Bookbanners like to take go ask alice out of libraries because they think. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. Sep 23, 2011 mark twain story formally unbanned in us. Go ask alice, written originally in 1971 is still relevant today. Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. Since its publishing in 1971, go ask alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous banned books.
To read more on why alice in wonderland is on the american library associations top 100 banned books list click here. My plan was to read this for banned book week, and although i did not finish it during the week i meant to, i did finish it. Carrolls parodies of wordsworth and tennyson in the alice books. Top books that were banned at schools whats your favorite banned book. While this was my second time reading go ask alice, my first time. Of course, the very fact that a book is on a banned book often makes kids want to read it and find out why.
Library associations top 10 list of banned books so many times. See all 25 questions about go ask alice lists with this book. Title stance on the book 3 articles it was banned challenged in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009 it was banned usually in schools and libraries title. I am always on the look out for classics and banned books often one and the same when i seen a copy of this book. The list go ask alice has been one of the most frequently challenged books, according to the american library associations frequently challenged books of the 21st century list, since its publication in 1971, for content relating to drugs, sexual explicitness, offensive language, and inappropriate themes for the target age group frequently challenged 1. They say its an annual snapshot of issues that concern americans. Every question is read, and each week a handful of health professionals give five new thoughtful and thorough answers. Go ask alice has been one of the most frequently challenged books, according to. Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice.
Everything seems normal at first, but that soon changes when she is enticed into the world of drugs. View the censorship by the numbers infographic for 2018. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition against. Sep 27, 2016 i think you mean go ask alice by anonymous aka beatrice sparks, but anywho. Her habit eventually becomes a problem, leading her to run away from home numerous times, before landing herself into. Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and committed suicide, is the most frequently censored book in high school libraries, according to a survey of librarians. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. Banned books the official alice blog by phyllis reynolds naylor. Go ask alice book by anonymous official publisher page. As as child in high school i was 15, im 49 now, i read the book go ask alice, i was a loner i wanted cool friends. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive. The teacher, who had used the book before with huge success, was shocked when it was removed in violation of the districts complaint policies and procedures.
Banned books according to, more than 60% of teens are doing or have done drugs at one time. A dark and edgy firstperson cautionary tale about how one girls seemingly minor choices quickly spiraled into a life as a sex worker in the tradition of go ask alice and lucy in. May 16, 2017 go ask alice in the book, go ask alice, a young girl, who felt like an outcast, was invited to a party. By thi time i was finished with the book i knew what i wanted i saw the exciting life i wanted. There are more than 5 million copies sold,so why ban it. The kids who were there were considered popular at her old school. The diary begins right before alices fifteenth birthday. In honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks go ask alice. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube. Go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the. It sits at number 18 on the american library associations list of 100 most frequently challenged books from 20002009. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
View essay go ask alice banned book project from english english ii at leonia high. Now, its the controversy about the creation of the diary that has. So many people mistake the words they are reading as a tool to promote what the book is talking about. Apr 07, 2015 on american library associations lists of most banned literature, go ask alice came in as number 25 between years 19901999, number 18 between years 20002009, and in 2003 alone, it ranked number 6 frequently challenged books. Below is a list of books that have been banned, along with the reasons cited for banning them. A mothers objection to language in go ask alice so stirred the principal thatwith no time for discussionhe demanded that the books be collected immediately. Of the 483 books challenged or banned in 2018, the top 11 most challenged books are.
Sep 23, 2014 in honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. Go ask alice should be banned from middle school and elementary libraries and only permitted at the high school level because of the use of vulgar language, the use of illegal substances, and the explicit descriptions of the activities being done throughout the book. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of selfdestructive escapism. Its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do. Go ask alice is small, 224 under size pages and written in diary format so is a quick read. In honor of this glorious celebration of our freedom to read what we want, lets pause for a sec and remember there are people out there still trying to take this freedom away for dumb reasons like not wanting their kids to read the word nipple. Go ask alice was written in the 1970s, a decade with a very unique sense of style.
Mark twain story formally unbanned in us libraries the. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. To see our exhibit featuring alice in wonderland visit the department of special collections located on the 5 th floor of mcfarlin library, open to the public mondayfriday 85. This is for my english class bannedbook week assignment. A mothers objection to language in go ask alice so stirred the principal thatwith no time for discussionhe demanded that the books be. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to.
Make your own 1970s project to wear or use as decoration. For more information about banned books week, please visit. I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real.
