Recently I reread the book Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. Published in 1971, the book takes the form of a diary of a fifteen year old girl who develops an addiction to drugs. I had read it once when I was a teenager, but I could not remember what happened. After reading, I decided to look the book up and see what I could find out. It claims to be a true story. There is some debate as to whether or not it is completely true, but nobody knows for certain. Then I discovered there was a movie that had been made based on the book. The movie of the same title debuted in 1973.
I watched the movie on YouTube (https://youtu.be/CBxT53r2AlU), and I was honestly disappointed in the movie. I realize the movie was made in 1973, but there were so many inconsistencies. The biggest issue I had was this: in the movie, the parents knew about her issues with drugs, but in the book, her parents were clueless. The most important aspects (drugs, the ending, etc.) were all there. It was also partly told by readings of the diary which made the connection to the book stronger. I do not want to give away any of the details of either of them, but I encourage parents of teens and teens to read the book!
Here is the question I am left with: Does Go Ask Alice glorify drug use or does it show teens the dangers of drug use and abuse?
My question remains unanswered. I personally have never used drugs, so I cannot relate to Alice's addiction. Maybe my decision to not do drugs was partly because I read this book and was fearful. Maybe it was because my parents were open and honest about the consequences of drug use. Maybe it was because of something else. It's hard to say, but I can honestly say that this book scared me even as an adult. It caused me to worry about my daughter when she gets older and to be thankful that I never got into drugs.
Megan, I think this is a topic that parents and teachers will struggle with for all time. It's hard because kids go through so much. Between peer pressure, pressure from society and parents, pressure from school, drugs seem like an easy way out. I get it. It just never appealed to me personally. It's frightening, and I wish I had the answers because that would make life SO much easier and less frightening as a parent and educator!
ReplyDeleteAlex, I think you ask a great question. Whether this book glorifies drug use or does it show the dangers. I think it does both depending on where the reader is at in their lives. When I read this as an eighth grader it scared the crap out of me. If I were to read it again in high school during my experimental phases, I may have thought of it as giving me good ideas. Now thinking of the book as an adult I think the way you did, scared for my own children. One of the things that really kept me away from drugs was the science behind it. How it rotted holes in your brain, or made you overheat and die etc. When adults tried to tell me as a teenager that it just wasn't cool I never bought that line. When they explained that it was so detrimental to my health, I listened a little closer.
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