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 still awash in controversy, 43 years. 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. In fact, a majority of book banning cases relate to works found in school libraries rather than in public ones. Phyllis reynolds naylor, oracle for teenagehood, says.
Only parents can decide if they want their children to read go ask alice. At her birthday 20 september she meets joel again and its going well between them. 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. Based on a 15yearolds diary, go ask alice is the intimate account of one girls fatal journey into the world of drug addiction. 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. 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. In the tradition of go ask alice and lucy in the sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction. We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. 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. 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. However, the ala keeps track of official challenges and go ask alice is a frequently challenged book. 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. A banned book is a book removed from a school or library by a school system, parental group, religious group or government.
Do you think the book go ask alice should be banned. Young adult bannedchallenged books books written for ya audiences, those featuring a ya main character. G534 1988 24 myers, walter dean fallen angels 1988 pz 7. 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.
Every time after she uses, she feels guilty and low and vows to stay away. Legislatures in the early american republic passed laws against obscenity. All picture source titles are hyperlinked to the pages that they appear on this site. In fact, few modern books have as bloody a publication history. 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. Naylor will kick off her farewell tour with a tuesday evening. The first edition of the novel was published in 1971, and was written by beatrice sparks. Banned books the official alice blog by phyllis reynolds. It is not a definitive statement on the middleclass, teenage drug world. Poignant and unflinchingly honest, her story is a tragedy that is repeated in towns and cities across the country. As powerfuland as timelytoday as ever, go ask alice remains the. 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. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication.
Top books that were banned at schools whats your favorite banned book. And now, after books that have spanned alices life from ages 8 to 18, the final alice mckinley book will be released tuesday. 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. 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. Book banning has existed in america since colonial times, when legislatures and royal governors enacted laws against blasphemy and seditious libel.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 2 pages and is available in paperback format. It was banned in china because it had animals using human language. Three weeks later alice died, at the age of seventeen, because of using too many drugs. 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 by anonymous banned book but was it real. Go ask alice was first published in 1971 and has since become one of the most banned books of all time. Banned books master list kurt vonnegut museum and library. Go ask alice snatched from students national coalition against. Can you believe even the lorax has been banned 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.
Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited. 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. In that hospital many children are helped, because they used drugs before. In honor of banned books week, jo asked a few of us booktubers to pick a banned book and make a video on it. By thi time i was finished with the book i knew what i wanted i saw the exciting life i wanted.
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. Go ask alice is still awash in controversy, 43 years after publication top 100 bannedchallenged books. This is a large part of why her writing is such wonderful literature and excellent teaching material. In banned alice walker continues to do for her readers what she has done throughout her writing career. It is, however, a highly personal and specific chronicle.
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. To commemorate banned books week, the always great internet archive has opened up access to 74 banned books. 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. Due to its frequent and strong references to sex, heavy drug usage, and teen pregnancy, libraries and schools across the country have banned. Banned books that are available online list from the university of. Go ask alice is a 1971 fiction book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age. Then she used drugs again and she comes into a hospital. If go ask alice will continue to be banned, how will people like alice be able to relate. Its difficult to pin the book as banned because the us doesnt officially ban books, specific organizations usually schools or libraries do.
I chose go ask alice and it is certainly the strangest book ive read this year. The ala also promotes banned books week, an annual event in september that celebrates the freedom to read. 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. I think it is very sad that some people try to limit what children are exposed to as a means of protecting them. There are more than 5 million copies sold,so why ban it. Thoughts on go ask alice banned books week youtube. 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. Scott fitzgerald great gilly hopkins, the by katherine paterson. Free download or read online go ask alice pdf epub book. As a result of this book, salman rushdie had to go into hiding for an entire decade after irans ayatollah issued a fatwa, a fatwa that also led to the death of rushdies.
The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are. She challenges our ideas, our perceptions, and our life choices. Go ask alice has been around for decades, and is even being used as reading material in high schools. Though freedom of the press has grown significantly over the course of the. A story of order and a nightgown with little anchors then a book. 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.
She thinks someday shed like to get married and raise a family. 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. Go ask alice is the firstperson tale of an accidental downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, unwanted sex, and impoverished living. To read more on why alice in wonderland is on the american library associations top 100 banned books list click here. 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.
Since its publishing in 1971, go ask alice has become one of the most challenged and banned books of all time. She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. Go ask alice has also ranked among the most frequently challenged books for several decades due to its use of profanity and explicit references. Go ask alice is based on the actual diary of a fifteenyearold drug user. Also there is no exact tally of the number of places that ban a certain book. Go ask alice, a diary of a teenage girl who fell into drug use and. Today we feature the year 1993 and go ask alice, by anonymous. This article lists notable banned books and works, giving a brief context for the reason that each book was.
I wanted her life it seemed cool it was a way to lose weight. Pdf go ask alice book by beatrice sparks free download. Go ask alice by beatrice sparks as anonymous banned books. 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. Go ask alice by anonymous about the book she doesnt want to get hooked on drugs. The practice of banning books is a form of censorship, from political, legal, religious, moral, or less often commercial motives. 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. Scott fitzgeralds tender is the night, huxleys brave new world, etc. The collection features some serious pieces of literature james joyces ulysses, f.
A case against banning go ask alice by hazel dela paz on prezi. As such, we hope it will provide insights into the. 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. Go ask alice by anonymous beatrice sparks banned library. As a highschooler,go ask alice shouldnt be banned because im mature enough to take in the intense content. But from time to time detractors attached nonsense interpretations to it forgetting it was a book of the nonsense literary genre. 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. 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. Where has alice in wonderland 1865 book been banned. Attributed to anonymous, the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited real diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist.
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