My feelings on the book LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green

[jamespoet]

I just finished reading LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green, and since I just joined this forum and I've yet to post I figured I could start by discussing this book.

Now before I begin, I would like to say a couple of things which may or may not be of some interest to any of you who will read this, but it certainly factors into some of my opinions regarding this book. Firstly, this is a Teen/Young Adult novel, and I am a college student and twenty-three years of age. So I am outside the suggested general age demographic for this particular book. Secondly, I typically don't read coming of age stories; I prefer Southern and Science Fiction, as well as Poetry and Drama. Thirdly, the book I'd read just previously to this one was WOMEN by Charles Bukowski, so I was already dealing with preconceived irritations/thoughts pertaining to sex and love and how guys and girls interact with each other. Oh, and I suffer from depression and had made two suicide attempts in high school.

OK, so we have some preliminary stuff taken care of, and I feel I may begin.

I must say that I really liked this book. Actually, strike that--I loved the book! I found the story intelligently written, and if I hadn't of seen this book shelved in the Teen Fiction section of the Barnes & Noble I would have thought it a college-level text. Really, that was the first thing I gravitated to with this novel, the fact that it told a story that teen and early college-aged people can relate to, and make them think critically about these issues, without condescending to them. As I often say, the only difference between a teen reader and a reader aged 30 and above, is that the reader aged 30 and above has had the opportunity to better fine-tune their vocabulary. And John Green treats his intended audience well in this mindset, I feel, in that he engages their budding critical minds, offers them avenues in which to grow and nurture themselves, and treats them on par with their older counterparts. To me, this book was accessible to readers of all ages (14 and above, I would say; some of the sex stuff, though dealt with in good stride, can be graphic). In fact, I feel that this book can get teens and 30-and-over adults to come together and discuss the issues depicted throughout the story, which is something I would love to see.

As an aspiring writer wanting to write stories relying heavy on interpersonal dramas, issues such as sexuality and depression, and even suicide, I found much to learn within this book regarding writing teen characters that don't come off as soap opera cut-outs. John Green's turns of phrase, mixed with his depictions of young men and women in raw, undilluted form, make for some great characters who come off as full and human and flawed...and totally relatable.

Here, we see the mythologized, unknowable, totally beautiful but relentlessly messed up Alaska, and by midway through when she dies we are hit with a very real sense of guilt. I personally felt as though I'd let her go, just as Pudge and the Colonal had done. She represents to me everything that is love and everything that is hate and everything that comes in between. And as someone who has survived two suicide attempts, I could only sit back and cry over how well John Green had captured the pain and the guilt that someone who feels close to the brink and falls under the tow.

Well, this is all I can think on the book at the moment; I just finished it today, and it needs some more time to sink in for me to better and more fully articulate my feelings on this engrossing, wonderful novel.

Regards,
James