Book Log: "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Part A: Book Summary

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Honor Book
Dutton Juvenile, 2005, 256p, $15.99
ISBN 978-0142402511
 
Miles Halter is fed up with his average life in Florida. He sets out to seek what he refers to as "a Great Perhaps," convincing his parents to send him off to Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama. An average, awkward teenage boy, Miles has no idea how quickly his life will change once he enters the boarding school.

First, Miles meets his roommate, Chip Martin, also known as “The Colonel.” The two quickly become friends, and The Colonel shows Miles the ropes of the school. Miles then meets Alaska Young, Takumi, and a host of other characters.

But Alaska is the one who steals his heart. She's a smart, quick-witted girl with stacks of books in her room and a boyfriend back home. She's soon the object of Miles' affection; he can't escape her curves, the way the sun shines on her hair, and her half-Mona Lisa smile. Alaska is a dangerous girl notorious for pulling off some of the school's greatest pranks. She hangs out with the boys and is the strongest of the bunch. She flirts with Miles, but tells him she loves her boyfriend.

The Colonel, Takumi and Miles (who receives the nickname “Pudge” for being so skinny) follow Alaska in many mischievous endeavors. Many times, they fight back against the “Weekday Warriors,” the rich bullies of the school, as well as “The Eagle,” the school's principal, through pranks drafted by the one and only Alaska. With a reckless abandon, she leads the recently-innocent Miles down a path of underage smoking, drinking and juvenile delinquency.

One night, after yet another bottle of Strawberry Hill, Alaska puts the moves on Miles, kissing him, letting him feel under her blouse, and then backing off, asking him if their actions could be continued later. She falls asleep with her head on his chest and is woken by a phone call from her boyfriend, Jake. When she returns to the room after the phone conversation, she is hysterical, demanding that Miles and The Colonel create a distraction so that she could take her vehicle and leave school grounds. Even though she is clearly drunk, and the boys have no idea what is wrong or why she wants to leave, they are loyal to their friend and help her escape. The next morning, they are called to a school assembly to find out that Alaska died in an automobile accident that night.

Miles and The Colonel blame themselves for letting Alaska go. They keep the secret that they helped her get away, and embark on a quest to find out exactly how she died. Details are unclear as to whether she fell asleep at the wheel or hit another vehicle head-on on purpose. Alaska always was a cynical young woman, and was always asking the question, “How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” The quote came from a book she had been reading, “The General and His Labyrinth” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. When Miles and The Colonel go into Alaska's room to look for clues, they find the book, and in the margin, next to the quote, Alaska had scrawled, “Straight and fast.”

The two friends interview the local sheriff, steal a Breathalyzer to test exactly how drunk Alaska was on the night of her death, and call Jake to look for clues. When they come up empty-handed, they begin to realize that they may never know the true reason for Alaska's tragedy. Instead of dwelling on their loss, they plan and pull off Culver Creek's greatest prank, one that was conceived by Alaska before her death, in her honor. In the end, Miles realizes that escaping the labyrinth is impossible, that humans must be born and humans must die, and that everything is connected.

This book amazed me. It was so fast-paced and fun, and then - BAM - Alaska died. The book took a very dark, morbid turn. It was hard to see Miles go through the emotional trauma, but amazing to see how he grew as a person through the experience. I would recommend this book to any mature teenager, whether they've faced the death of a loved one or not. The philosophy behind the story makes it one the reader can keep with them forever. And John Green's mastery of the English language is so impressive; I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of his YA novels.

Three quotes:

"And from Hyde's classroom, things did seem connected: The trees seemed to clothe the hill, and just as I would never think to notice a particular cotton thread in the magnificently tight orange tank top Alaska wore that day, I couldn't see the trees for the forest - everything so intricately woven together that it made no sense to think of one tree as independent from that hill." (Pg. 39) Miles has this thought while sitting in World Religions class. It is a very mature thought for a 17-year-old. Many times, I've pondered existentialism and the connectedness of everything, but it's refreshing to see it coming from a young person. Of course, Miles wraps his philosophy up with a cute girl, but what more can you ask from a hormone-raging teenage boy?

"We are all going, I thought, and it applies to turtles and turtlenecks, Alaska the girl and Alaska the place, because nothing can last, not even the earth itself. The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, we'd learned, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering. When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did." (Pg. 196) This quote summarizes the book perfectly. Miles wished and wished he could bring Alaska back, that he could right the wrong he felt he had inflicted upon her. Finally, when he accepted her death, he found peace.

"When adults say, 'Teenagers think they are invincible' with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail." (Pg. 220) What an amazing excerpt. Green hits the nail on the head about teenagers' invincibility. When we're young, we think we rule the world. We think nothing can stop us. Perhaps Alaska thought she could keep driving straight through her problems. Instead, she hit a police cruiser head-on and died. It's important for adults to help young people stay grounded, not by imposing sanctions on them, but by letting them find their own way to adulthood.

Part B: Creative Response
News Story

Culver Creek student dead in automobile accident

A student at Culver Creek Preparatory School is dead after an automobile accident last night. According to reports, Alaska Young of Vine Station, Alabama, was traveling northbound on I-65 just south of downtown when she hit a Pelham Police Department cruiser head-on. The police cruiser had responded to a truck that had jackknifed, blocking both lanes of the interstate.

