5 stars?
⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is a solid 4 out of 5 stars and a true classic that is just as prevalent today as ever.
Review by Michelle
Note: Restorations recognizes the importance of financially compensating survivors for their time, energy, and expertise and, as such, we financially compensate all survivors who contribute written pieces for the blog. We strongly believe in the necessity of financial compensation for this work, and we urge other organizations who request survivors to speak, write, or consult for their organization to do likewise for the following reasons:
to demonstrate a commitment to honour and respect survivors’ time, energy, and expertise;
to demonstrate an appreciation for the emotional, mental, and physical energy necessary to share their experiences with us in order to benefit others;
and to demonstrate a commitment to developing the economic independence of survivors.
