Go Ask Alice by anonymous

This was both a wonderful and difficult book to read. It was wonderful because it brought back memories of being in high school and how dramatic and important everything was to me, and how my parents didn’t seem to understand. It was also wonderful because reading someone’s diary brings the reader into immediate intimate contact with the character. It was difficult because as an adult now I have a different perspective and it was heartbreaking to read how desperately Alice wanted someone to talk to. It was also difficult knowing that I was reading a true story that probably wouldn’t have a happy ending. The story is both compelling and evocative. It became even more so for me when I checked the copyright date and realized that this book was probably one of the first addiction recovery stories ever published outside of a 12-step program.

This book goes into some graphic details about unpleasant subjects and that seems to be common among banned books. Most of the time I read for entertainment rather than education or enlightenment, but I want which books I read to be my choice, not subject to the approval of some governing body. To parents who are tempted to ban books from their children in the name of safety I pose the following question: Is it better to read about the dangers of the world first and then experience them, or is it better to be naïve? I don’t think there is only one correct answer. I think the answer can change depending on which individual child you are considering. But I do think that it should be your choice, not subject to a school board who can only make one choice for all the children in their school district.