Parents and school boards were worried that this book would encourage teens and preteens to. For thirtyfive years, the acclaimed, bestselling firstperson account of a teenage girls harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. I wanted her life it seemed cool it was a way to lose weight. In the same vein, go ask alice is young adult literature because thats the audience it was specifically geared toward. Well be looking at why the book was challenged, howif things have changed since the book was originally published and what we actually think of the book. The novel has numerous references to sex, heavy drug use, and teen pregnancy causing libraries and schools across the country to ban the novel from their. It graphically describes the waking hell into which the main character descends, her heartfelt but futile battles to return home and stay clean, her pleas to god to. Shannon lark as the rabbit sallie smith as alice asked in united kingdom, alices adventures in wonderland book. Alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. But, unlike some books and many movies these experiences are not glamorized at all.
Im sure the book was banned due to its drug use and sex references. This site includes analysis of the text supported by research, the right to intellectual freedom, censorship of go ask alice, the effects of censorship on minority groups from the dominant culture, my personal position, and interactive extras to enhance the learning process. Go ask alice is one of the most banned books of all time. Nowadays ya lit is pretty universalharry potter really opened the doors for people to read childrens books no matter what their agebut in 1971 when our book was written that wasnt really the case. Yet it was originally promoted as nonfiction, its still sold as by anonymous and the copy i have has this is alices true story on the cover plus the blurb on the back, the foreword and the psychologists comment at the back everything is still packaged to make out this is nonfiction. She was so excited to finally be accepted by them, all she ever really wanted was to be one of them. Due to its frequent and strong references to sex, heavy drug usage, and teen pregnancy, libraries and schools across the country have banned the novel as it sits at number 23 on the american library association ala 100 most.
Go ask alice is my current read for banned books week. The ala office for intellectual freedom tracked 347 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2018. Top 10 most challenged books lists advocacy, legislation. Some of the recurring reasons for it being banned are language, sexual content, and drug use. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition. If go ask alice will continue to be banned, how will people like alice be able to relate. A case against banning go ask alice by hazel dela paz on prezi. She is a pretty typical teenage girl in the late 1960sshes mostly concerned with school, boys, her hair, and fitting in okay, thats pretty typical for any decade. Mar 27, 2008 its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do. As a highschooler,go ask alice shouldnt be banned because im mature enough to take in the intense content. Sep 01, 2008 do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. Based on the diary of a fifteenyearold girl who turned to drugs because of her feelings of loneliness and rebellion against the world.
Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books. Go ask alice is a diary novel of a girl, but the reader is never given the authors name. Go ask alice banned book project go ask alice when the book. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library.
May 14, 2016 every year the nations librarians compile a list of books that the public or officials have sought to ban from library shelves. Glendale community colleges enh 295 banned books and censorship course. The book was adapted into the 1973 television film go ask alice, starring jamie smithjackson and william shatner. Banned books, beatrice sparks, contemporary fiction, drug addiction, go ask alice, young adult fiction post navigation jul 03, 2014 go ask alice was published anonymously in 1971, but in the last two decades, it still lives in the top 25 most frequently banned books, according to the american library association. Jul 17, 2016 go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks. Oct, 20 some alice books by legendary childrens author phyllis reynolds naylor. Go ask alice is a memoir that follows the diary of a teenage girl during the late sixties. Today we feature the year 1993 and go ask alice, by anonymous. Banned and challenged books missouri secretary of state. After my current reading, i was left feeling uneasy about the ending and how. Go ask alice when the book was first published in 1971, the novel had no known author or editor as the cover. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication. If you look on line, you will find there is much discrepancy about this claim.
Also there is no exact tally of the number of places that ban a certain book. The book and especially the ending shows the harsh reality of drugs and addiction in teenagers. However, the ala keeps track of official challenges and go ask alice is a frequently challenged book. A banned book is a book removed from a school or library by a school system, parental group, religious group or government. I see your books as a tool for helping young readers, both on their own or as a source of advice on who they can go to for helpguidance. As it has been hailed by scholars as the epitome of the literary nonsense genre and by children for its vivid imagery and comical whimsy, it may surprise some to find lewis carrolls pseudonym for charles dodgson alices adventures in wonderland on a list of banned books. I think it is very sad that some people try to limit what children are exposed to as a means of protecting them. Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and committed suicide, is the most frequently censored book in high school libraries, according to a. Supposedly based on a diary of a young teenage girl, the book had me gripped from beginning to end.