Helpful Score: 1
From my blog, "Reader's Enchantment:"
I finished Looking For Alaska by John Green early this morning, a little over 24 hours from starting it. This story is mesmerizing and worth losing some sleep for. The characters are so real, and you can identify with them in many ways: as yourself when you were "that age" and as we face some of Life's most difficult questions as adults. (I'm currently having to figure out how to explain death to my 4-year-old because his kitten died. It's an emotional minefield, one you think is easy to maneuver from the outside but when you're face-to-face is so much harder than you imagined.)
In short, the story is about Miles (soon to be dubbed "Pudge") who is a new student at a boarding school in Birmingham, AL. He realized at the end of his sophomore year in high school that his life at home with his parents would be a continuation of the non-life he has: no friends, no connections, no future. So he pursues going away to school, and in doing so forever changes his life.
I don't often do this, but you simply have to read a sample of John Green's amazing writing. In this scene, Miles's parents have asked him why he is going away for school. His father attended the same school, Culver Creek, and while he loved it, he wants to make sure Miles isn't simply trying to relive his own glory days.
"So this guy," I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. "Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." (page 5 in the hardcover edition)
Do you see how deep that is? Miles is in the doorway, literally on the threshold of a momentous event in his life. It's subtle, so that you may not pick up on it at the time, but it shows the significance of this particular scene. And those words, about choosing to pursue a Great Perhaps, it's deep even for me at 30+ years old, much less for a teenager to understand their significance if you believe popular stereotypes about teens, but Green doesn't follow that path. He understands that teens do think about Life, they do think about their Future, and they do understand the very real importance of their choices. This is why Green's characters are so touching to teens and adults: they're almost real, they could be friends of the kid next door or down the street.
This is a novel I could see being used as part of a middle- or high-school English/Humanities curriculum. It stands strong next to the great ones I remember like A Separate Peace or To Kill a Mockingbird and, frankly, Looking For Alaska is more relevant to a student's life than anything by Shakespeare. There is some sex and alcohol use, and this may mean that it cannot be used in school, but I still believe this is a story that can open avenues of discussions between teens, between teens and their parents, and even between adults.
This is simply one of The Best. 5 stars, and one book you should definitely not overlook.
I finished Looking For Alaska by John Green early this morning, a little over 24 hours from starting it. This story is mesmerizing and worth losing some sleep for. The characters are so real, and you can identify with them in many ways: as yourself when you were "that age" and as we face some of Life's most difficult questions as adults. (I'm currently having to figure out how to explain death to my 4-year-old because his kitten died. It's an emotional minefield, one you think is easy to maneuver from the outside but when you're face-to-face is so much harder than you imagined.)
In short, the story is about Miles (soon to be dubbed "Pudge") who is a new student at a boarding school in Birmingham, AL. He realized at the end of his sophomore year in high school that his life at home with his parents would be a continuation of the non-life he has: no friends, no connections, no future. So he pursues going away to school, and in doing so forever changes his life.
I don't often do this, but you simply have to read a sample of John Green's amazing writing. In this scene, Miles's parents have asked him why he is going away for school. His father attended the same school, Culver Creek, and while he loved it, he wants to make sure Miles isn't simply trying to relive his own glory days.
"So this guy," I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. "Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." (page 5 in the hardcover edition)
Do you see how deep that is? Miles is in the doorway, literally on the threshold of a momentous event in his life. It's subtle, so that you may not pick up on it at the time, but it shows the significance of this particular scene. And those words, about choosing to pursue a Great Perhaps, it's deep even for me at 30+ years old, much less for a teenager to understand their significance if you believe popular stereotypes about teens, but Green doesn't follow that path. He understands that teens do think about Life, they do think about their Future, and they do understand the very real importance of their choices. This is why Green's characters are so touching to teens and adults: they're almost real, they could be friends of the kid next door or down the street.
This is a novel I could see being used as part of a middle- or high-school English/Humanities curriculum. It stands strong next to the great ones I remember like A Separate Peace or To Kill a Mockingbird and, frankly, Looking For Alaska is more relevant to a student's life than anything by Shakespeare. There is some sex and alcohol use, and this may mean that it cannot be used in school, but I still believe this is a story that can open avenues of discussions between teens, between teens and their parents, and even between adults.
This is simply one of The Best. 5 stars, and one book you should definitely not overlook.
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