Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. New York: Simon Pulse, 2006.
Plot Summary: This book is based on the diary entries of a 15 year old girl. After her family moves to another town she is worried that she’ll never get to see the boy she likes again. Her parents agree to send her to stay with her grandparents for the summer; it is during this trip that she is first introduced to drugs and she quickly becomes hooked. Each time she takes drugs she promises herself it will be the last time. She soon finds herself selling drugs for her boyfriend and after she sells drugs to an elementary school student she realises she needs to change her life. But she isn’t clean long when she falls back into her old habits. This book is all about her struggle to kick the drugs once and for all but even with the love and support of her family this is not an easy task.
Notes: This book is quite controversial not only for the drug use depicted in it but also because it is classified as fiction despite its claims it is based on an actual diary. Some people argue that it is complete fiction and the woman who is listed as the editor in some editions is actually the author. While I do not know if this book is complete fiction or if there is any truth to it I do think it is important to acknowledge the controversy even if it does take away some of the impact of the book. The book is named after the Jefferson Airplane song White Rabbit.
Characters/People:
Anonymous: The main character is the 15 year old diarist, whose name we are never given. Some people refer to as Alice but this is simply because it is convenient.
Mom and Dad: The parents of the main character who she thinks don’t love her but they always welcome her back with open arms every time she runs away.
Tim and Alexandria: Her little brother and sister.
Jill: The girl who invites her to the party where she first tries drugs.
Carol: Her friend and co-worker, they run away together to try and kick their drug habits.
Jackie: Another drug addict who does not want Anonymous to quit taking drugs.
Joel: A boy she meets and who she wants to get clean for.
This book is intended to be read by teens of any age. I have seen it categorized under Children’s Books, Teens and Secondary (senior) school students. Despite to subject matter no part of this book is extremely graphic which makes the book appropriate for readers as young as 12 or 13.
