Spoiler: Looking For Alaska by John Green

This book was interesting, not only in the subject matter, but also in the way it’s written. I really liked that it was split in two sections: Before and After, but they also had the days counting up to and leading away from the climax which made the perfect amount of suspense for me.

The theme was difficult to think about. Dealing with death is never easy for anyone, never mind if you’re a teenager or 75, death isn’t easy to think about, but this book forces us to. Not only does one of the main characters die, but this main character has trouble dealing with death before hand and the beforehand death actually causes her death. It’s horribly sad, but death is a part of the world we live in and we have to learn to deal with it.

I did enjoy the pranks that happen throughout the book, it kind of fills out how I figured this boarding school would be in my mind. After all it’s filled with hormonally challenged teenagers; they have to get into some mischief. Speaking of mischief, there is a lot of smoking in this book considering that it was published in 2005. I’d think that it was published earlier; by the way that Pudge, Colonel and all the other characters seem to smoke constantly. Odd. And then there is the drinking factor. Or alcohol consumption if you prefer. Either way, there are a few times in the book where everyone is drunk, and it is a part of our world, but drinking helped kill Alaska. If she hadn’t been drunk, or as drunk as the police officer tells Colonel and Pudge she was, there is a chance she would still be alive. Lastly religion plays a huge role and we see this through Mr. Hyde. This book doesn’t force religion on you, actually it taught me how religion is important even if you aren’t religious. It’s more deciding about who you are and what you believe, or what you want to believe.

Characters:

Pudge: I think it’s pretty ridiculous that Pudge reads biographies for the last words. It’s kind of ironic isn’t it that he will never really get to know Alaska’s last words. Sad, but ironic, would be the proper way to put that I do believe. I feel for him that he feel in love with a girl and as he got his chance it was yanked away from him but maybe it was better that way. My favorite part with Pudge in this whole book is at the end when he’s writing his final paper for Mr. Hyde. It’s touching, but not fake. I can see a teenage boy writing it, making it real for me.

Colonel: So he smokes too much and he drinks too much, but don’t we all do a little something too much? Whether it is eating, or gossiping, we all have our faults and it’s good that Colonel puts his out in the open. He is who he is and I’m proud that in the beginning he doesn’t try to change for his present girlfriend, Sara. After all if Sara did care about him wouldn’t she accept him the way he was. He is definitely the master of pranks and I felt for him especially when Alaska died. I think he was closest to her after all the pranks they had planned together.  When I read that he was crying and screaming out, I felt his pain as if it were my own. Amazing writing!

Alaska: She is wild and impulsive. Many girls want to be the same way, but when we see where it got her and realize that although she looked perfect and acted the way some of us may want to ask she was far from perfect. She blamed herself for something she probably couldn’t have helped. She didn’t kill her mom, her mom died and she was to young to know to call 911, this isn’t that odd in all honesty. I don’t know even as a teen if I would go into shock or be able to function as I should. I can hope I would but none of us really do. I hate that she died, but I think it teaches the other characters to live for what they have.

Takumi: I just like his rapping, there’s not much else I wanna mention about him. Nice rhyme man, nice rhymes.

Lara: I couldn’t help but laugh at her and Pudge’s sexual fail (see page number in Moments to Remember below). I guess if you really didn’t know that would be embarrassing. But I was depressed that she didn’t confront Pudge, she waited. I would have just gone berserk.

Mr. Hyde: An interesting teacher for certain, and when he kicks out Pudge at the beginning, I imagine that most of the teens who read this book hated this guy, but we see him differently through out the book. And eventually I think I began to see him as a caring man, who wants to help his students become who they are meant to be.

The Eagle: He really cares about the student, he’s a hard a**, but he cares.

Moments to Remember (Some quotes contain curses/adult language and content):

♥Pg. 29

“‘Do you care to smell?’ He asked, holding the shoes toward me. ‘Because I went ahead and smelled them, and yes, I am sure. If there’s one thing I know, it’s when I’ve just stepped in another man’s piss.’”

♥Pg. 36

“‘AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!’ he screamed.

 ‘So that’s Sara.’ I said.

 ‘Yes.’

 ‘She seems nice.’”

♥Pg. 78

“‘It’s not because I want to make out with her.’

 ‘Hold on.’ He grabbed a pencil and scrawled excitedly at the paper as if he’d just made a mathematical breakthrough and then looked back up at me. ‘I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.’”

♥Pg. 83

“‘Poor Pudge. Oh, poor poor Pudge. Do you want me to climb into bed with you and cuddle?’

 ‘Well, if you’re offering—‘

 ‘NO! UP! NOW!’”

♥Pg. 91

“Alaska decided to help Dolores with dinner. She said it was sexist to leave the cooking to the women, but better to have good sexist food than crappy boy-prepared food.”

♥Pg. 98

“‘You guys are like an old married couple.’ Alaska smiled. ‘In a creepy way.’

 ‘You don’t know the half of it,’ the Colonel said. ‘You should see this kid try to crawl into bed with me at night.’”

♥Pg. 127

Funniest sexual fail ever!

♥Pg. 191

“‘Let me ask you a question, Pudge. When you’re old and gray and your grandchildren are sitting on your knee and look up at you and say ‘Grandpappy, who gave you your first blow job?’ do you want to have to tell them it was some girl you spent the rest of high school ignoring? No!’ He smiled. ‘You want to say, ‘My dear friend Lara Buterskaya. Lovely girl. Prettier than your grandma by a wide margin.’’ I laughed. So yeah, okay. I had to talk to Lara.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo