I finally got an audio version of Go Ask Alice and have been listening to it every free second I’ve had in my car. I’ve heard Go Ask Alice pegged often as one of the first modern YA books and, I guess, in a lot of ways maybe it is.
The book is advertised as based on the real diary of a teenage girl growing up in the early 70s. The diary follows the worsening drug addiction of the unnamed narrator, highlighting the problems of middle class drug use. The narrator becomes homeless, engages in prostitution, and pushes drugs to elementary school kids. It’s a total train wreck.
But the book (and its subsequent TV movie) have become a bit of an urban legend. The book was supposedly penned by “anonymous.” But, listening to the book, I started to wonder if this was a true story at all. I knew that the diary would have been edited, but honestly, I started having a hard time believing that the teenage narrator would have written this at all. I started to do a little research and, yeah, I’m not the only one questioning.
Expert Barbara Mikkelson points out that, for a teenage girl’s diary, there is way too much space dedicated to long descriptive passages about how drugs feel and not nearly enough to personal relationships, boys, gossip, etc. For me, the narrator’s repetitive odes to marijuana were what set me on edge. Others have commented that specific details were mixed up that the author of the diary would not have mixed up. For instance, the narrator talks about the Psychedelic Shop and Diggers’ Free Store while living in Coos Bay, Oregon when both those stores are in San Fransisco. It’s possible, I guess, that the narrator could have been confused enough from the drug use to mix up her time spent in San Fran versus Coos Bay, but I don’t know…
Apparently skeptics have gone digging and the Copyright Office shows Beatrice Sparks, the diary’s editor as the copyright holder and she is actually listed as the diary’s author. Normally for posthumous diaries I guess the editor would be listed as the compiler, executor, or editor–not the author. Sparks was a psychologist and a Mormon youth counselor. She claims that Go Ask Alice was based on the diary of a patient. She went on to “edit” several more diaries based on those of her patient’s. One such work was Jay’s Journal, about a boy that committed suicide after becoming involved in the occult. After its publication, the alleged boy’s family came forward and said that the book had been based on only a couple real diary entries and that the entire occult angle was imagined. Interestingly, no one has ever come forward as being related to the narrator of Go Ask Alice.
In 1998, Mark Oppenheimer wrote a NYT article entitled, “Just Say Uh-Oh” in which he claimed that Linda Glovach was a co-author of Go Ask Alice, unkindly calling her one of the “forgers” of the book.
Another Go Ask Alice misconception exists regarding the narrator’s name. It’s not Alice, which is exactly what I had thought, too. Go Ask Alice comes from the lyrics of a Jefferson Airplane song called “White Rabbit.” At one point, the narrator meets a homeless drug addict sitting on the curb named Alice, but this encounter is very brief. The narrator also references Alice in Wonderland, musing that perhaps Lewis Carroll was on drugs when he wrote it. For a moment, I thought perhaps the narrator’s name was Carla, as she references a little boy walking in on her prostituting herself for drugs and says (more or less) that his father can’t come to the door because of Carla. But I haven’t found any support for that and there may have been another girl in the room at the time.
In any case, I guess Go Ask Alice will remain one of those literary mysteries. Have you read it? Do you think it’s real?
You know, when I read it as a tween, I *thought* it was real….so I guess I didn’t get that trying-to-pull-one-over-on-me feeling. But now…I’d probably guess it was not a real diary. Hard to say with any certainty, though (like, if it weren’t real–why the heck wouldn’t the writer/editor have fact checked the stores you mentioned?)
For me, the fact that we’re debating it all means it could be true–and that says a lot right there.
(I totally want to re-read it now, btw–CURSE YOU!)
=D
It’s fake. I don’t think anyone seriously believes otherwise, particularly since Beatrice Sparks “found” and published other “diaries.”
im a mother of a fifteen year old depressed n confused girl who cares if its real or not it has saved my daughters life frightening her so much that shes off drugs n has a very happy life real or not if it can save even one child u shouldnt even care it represents children suffering everywhere n brings awareness to nieve idioc parents who think children dont have real feelings
I agree that the story is scary and well written to influence kids to never use drugs or get off of them but i believe that it is wrong to call this story real and have kids connect to the author because it was written by a “teen”.
I read it as a tween and devoured it! I believed it was real at the time but now my more skeptical self doubts that it is legit. That is awesome that it is available as an audiobook – that must be very entertaining!
It’s basically been pointed out that every book she written is fake, except for the one where only about 10% of the boys actual diary was used. If you’ve had the chance to read all of her books, you will notice all the diaries are written in the same manner, all the girls share the same exact values, they all have the same personality. I’m reading Annie’s Baby and it sounds like it was a diary written by Nancy from It Happened to Nancy. Now teens may try to act like one another in person, but the privacy of a diary should show their true selves. And I just don’t think it’s possible all these teens are EXACTLY the same. In fact people aren’t entirely sure that she actually has her doctorate and have noticed things she says about the books do not add up. They are great books, but definitely all fiction.
I am a recovering addict and i am just reading that book now i believe some stuff in it is really and could happen but just not to her it may have but i dont know what to believe in books anymore cause they seem to lie alot and i guess only alice would really know?
my fifteen year old daughter on acid climbed from a telephone pole believing she could fly shattering both her ankles again this book saved her life i myself have played the whos got the button game many times and am also a recovering addict every drug experience i had was never the same different each time true or not again if it can save one person who really cares is it really worth giving up hope to debate it if it saved my child n can save more do u want them to believe it can b fake
I definitely believe the book is a fake. Though well-written and quite dramatic, it was written to scare kids away from drugs. However, from reading blogs from kids about the book, it does not sound like they’ve been turned off at all. In fact, most of the kids said that it made drugs sound more appealing.
I agree
In fact it made me want to keep a diary and I did. The only thing is I embellished it to make it sound more interesting.
bull try some drugs any one who has has a different feeling every time they try it its never the same experience
WATCH THE MOVIE !
I have been searching for the title of this book!! I’ve been telling a friend of mine about it so she can have her daughter read it. I am so glad I found this post. I read it as a teen and never forgot the book. It scared the daylights out of me! Because of this book, I was scared straight! I never tried drugs as a teenager. I don’t care if it’s real or fake. It convinced me and worked. Now I want to read it again too!
You do realize that the book was made up by someone who’s never done any drugs and the descriptions are so false that they are more akin to someone suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, right?
shut up and u do know that every one can tell u have never done a drug in your life and sound stupid everyones experience is different for every person no two are alike when u r under control of something u have no idea what they have put in it each one is made different depending on who made it grow up n dont talk about what u obviously have no experience with other than writing this start reading this start looking up schizophrenia which isnt some thing that voices tell u to do to other people n yourself all of the time not just one night learn how to not say any thing unless u know what your talking about first
Exactly. Thank you.
I agree
its def. real.
It says on the copyright page “This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously.”
xD Fail
I am 13 years old and I just finished this book yesterday. I thought it had a haunting relation to it and it definetly will stick in my mind for as long as I live. But I began to question the fact if it was real. I myself have kept diaries. I don’t use as much description as the girl in the book used. My entries are short and usually talk about some sort of life gossip or how much I hate something just personal stuff
Even if this book is fake it still leaves a good life lesson. It does say what drugs can do and how dangerous it can become. Whether this is real or not it will always be stuck in your mind. It will make you think twice about something. It is a good read fake or not. It is a good lesson fake or not.
Beatrice Sparks probably never found these diaries maybe all she wanted was to give people a haunting experience she as a proffesional on this stuff and relassing books about “true” journals is all in all a good idea.
I loved the book. It will follow me.
how old is the narrator ?
question
1. how old is the narrator ?
2. about whom is she peaking when she say ” i have waite all my life for him to see me ”
3. what deos her father do ?
4. how deos her first day at her new school go compared to her siblings?
5. where deos she spend the first summer in the novel?
6. what religion is beth?
7. what invitation deos jill give to the narrator?
8. what happens when the narrator plays”button”?
9. what is the frist drug that she ingests?
10. what deos she want to try next?
11. who deos she say that she feels like after her experince?
12. who inject speed into her arm?
13. who has a heart attack?
14. what other experience deos she have during her next acid trip?
15. who stops by to visite her at her grandparents house?
16. what deos she steal from her grandfather?
17. what do her parents say she lookd like when she returns?
18. who works in a clothing boutique?
19. who do she and the person in question 20 want to quit their jobs?
20. who initiates the narrator into dealing drugs?
21. to whom is she selling
22. where do she and chris decide to go?
23. what do she and chris want to do in a year?
24, who is Mr, mellani?
25. what happens at shelia’s party?
26. when does she arange to go home?
27. what does lane do when he tries to convince the narrator to supply him with drugs?
28. whose house gets raided while the narrator is there?
29. where does the narrator run away to next ?
30. who does she meet in the doctor’s waiting room?
love you Alice
hit me up
12:07 a.m. 24/01/13 love the book love the movie it was nali, LSD….I want to get out and live a little. Does the book encourage people to experiment on drugs. Lose it all, gain a lot, have a bubbly, have a shot. Alice oh my Alice
getting ripped, see ya Watchkiwi out.
Go Ask Alice encourage teens to experiment on drugs,,,,am in love this book even though i feel its fake in my opinion……,,,,,
I’m a teen and just got done reading this book. I feel that maybe some of it was real, but definitely not all of it. Kind of bums me out that they make it seem so real when it isn’t, still a terrific and sad read though.
Why can’t any of you spell?