Go Ask Alice, though originally attributed to Anonymous, was later revealed to be the work of Beatrice Sparks, a psychologist who originally claimed the piece was taken from the diary of one of her patients. While the story told is a compelling tale of a young girl who delves into drug use headfirst and doesn't quite make it to the other side (the epilogue tells us she committed suicide not long after her last entry), it does not read like the diary of a teenage girl. Logistics of the story aside (how would this girl ever remember where she put her journal if she is frequently running away? how does a 15 year old open a store?), it is a gripping tale because the reader eventually just wants to know what she will do next. There are vivid accounts of drug use and the aftermath of the lifestyle of a drug addict, the story serving as a warning while at the same time glamorizing drug use in the way that an addict might. She constantly moves between loving her addiction and craving a life in the opposite direction and when she is not on drugs, she is adamant that they are evil and ruin your life…until she goes back on drugs and praises how it makes life much more bearable.
Go Ask Alice has long been considered a classic, though the presentation of it as a non-fiction work when it is very likely not troubles me. I recall reading this as a teenager, though it did not strike me then as much as it does now how unlikely the story is and if it had, I don't know if I would have found it so powerful.
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