Looking For Alaska

Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Published by Speak Publishing
256 pages
Warning: This book is extremely explicit. I would not recommend it to readers any younger then 18. It contains very mature sexual content as well as drinking and drug use.

Looking for Alaska is by far the edgiest book I have read in my 20 years of life. Edgy, yet fabulous. Provocative, yet with important lessons to teach. This novel will expose readers to young adult difficulties and issues which some readers may never be exposed to otherwise.

The book revolves around the happenings of Miles, aka Pudge, and his new friends at a boarding school for high school students. Every conflict which enters the lives of young adults is in this book. Sex, drugs, smoking, drinking, love, friendship, pranks and death. I don't want to say too much, because one must simply experience the power of this book, not knowing what to expect. The format of the book is also interesting, as each "chapter" heads with "156 days before." Then, an event happens, and the rest of the novel "chapters" begin, "6 days after" and so on. It is a fascinating read, and these characters are real.

Because this book is so explicit, it brought up the issue of censorship for me. After reading this book, I have found that it is appropriate for me to say that a book is personally not appropriate for me. But, to say that a book is inappropriate for anyone to read is wrong; and for me, as a future teacher, to keep any students from reading this book simply because it went to far for me is wrong. The same thing applies to parents; parents can say that a book is too edgy for their child. But, to say that a book is too edgy for any child or for anyone, that is crossing the line with censorship and I believe that is wrong. But I think that a person censoring what they read personally is perfectly acceptable, especially when it comes to books like this one.

I think that John Green addresses this same issues in the following video. It is important for all students, parents and teachers to watch.