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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Looking for Alaska in Books

Jan 25, 2018  
Looking for Alaska
Looking for Alaska
John Green | 2013 | Children
8
8.1 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
I just finished reading Looking for Alaska, making it the fifth John Green book I've read, after Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Let It Snow, The Fault In Our Stars, and An Abundance of Katherines. I enjoyed Looking for Alaska immensely, just like I did the other three. (My favorite being Let It Snow, which he wrote with two other authors as a set of three related short stories.) I haven't made a habit out of reading young adult fiction, but for John Green I'll definitely make an exception. I should also pick up some of Maureen Johnson's books; her contribution to Let It Snow was excellent.

I have a confession to make before I go any further: I am a Nerdfighter. I was introduced to John and Hank Green about two years ago by one of my best friends, by way of Crash Course. Since then I've (almost!) caught up on their Vlogbrother videos, watched most of the Crash Course videos (sorry Hank, I'm just not into chemistry) and started watching Sci Show. John and Hank are both extremely educated, well spoken, and yet extremely entertaining and fun to watch. Watching the vlogbrothers episodes where John talks about writing the books (as he's writing them!) is what finally made me go pick up his books to read. And he's GOOD.

In Looking for Alaska, Miles Halter goes away to boarding school at Culver Creek, his father's alma mater. He's in search of his "great perhaps," his meaning for life. (The phrase comes from Francois Rabelais' last words "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Miles doesn't want to wait until he dies to go in search of his.) Culver Creek really marks a turning point in Miles' life - from a friendless outcast in his old school to one of the closest friends of Alaska Young. Alaska is a bit of a bad girl (sneaking cigarettes and alcohol into school constantly and pulling ingenious pranks) but also an enigma. The entire school body loves her, but even to her closest friends she doesn't reveal much about herself.

The book is divided into "before" and "after" and it wasn't until within a few pages till the end of the "before" section that I realized what the event was. "After" deals with the characters of the book coming to terms with their life-altering event.

In The Fault In Our Stars, John Green dealt with the lead up to a life-altering event that the characters knew was coming - a long, drawn-out sort of grief. Looking For Alaska deals with the fallout of an event no one knew was coming, and while the emotions are just as deep, they feel sharper somehow for being so unexpected.

I definitely recommend this book, and all of John Green's books. He's a very talented writer, and isn't afraid to put "adult" themes into his "young adult" books. As if sex and alcohol and death and deep meaning-of-life questions aren't things every teenager deals with? I like that he doesn't pull his emotional punches. His books may be "young adult" but they're not fluffy or "easy to read." Easy in terms of grammar and flow perhaps, but not in content. I teared up reading parts of Looking For Alaska, and outright sobbed for a good portion of The Fault In Our Stars. (Which is now a movie!)

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com (review originally written 4 years ago.)
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) Jan 28, 2018

Same! I recently finished Turtles All The Way Down, his newest book. I'll be getting the review of that up soon. I also am not a young adult, but I really like his writing regardless. I'm looking forward to his brother's book that should be coming out soon - I don't know the title, but his brother is Hank Green, and he just wrote a book aimed at an adult audience. I'm eager to see if he's as good at writing as his brother is!
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Kaz4ray (17 KP) Jan 28, 2018

Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for him. Ive got Turtles All the Way Down in my reading pile so I’ll look forward to reading your review.
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Adam Silvera recommended Where Things Come Back in Books (curated)

 
Where Things Come Back
Where Things Come Back
John Corey Whaley | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I'm gonna be a good Adam and come back to review this over the weekend 'cause seriously, I was WOW'ed. This book is now on my favorites shelf. Why I put the book off this long was beyond me. I highlighted the hell out of this book to the point where my highlighter was drying out. For those who know me, you know I'm rather inhuman. I rarely cry in real life and have never cried over a book. I came close with a devastating scene in "Mockingjay", a super devastating scene in "Okay for Now", and the ending of "A Monster Calls". "Where Things Come Back" has been added to my Almost-Cried-Man-Tears List (which I think I might make a shelf for...) Hell yeah, John Corey Whaley! Big cheers to the next John Green, folks!"

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