Green, John. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton 2005. Print.
First Sentences:
The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party
To say that I had low expectations would be to underestimate the matter dramatically.
Description:
If you are seeking a travel book, don't bother with John Green's Looking for Alaska. Despite its title, this coming-of-age novel has nothing to do with the fiftieth state, but instead refers to a teenage female student named "Alaska" (she was allowed to choose her own name by her parents) and her small circle of friends at a private boarding school in Alabama.
Alaska Young is a free spirit, full of life, pranks, and off-beat thoughts. But she also has a darker side where she refuses to answer any questions beginning with "Who, What, Where, When, Why, or How." She drinks and smokes in secret too much, falls asleep at the drop of a hat, and can be outrageously insulting at times. But her fascinating curiosity and energy drives her and her friends to new heights in conversation and actions.
Her gang includes the book's narrator, Miles Hatter, nicknamed "Pudge" for his skinniness; Pudge's roommate Chip, nicknamed "the Colonel" for his intricately organized pranks and his memory of facts from the world almanac and dictionary; and Takumi, who has no nickname but is privately in love with Alaska. But then again, so is Pudge along with most other male students at Culver Creek school.
The foursome sits around discussing school, books, pranks, fellow students, and life. And that's about it. Maybe that sounds boring, but it's brilliantly written and realistically portrayed by all four characters, so it rolls along splendidly.
Chapters are curiously titled, one hundred twenty-eight days before, two days before, etc. and then, twenty-seven days after. Of course, that means there is a significant event half-way through the book that changes all their lives. What happens? Well, you will just have to read Green''s novel.
Looking for Alaska is a bit A Separate Peace, some The Catcher in the Rye, and part Brewster (one of my favorite schoolmates coming-of-age books). Green, the best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars and the new Turtles All the Way Down, captures the thoughts and worries of teenagers perfectly in the privacy of their dorm rooms, how they plan to attack life and those who oppose their sensibilities, and what activities are worthwhile to pursue.
The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party
To say that I had low expectations would be to underestimate the matter dramatically.
Description:
If you are seeking a travel book, don't bother with John Green's Looking for Alaska. Despite its title, this coming-of-age novel has nothing to do with the fiftieth state, but instead refers to a teenage female student named "Alaska" (she was allowed to choose her own name by her parents) and her small circle of friends at a private boarding school in Alabama.
Alaska Young is a free spirit, full of life, pranks, and off-beat thoughts. But she also has a darker side where she refuses to answer any questions beginning with "Who, What, Where, When, Why, or How." She drinks and smokes in secret too much, falls asleep at the drop of a hat, and can be outrageously insulting at times. But her fascinating curiosity and energy drives her and her friends to new heights in conversation and actions.
Her gang includes the book's narrator, Miles Hatter, nicknamed "Pudge" for his skinniness; Pudge's roommate Chip, nicknamed "the Colonel" for his intricately organized pranks and his memory of facts from the world almanac and dictionary; and Takumi, who has no nickname but is privately in love with Alaska. But then again, so is Pudge along with most other male students at Culver Creek school.
The foursome sits around discussing school, books, pranks, fellow students, and life. And that's about it. Maybe that sounds boring, but it's brilliantly written and realistically portrayed by all four characters, so it rolls along splendidly.
Chapters are curiously titled, one hundred twenty-eight days before, two days before, etc. and then, twenty-seven days after. Of course, that means there is a significant event half-way through the book that changes all their lives. What happens? Well, you will just have to read Green''s novel.
Looking for Alaska is a bit A Separate Peace, some The Catcher in the Rye, and part Brewster (one of my favorite schoolmates coming-of-age books). Green, the best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars and the new Turtles All the Way Down, captures the thoughts and worries of teenagers perfectly in the privacy of their dorm rooms, how they plan to attack life and those who oppose their sensibilities, and what activities are worthwhile to pursue.
If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can't know better until knowing better is useless.It is a fine peek into the minds and lives of friends living through the challenges and joys of their teenage years. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Four teens find each other and band together in friendship during their trouble high school years. Brilliant. (previously reviewed here)
Two teenage boys, one outstandingly popular and athletic, the other introverted and scholarly, bond together in friendship at an exclusive boarding school after World War II....until a tragedy occurs under mysterious circumstances that affects both their lives. A classic.
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