Unban Alice!

This is a article I had to write for my English class.

Unban Alice!

 

Ever since the book came out in 1971, there have been many problems with Go Ask Alice. The reason behind this is the “so-called” theme of the book, which is said to be drugs. When it comes to teens or young adults reading about drugs, of course you are naturally going to have a lot of problems with people. The fact is Go Ask Alice is just supposed to be a dairy of a young girl who gets involved in the unreal world of drugs and sex. This is something that most parents don’t want their children to read or maybe even know about. In the world there are many people who are extremely religious or have strong opinions on what they think young adults should and shouldn’t be able to read.

Go Ask Alice has caused many issues in schools and libraries almost all over the world. It has been removed from school libraries in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1974); Saginaw, Michigan (1975); Eagle Pass, Texas (1977) and Trenton, New Jersey (1977). It was one of 11 books banned in Island Trees Free School District No.26 in New York in 1982. Those are just a few of places where the book Go Ask Alice had to be removed because of the complaints they were getting from concerned parents and citizens. The books were returned to the library after a US Supreme Court ruling that said the ban violated students' free speech. Even though the US Supreme Court said it violated the students’ free speech, parents still continued to making complaints. One parent even going as far to say, that the novel Go Ask Alice “encourages students to steal and take drugs (Peach)." Even though the publisher of the book has said that the book has no other reasons besides the fact that it shows what can happen when someone gets involved with drugs. The way most people see it is, that the book isn’t intended to tell or “encourage” teens or young adults to take drugs, steal or anything of that sort, but to simply tell or inform them of what could happen if they do get involved in drugs.

 Because of that fact, I believe that the ban of the Go Ask Alice book should not be continued. Go Ask Alice is a book that could and has helped young adults. The book helps teens realize that not everything is just fun and games when it comes to taking or trying drugs. Drugs have a very serious effect on one’s life and the life of the people around the drug user. At the end of Go Ask Alice they have an epilogue, which reads, “The subject of this book died three weeks after her decision not to keep another diary. Her parents came home from a movie and found her dead. They called the police and the hospital but there was nothing anyone could do. Was it an accentual overdoes? A premeditated overdoes? No one knows, and in some ways that question isn’t important. What must be of concern is that she died, and that she was only one of thousands of drug deaths that year.” Clearly, the author’s intent is to educate rather, than promote drug use.

 

Author's Note

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