Looking For Alaska

Author: John Green
Genre: YA fiction

"How will I ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?"  That is the question at the heart of Looking For Alaska.  

Before: When Miles "Pudge" Halter leaves home for Culver Creek boarding school, his sights are set on seeking a "Great Perhaps", a feat inspired by François Rabelais' last words.  Upon arrival, he meets his roommate "The Colonel" and the beautiful, rebellious, intellectual Alaska Young.  Pudge finds camaraderie in his new friends as the trio drink, smoke, and partake in an ongoing prank war with the "weekday warriors", the rich kids who go home to their parents houses on weekends- all while evading the school's dean, "The Eagle".  Despite, or perhaps because of, her mystic, Pudge soon finds himself falling in love with Alaska; one of his closest friends whom he barely knows.

After:  Without giving away spoilers, the tone of the second part of the book differs greatly from the first.

Wow.  Fantastic book!  One of my new favorites.  I think every teenager should read this novel; the major event in the middle of the book is extremely relevant to high schoolers and college students.  The fact that Pudge falls in love with Alaska from afar is relatable to many youths who have very real feelings for crushes they've never spoken too.  That said, adults will also enjoy it; if you've read any of John Green's other works, you'll know that his books are about teenagers, yet appeal to a much larger audience.  The juniors' religion class is woven into the plot and provides a nice jumping point for discussing themes not often found in YA literature.  Themes such as: what happens after death?, how does one find forgiveness in the unforgivable?, is forgiveness necessary for closure?, and can closure be found in ambiguity?

5/5

WARNING:  Strong language throughout.  As well as teenagers drinking wine and smoking tobacco.  Many references to sexual acts, and one explicitly described scene in which Pudge receives oral sex (This scene is written to contrast with a different scene a few pages later.  Green's purpose in writing it this way is to highlight the fact that just because two people are physically intimate doesn't mean they are emotionally intimate and vice versa.  Another important theme for teenagers).