In honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. Then she used drugs again and she comes into a hospital. Today we feature the year 1993 and go ask alice, by anonymous. Go ask alice by anonymous banned book but was it real. In fact, few modern books have as bloody a publication history. However, the ala keeps track of official challenges and go ask alice is a frequently challenged book. In the tradition of go ask alice and lucy in the sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction. The alas office for intellectual freedom oif receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country.
A mothers objection to language in go ask alice so stirred the principal thatwith no time for discussionhe demanded that the books be. 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. 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. Banned books are books or other printed works such as essays or plays which are prohibited by law or to which free access is not permitted by other means. In fact, a majority of book banning cases relate to works found in school libraries rather than in public ones. To read more on why alice in wonderland is on the american library associations top 100 banned books list click here. Banned books the official alice blog by phyllis reynolds. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. The ala also promotes banned books week, an annual event in september that celebrates the freedom to read. The collection features some serious pieces of literature james joyces ulysses, f. 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. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years. 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.
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 a highschooler,go ask alice shouldnt be banned because im mature enough to take in the intense content. 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. Book banning has existed in america since colonial times, when legislatures and royal governors enacted laws against blasphemy and seditious libel. 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 was banned in china because it had animals using human language.
Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. 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 a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age. The notion that this elderly dame and the sevenyearold of the books were one and the same person took root in received opinion, and there it has stuck.
Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. Scott fitzgerald great gilly hopkins, the by katherine paterson. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. These are the 100 most frequently challenged books from 2000 to 2009, as reported to the alas office for intellectual freedom ala, top 100 bannedchallenged books. Top books that were banned at schools whats your favorite banned book. There are more than 5 million copies sold,so why ban it. Also there is no exact tally of the number of places that ban a certain book. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books.
Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. If go ask alice will continue to be banned, how will people like alice be able to relate. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. 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. 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. Banned books that are available online list from the university of. We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. A story of order and a nightgown with little anchors then a book.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. Highlighting the value of free and open access to information, banned books week brings together the entire book communitylibrarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all typesin shared support of the freedom to seek, publish, read, and express. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube. Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away.
Although books had been banned before and after the satanic verses, but none had led to their author having a death warrant put on the authors head. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition against. A list of the books people tried to ban in us schools in 2016 has been compiled by the american library association ala the most common reasons cited for book banning attempts were homosexuality and unsuited for age group although one see number two below was because it. 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.
She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download. Scott fitzgeralds tender is the night, huxleys brave new world, etc. Phyllis reynolds naylor, oracle for teenagehood, says. 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. Legislatures in the early american republic passed laws against obscenity. Alice walker banned explores just what it is that various groups have found so threatening in walkers work, bringing together the short stories roselily and am i blue.
All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. Banned books master list kurt vonnegut museum and library. Can you believe even the lorax has been banned before. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited. Famed for being one of the most banned, censored and challenged books ever following its publication in 1951, the catcher in the rye tells the story of teenage antihero holden caulfield as he. Young adult bannedchallenged books books written for ya audiences, those featuring a ya main character. A banned book is a book removed from a school or library by a school system, parental group, religious group or government. And now, after books that have spanned alices life from ages 8 to 18, the final alice mckinley book will be released tuesday. 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. Where has alice in wonderland 1865 book been banned.
The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. Originally sold as the real diary of an actual teenager, go ask alice is the fauxmemoir of a 15yearold girl whose life is dominated by her drug problems, following her experiences from her. I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. This is a large part of why her writing is such wonderful literature and excellent teaching material. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle. She challenges our ideas, our perceptions, and our life choices. At her birthday 20 september she meets joel again and its going well between them. Though freedom of the press has grown significantly over the course of the.
Although frequently banned titles include the grapes of wrath, ulysses and i know why the caged bird sings, juvenile literature like the harry potter books receive the most scrutiny. She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. Its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do. In that hospital many children are helped, because they used drugs before. This is my second read of go ask alice, and i loved it just as much the second time around im an advocate for banned stories that teach difficult lessons the. Due to its frequent and strong references to sex, heavy drug usage, and teen pregnancy, libraries and schools across the country have banned. 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. By thi time i was finished with the book i knew what i wanted i saw the exciting life i wanted. I think it is very sad that some people try to limit what children are exposed to as a means of protecting them. The practice of banning books is a form of censorship, from political, legal, religious, moral, or less often commercial motives. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication.
Go ask alice by anonymous go tell it on the mountain by james baldwin goats, the by brock cole gone with the wind by margaret mitchell goosebumps series by r. This article lists notable banned books and works, giving a brief context for the reason that each book was. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. Since its publishing in 1971, go ask alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. 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.
Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. Naylor will kick off her farewell tour with a tuesday evening. I wanted her life it seemed cool it was a way to lose weight. Go ask alice has also ranked among the most frequently challenged books for several decades due to its use of profanity and explicit references. G534 1988 24 myers, walter dean fallen angels 1988 pz 7. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the. Three weeks later alice died, at the age of seventeen, because of using too many drugs.
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