“We got a call about a jackknifed truck, and I was only about a mile away,” said the responding officer, whose name was not released. “I was still in my cruiser, and I saw the headlights out of the corner of my eye. I turned the siren on, but the lights kept coming straight at me.”

According to the officer, Young did not attempt to turn or brake before hitting the cruiser. When asked if he thought it was an accident, the officer said, “I've been an officer here 26 years and I've seen more drunks than you can count, but I've never seen anyone so drunk they can't swerve.”

Reportedly, Young was intoxicated at the time of the incident, with a .24 percent Blood Alcohol Level. State laws prohibit anyone driving with a BAL of .08 or higher.

Young is preceded in death by her mother who passed away January 10, 1997. She is survived by her father. Services will be held Sunday in Vine Station. The accident is still under investigation.


Part C: Critical Response
Characteristic 1: Young Adult writers write from the viewpoint of young people.

John Green's voice embodies what it means to be a teenager today, facing life's harshest lessons. The story is told by Miles Halter, a teenage boy fumbling his way through adolescence, trying his best just to fit in. But while Miles is young, he is quite mature. Looking for Alaska deals primarily with death and how young people cope with it. From Miles' obsession with famous last words to his philosophical ramblings about the connectedness of everything surrounding him, he is the perfect character to face the challenge of losing a young friend. The book showcases the cynicism and pessimism that many teenagers feel so comfortable wrapping themselves up in. With lively, popular language and a diverse cast of characters, Green keeps teens engaged cover to cover.

Characteristic 2: Please, Mother, I want the credit.

Right from the beginning, Green ditches the parents. Miles leaves them behind as he heads out to find his “Great Perhaps” at Culver Creek Preparatory School. The parents are a blubbering mess in the beginning, when they're sending their little boy off, and aren't heard from again until Miles calls them when Alaska dies. His mother asks if there is anything they can do for him, and he replies, “I just needed you to pick up. I just needed you to answer the phone, and you did.” (Pg. 145) This is the point when it becomes obvious that Miles is becoming an independent individual, and that he can manage a most difficult predicament on his own. Only once more are the parents revisited, when Miles enlists his father to help pull off a major school prank in honor of Alaska. His father agrees, which really surprised me. He helps Miles in this humorous endeavor, most likely because he has come to respect his son's decisions and knows that MIles is responsible enough to face any consequences that may come his way.

Characteristic 3: Young Adult literature is fast-paced.

Miles meets his roommate, The Colonel, on page nine, and the snowball rolls on from there. Very quickly, Miles becomes a part of a community at Culver Creek. He makes many unforgettable friends and gets into even more unforgettable mischief. Like most teenagers today, the characters in the book fill their days and nights with fun, one wild and crazy activity after another. All of this reckless abandon leads to Alaska's death, the climax of the story. From that point on, Miles and The Colonel relentlessly search for answers regarding the untimely loss of their friend. Green breaks up the book into sections detailing the timeline before and after Alaska's death, beginning with “one hundred thirty-six days before” to “one hundred thirty-six days after.” Organizing the story this way helps the reader stay on track with Miles' changing emotions during this very turbulent time.

Characteristic 4: Young Adult Literature includes a variety of genres and subjects.

Underage drinking, smoking and drug use are common themes in Looking for Alaska. But Green is too diverse to not include a variety of subjects to spark the reader's intellect. Miles shares his experiences in French and World Religions class, imparting a teenage view of philosophy throughout. Through talking about famous last words, Miles references many literary figures. And of course, friendships, romance and sexuality are discussed at great length. The characters are very intelligent, and they each bring something different and enlightening to the story.

Characteristic 5: The body of work includes stories about characters from many different ethnic and cultural groups.

Most characters in this book are assumed Caucasian, but Green does his best to create a diverse cast with Takumi and Lara. Takumi is described as “a thin Japanese guy,” (Pg. 23) and occasionally tries his best to rap. Lara, who at one point becomes Miles' quasi-girlfriend, is a Romanian exchange student. Green instills social barriers by creating a group called the “Weekday Warriors,” who are the rich kids at the school who are constantly at ends with Miles' crowd.

Characteristic 6: Young Adult books are basically optimistic, with characters making worthy accomplishments.

It takes a long time to feel like this book is optimistic. After meeting and falling in love with Alaska Young (and I mean the reader falling in love with her, not Miles), she dies. Miles and his pals drown themselves in the sorrow of her death until they eventually realize there's nothing they can do to bring her back. They have to eventually let go of their demons, quit blaming themselves, and move on, keeping Alaska in their hearts. In the end, Miles finally finishes his essay and answers Alaska's question, “How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?”

Characteristic 7: Successful Young Adult novels deal with emotions that are important to young adults.

This novel is definitely full of emotions. Anxiety fills Miles as he heads to boarding school. Once he makes friends, he finds relief. Then, he faces the school's bullies, which send him into rage and confusion. Strongest of all, he develops a love and a lust for Alaska. When she dies, Miles and all of their friends cope with the tragic loss of a friend. The reader watches Miles go through all the tell-tale signs of losing a loved one: denial, confusion, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance. I think it's fair to say that teenagers are completely driven by their emotions. I found that this book is a wonderful example of how they are capable of dealing with even the most tragic situation, as long as they have close friends to help them through.


Other works by John Green include: An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns.