Book of the Week #1: Looking For Alaska

I finished up Looking for Alaska well within my self-imposed deadline, and overall, I’m impressed.

Looking for Alaska is a 2005 novel by John Green. It won the Printz Award (a young adult literature award, and a dang big honor) in 2006. It is about the kind of boarding school experience that every teenager wishes that they had. Miles Halter, who has no friends (and I mean none) decides to leave his Florida public school and make his way to a boarding school in Alabama. 

The first part of the book is a countdown of “before” marking off the days until something happens. Miles meets his roommate Chip, and his life of boredom and loneliness comes to an end. He goes out, drinks, takes up smoking, and gets an ironic nickname. In between all this, he meets Alaska, who he immediately has a crush on. Alaska is a rebellious teenage girl, dating a college student, but that doesn’t stop Miles from caring for her more and more. It probably doesn’t help that she keeps dropping hints that she thinks he’s good looking. Alaska is a little damaged though, with a depressing past that weighs her down heavily all throughout the book. It all culminates in Alaska, Chip, and Miles getting outrageously drunk. Miles and Alaska then have a moment, but it is abruptly ended, and Alaska, still drunk, drives off. 

The next part of the book is labelled “after” and is primarily about Chip and Miles dealing with Alaska’s death after that night. The way in which they get through it is fascinating and certainly insightful. Even though I'm only a little removed from my high-school years, the differences and the ability to reflect back is astounding.

The book provides some major insight into how teenagers and young adults process grief, at an age where they are still wholly helpless, but old enough to understand what has transpired.  It’s a great read, but as you can tell, it’s not a really cheery story. It has depth that I didn’t expect from a young adult novel. That being said, being a young adult novel, you can whip through it pretty quickly. I’d give it a 7/10. It’s particularly good for those who are after something that’s pretty quick, quirky, but ultimately quite serious.

As I mentioned before, you can find John on youtube , along with his brother Hank, at VlogBrothers and he is both interesting and funny.