Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
This book is the published version of a teenage girl's diary. At age 15, she went to a party, and was handed a can of cola. Unbeknown to her, 10 out of 14 of the sodas had been laced with LSD. In a sort of Russian roulette drinking game, she was unwittingly sent into an addictive, dangerous lifestyle.
The book's language and cultural references indicate the girl was probably writing during the 60s, but most references to people and places have been omitted or changed to protect anonymity. The person who recommended it to me indicated that it should be read by every teenager to keep them off drugs.
In some sense, I agree with this assessment. The author described in vivid detail what the drug trips are like for several different substances, as well as the vivid details of what happens when you get a bad batch of drugs and the trips become nightmares. She also captures quite accurately what life is like as a teenager, with the constant desire to fit in, and the fear that the kids will not like you, and when you go against the grain, the all-out war against you.
In some places, the book is quite depressing, but it is wonderful to see her pulling herself out of her ditch and taking steps to quit (several times). I had the thought that all that stuff could not possibly happen to one person and perhaps the book was actually a compilation of stories as a way to scare kids away from the drug scene before they ever enter it. However, if it is, the book is flawlessly written with one voice and is extremely well done. If not, and all that stuff did happen to one person in a little over a year, and she wrote as if it was a commonplace thing happening all over America, then I suppose in some ways it is a social commentary on life in the 60s. I am not saying all that stuff does not happen today, but I feel with inflation and today's economy, the affordable drugs are the tamest drugs, and kids only become pothead high school dropouts trying for a GED so they can flip hamburgers, instead of strung-out homeless crack whores.
That being said, drugs are still bad, and a real threat in today's society. I think that my kids will be required to read this... after they are old enough to have heard all the curse words. I forgot to mention, there should be a warning about language somewhere in this entry. I recommend this book to any optimist who will not be dragged too severely down by some of the entries, any person, specifically teens, who might be interested in learning what the drug scene is really like, and anyone who would like to see what the sixties were like. Do not read this book if you are currently depressed or taking antidepressants.
