Bibliographic Citation
Green,
J. (2005). Looking for alaska. New
York, NY: Dutton Books. ISBN 0525475060. 221 p.
Summary
Miles
Halter is a 16 year old loner, obsessed with people’s last words, living in
Florida with no friends. He decides to go to the same boarding school his
father attended in Alabama in search of “The Great Perhaps.” Nicknamed Pudge by
his roommate the Colonel on account of his extreme skinniness, Miles makes
strong connections with a tightknit group of friends, including the Colonel who
is a brilliant kid from the trailer park, Takumi the Japanese rap enthusiast,
Lara the Romanian student, and Alaska Young. He develops a crush on the beautiful
and energetic but deeply disturbed Alaska as the group drinks, smokes, and
plays pranks on the preppie “Weekday Warriors.” After tragedy strikes, Miles
struggles with his own actions on the fateful night and wonders if he can ever
escape “the labyrinth of suffering.”
Analysis
This
Printz Award winning book takes place over one school year and is divided in
two sections: before and after; meaning before the tragic accident and after
it. The titles of the chapters tell the reader the number of days before and
after the accident. This feature really hooks the reader to continue reading to
see what exactly will happen when the days count down to zero. Green writes the
teenage characters with such realness partly due to the fact that some
characters and events were based on his own experiences at a boarding school in
Alabama. Although the book has taken criticism for containing sexual related
content and teen drug and alcohol use, the portrayal of the teens was
realistic, not glamorized in any way. The plot line before the accident really
has no mystery or real major event other than the prank on “Barn Night,” but
the reader knows something significant is going to happen soon that will change
the lives of the teens. The section after the accident shows the reader how
deep the characters really are and how their friendships are challenged but
remain strong. This book will appeal to both boys and girls alike, and would be
a strong addition to any high school library.
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