Looking for Alaska by John Green

Published in 2005 by Puffin
Ages 15+
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. 

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.


Review:  Looking for Alaska is a coming of age story that is both ridiculously hilarious and touchingly poignant at the same time.  This book deals with friendship, love, and death in a real and honest way that will hit home with not only teens but adult readers as well.  Brilliantly set up into two sections of "before" and "after", Looking for Alaska shows how a single event can change a persons life forever.


First I want to comment on the humor in Looking for Alaska.  There is a lot of it, and I like it.  The writing is witty and the dialogue snappy and clever.  More than once I literally laughed out loud while reading this book, much to my embarrassment because I got to the mother fucking fox hat in the middle of a crowded Starbucks.  


There is sex, drinking, and smoking in this book, but they are realistically done.  The sex isn't beautiful and perfect, it's awkward and a little embarrassing.  The drinking and smoking are also realistic in that for most teens they can experiment without anything horrible happening beyond a hangover and maybe throwing up after going a little too far.  However, I think Looking for Alaska also gives a warning about being irresponsible and the serious consequences drugs and alcohol can have without sounding like a public service announcement.  It handles a tough topic in a way that won't turn teen readers off for sounding too much like their nagging parents.


This book is truly unique in the young adult genre.  Looking for Alaska has equal parts hilarious moments and deeply emotional moments.  There are some great instances of reflection about life's purpose and the morality with which you achieve it that challenges younger readers into thinking beyond the mega hot brooding vampire.  That is the best part of this book, in my opinion.  How Green challenges the reader with complex issues is what makes this book a true classic.  


Overall Looking for Alaska is at it's heart, a story about self discovery.  It's about finding out who you are and seeking the great perhaps that lives within.