Shandi Sturgill

Looking for Alaska is told through the perspective of Miles Halter. He transfers to his father’s alma mater, Culver Creek, to find his “great perhaps”. He quickly falls in with a group of friends and meets the enigmatic Alaska Young. When tragedy strikes those left behind are forced to reckon with grief, guilt, and ultimately forgiveness.

I was lent a copy of this book by a friend of mine. We had been discussing our town’s school board recently banning the book due to it not being “developmentally appropriate for adolescence or young teens”, and that it “[promotes] underage drinking and explicit sexual promiscuity”. Of course, I wanted to read it and see what the fuss was about.

This one of many books I have read by John Green. I have always respected how distinctive his voice is as a writer. True to form this novel has witty, sardonic characters who I enjoyed reading about. What I was most drawn to was how the characters deal with grief. I related a lot to Miles’s fears about forgetting the friend he lost, and if experiencing more loss throughout his life would alienate him from his memories of her. In my experience that is a part of grief that doesn’t get discussed much. You can fear that as you learn to live now that someone is not in your life that you are betraying them, or that you’ve moved on too quickly. Then those feelings and doubts can lead to self-loathing.

Something else I loved, that dawned on me as I was thinking about the book, was how Lara can serve as a foil for Miles and Alaska. While they can have difficulty acting or making decisions under pressure, or make choices on pure impulse, we learn that Lara had to accept responsibility at a very young age. There is a scene where she discusses her family immigrating from Romania, and how she had to translate forms for her parents due to being more fluent in English. She also reveals how in that moment she felt like she was having to fill the parental role. Lara is an interesting character, and I wish we could have seen more of her. 

Now let’s circle back to the ruling handed down by the school board. I can’t agree with banning this book. There is nothing in this novel that is worse than what is included in the readings required for students. In my opinion it’s an oversimplification to say this work promotes underage drinking. These characters, particularly the Colonel and Alaska, have been through traumatic experiences that they are trying unsuccessfully to numb. Also, the novel centers on the detrimental impact alcohol can have. As for the promiscuity I didn’t find it to be any more risqué than what students are exposed to via TV or the internet. In my opinion this novel can spawn really important conversations between parents and their children regarding the importance of friendship, how to deal with grief, and healthy ways to deal with their emotions.

With all that being said, if you’re looking for a book with interesting characters, witty dialogue, and an interesting plot I definitely recommend Looking for Alaska. It is a captivating read that can lead to some interesting discussions.