What would life be like if you had the chance to go away to boarding school and escape your unpopular, geeky life? Would you find friends? Family? Yourself? These are some of the questions author John Green helps readers to ponder in his YA lit novel Looking for Alaska.
Protagonist Miles Halter, a.k.a. “Pudge,” travels from his home in Florida to an Alabama boarding school where he immerses himself into a new world. With a group of “have nots,” Miles finds a sense of belonging. He develops a love crush on a girl named Alaska–a somewhat crazy and impulsive angst filled girl who ultimately makes Miles question life and the Great Perhaps. He pulls pranks with his crew, including his loyal roommate Chip, who hails from a trailer park. He makes out for the first time with a Romanian immigrant girl named Lara, and he suffers a deep loss.
The voices in this book are real, and the story is often funny; overall, the characterizations provide interesting portraits with an element of realism. Sadly, there is not a strong female protagonist here: Lara, a minor love interest, is one dimensional. Alaska, the only other female to have a role in the story, is a tortured girl who buries bottles of wine so that she can access them when she needs to get drunk (no more details in order to prevent a spoiler). The adults in the book are somewhat clueless, feeding into the universal theme that teens know more than their teachers and parents.
Filled with intriguing philosophical questions and famous last words, this book helps readers to reflect on life, loss and coming of age. The story includes profane language and sexual content, so it may not be appropriate for younger readers or school libraries concerned with mature subject matter. While freedom of choice is a great mantra, the reality of censorship may cost this book some readers.
