Essay, Research Paper: "Go Ask Alice."

1. Go Ask Alice2. 188 pages, Date of Publication: 1971, Published by Prenitce-Hall Inc. 3. There were many facts I knew about this book before I read it. I knew it had been a diary of teenage girl, Alice, who was a drug addict. Many of my friends and people I knew have read this book and they gave me the general idea of the book. Everyone had told me that this was a true story and a real diary. I also heard from a friend that Alice attempts suicide. 4. From reading this book I learned new facts about the life of girl who was a drug addict. I learned from this book that drugs can pull you into a complicated world, that is horrible. Because this book is a real story I learned that many of the stereotypes of drugs that most people claim to be fake are real. For example, in the story Alice is often pressured to take drugs and it teased and taunted by her peers when she tries to stop using drugs. Maybe things ran differently when this diary was written but the rule in teen society today is that no one is pressured to do drugs unless that person is willing. After reading the book I learned I was given wrong information. Earlier I said that someone told me that Alice attempts suicide. I discovered after I read the book that the cause of her death is unknown. She stopped writing her diary and three weeks later she died. The diary of herself and her experiences were intriguing. I learned that Alice never willingly chose to use drugs. She went to a party and drank soda that contained cocaine and from then on she was addicted to drugs. Alice also ran away from home twice because she wanted to start fresh.
5. In the book there were many new words that I learned. Five of them are transgression, confidant, vitality, excursion and prodigal. Transgression is the act of going over the limit and violating a rule or command. In the book Alice is regretful for all her transgressions, like stealing, abusing drugs and running away from home. Confidant is a person whom one confides personal matters of secret. Alice refers to the diary as her dearest closest confidant in whom she can share any secret with. Vitality is physical or intellectual vigor; energy. When Alice is high on drugs she claims she has vitality and energy. Excursion is a short brief journey made for pleasure. In the book Alice's excursions are with her partying with drugs. Prodigal means recklessly wasteful. Alice uses prodigal to describe herself because she is recklessly wasteful in the good things that have come to her in life. 6. I would recommend this book to a friend for three reasons. First of all, because it is a great book that shows you how drugs can complicate your life and how it is not glamorous or cool. Second of all, I would recommend this book because it was written by a teen this way most teenagers will enjoy reading this book. And last of all I think this is a recommendable book because most adolescents have read this book and then if you read the book you would've shared the same experience with your peers.