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The anonymous diarist in the 1971 book GO ASK ALICE is just a normal 15-year-old girl dealing with crushes, friendships, a new move and body image. But when she attends a party and drinks a soda laced with LSD, she begins a drawn-out addiction to drugs that slowly but brutally takes over her life.

While not a feel-good story, GO ASK ALICE has been praised for its candid portrayal of addiction and realistic teen voice. It has also been banned time and time again, generally because of its depictions of drug use and sex and for using “offensive” language.

Author Stacie Ramey (THE SISTER PACT) and Teen Board member Linnea P. discuss these claims below, and talk about why they found reading GO ASK ALICE such a meaningful experience.

Do you remember when you read this book for the first time? How old were you? Did you read it for school or for pleasure?

Stacie Ramey: I remember I first read GO ASK ALICE when I was in high school, probably around the time I was 15 or 16. I read a lot of books back then (still do), and GO ASK ALICE was one of the books I picked out on my own and read for pleasure. I was drawn in immediately to the plight of the main character.

Linnea P.:I read this book for the first time when I was about 12 years old. I was in 6th grade and it was 2012. I actually started reading this book for pleasure when I discovered it on the banned reading list. 

What do you like about this book, and how would you persuade somebody else to read it?

SR: For me, books are about meeting new people and experiencing life through someone else’s lens. GO ASK ALICE was a terrifying and incredibly honest read for me as a teenager. It shined a light on a few conditions I’d never heard of before: depression, drug abuse and addiction. I do still recommend this book to teens I work with who want an open and very close account of addiction that they can trust.

LP: What I really enjoy about this book is the diary format and how it gives you day-by-day accounts of the downfall of the protagonist’s life. This especially helps show the reader her perspective and really pity her. Also, the fact that the diary is anonymous reminds you that this is just some ordinary girl and the lifestyle she gets caught up in can happen to anyone. I would persuade somebody to read this by telling them that it's a great cautionary tale about the dangerous life of addiction and how there's a great lesson to be taken out of it. 

The British Colombian School Board banned GO ASK ALICE for “encouraging experimentation with drugs and sex and for having no redeeming social or literary value.” If you had the chance to respond to that quote, what would you say?

SR: GO ASK ALICE does not sensationalize or romanticize drugs and sex. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It paints a very bleak and desperate picture of a girl who wants romantic love and acceptance but suffers from depression and insecurity. The chaos that her drug dependence breeds takes over her life. Alice puts herself in dangerous situations, rendering herself powerless and making herself the perfect victim for abuse.  It shows her repeated desire to leave this community, to find happiness without chemical means, to be the truest version of herself and a loving part of her family. In the end she fails to do that, and I still think about that character and wonder what eventually pulled her away from the world of the living.

As for the literary significance, this piece of literature has been loved for over 50 years by three generations of readers. It tells a story. It pulls you in and makes you feel for the character and root for her. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, hoping that Alice will defy the odds and make it out of her serious addiction and the predatory community of addicts. But it does more than that. It reminds us that deep down we all have the same desires: to be loved and accepted. To feel capable and to contribute. To find people who we identify as being similar to. It reaches out to an audience. Not just as a cautionary tale, but also as a reminder to look to help others as often as we can. In short, this book changes you. That’s my definition of literary value.

LP: If I had the chance to speak to The British Colombian School Board, I would tell them their evaluation of the novel is completely wrong. This book does nothing to condone drugs in any way. The whole plot of the journal is how a girl's life was ruined by drugs. While reading this book, I was not at all tempted to experiment with drugs. In fact, it made me want to spread awareness of what drugs can do to you even more than before. Also, GO ASK ALICE does a great job showcasing how important communication is in a teen's life and how, when trying to find yourself, you can really lose touch from reality. In my completely honest opinion, I think you could easily use this as a replacement for the D.A.R.E. program.

You need to give the protagonist of this book a book recommendation. What would you recommend, and why?

SR: I would tell the main character in GO ASK ALICE to read EVERY DAY by David Leviathan. First of all, in EVERY DAY, the main character wakes up in a different body with a different set of circumstances every single day. It’s hard for him, because he wants the same things as everyone else does…a life! But he also wants to connect meaningfully with someone else. In this case, with a girl he falls in love with. And then to find others like him, fated to wake up in a different life in a different person, moving far away and then hopefully closer to the person they love. It’s inspiring, and I think seeing that every single person struggles to find others like themselves, connect and fit in would have helped Alice immeasurably. She was such a brave character who tried many times to find the good in others and herself. I believe she would have related to EVERY DAY because it shows another character struggling with things that feel too big and difficult to overcome. The struggle itself is sometimes what gives you the clarity to find what you really want and to fight for it.

LP: I think I would have to give the protagonist of GO ASK ALICE a self-help book like CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE TEENAGE SOUL. She clearly feels very lost and could really use some encouragement or uplifting stories to get her life back on track. This might help her realize there are things other than drugs and alcohol that can bring you pleasure and happiness.