Editorial Review

The torture and hell of adolescence has rarely been captured as clearly as it is in this classic diary by an anonymous, addicted teen. Lonely, awkward, and under extreme pressure from her "perfect" parents, "Anonymous" swings madly between optimism and despair. When one of her new friends spikes her drink with LSD, this diarist begins a frightening journey into darkness. The drugs take the edge off her loneliness and self-hate, but they also turn her life into a nightmare of exalting highs and excruciating lows. Although there is still some question as to whether this diary is real or fictional, there is Read more

Reviews (1150)

True Story?
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous is a story about a teenage girl written in the format of a diary. Not much is told to us about the setting but the culture seems late 60's and the girl has no name, so we'll call her 'Alice'. Lots of spoilers on this lens.
Amazing book
This is one of the best books i have ever read. This book should be read by every teen out there. Alice has a very hard life for a teen and i think this could be self related to a bunch of teens out. I am 13 years old and when i read this book it woke me up. I have learned so much fomr it and everything. I recommend this book to everyone of the age of 13 and older. This is an amazing story of a teen. This is an easy reader i have read this book in about 5 days because its so good and you just cant put it down! The one law the book has is the ending when she stops writing in her journal and decides to move on. I understood the whole book but the end how she died (if she was addicted to drugs again or not). This is a wake up to the world with drug.

Liked it until i read the last page
I watched the movie first most recently then found out there was a book.I thought it was just some cooky movie from the seventies with Captain Kirk from star trek starring as the father.I got to reading the book and at times wondered about it mainly because it was so different from the movie, but in most cases thats what happens to movies, they chop the book up to shorten it.Anyways, I read the whole thing at work in 2 days and I sort of liked it because I like these types of drug books, they are interesting to see how a person goes through their "drug stages", but the last page of the book bothered me.It said that she dies and I just didn't understand because she was so happy during the last several pages that it made no sense.Was her death just played off to make people think that once you use, you will always use and eventually die.But then i got to reading some of the reviews other people have left on here and it began to sink in that this book might actually be a hoax.Funny though, I think as a teenager, had I read this book, I would have tried drugs because of how they were described and how feelings were described in the beginning of the book, nevertheless, i enjoyed the book although I can really see how it just might possibly be a hoax to conform or keep away kids from drugs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Children's 12-Up - Sociology    3. Social Situations - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Social Issues - Homelessness & Poverty    6. Social Issues - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    7. Social Situations - Homelessness & Poverty    8. Social Situations - Self-esteem & Self-reliance   

Reviews (6)

Well written personal look at Jesus' sayings
This is an extremely well written book in which the author, Stephen Mitchell, gives us his account of what be believes Jesus said and how he said it. This is not a scholarly book vis-a-vis Funk's Jesus Seminar edition, nor is it a throw away like Cayce's book of nearly the same name. Instead it is a personal book that flows from Mitchell's experiences in a variety of religions over many years.
Money for Nothing.
Stephen Mitchell begins by telling how he was conflicted, as a child, between the loving and harsh passages of the Gospels.It was only after years of Zen practice that he finally "got it."He went back and "studied all the scholarship that seemed to me intelligent and open-minded."But it was only during a trip to Israel that things clicked for him, when he met a Bedouin in the Sinai desert who seemed to personify the "Abba" of timeless Middle Eastern tradition, "And a voice inside me said,' Aha!'" and he went home to write this book. Wholly Inaccurate
If you want a scholarly book that brilliantly deals with who Jesus was, read Ravi Zacharias's "Jesus Among Other Gods." There is an adult as well as a teen version of Zacharias's book. It contains the answers you seek. Mitchell's book, however, lacks substance, adequate research, and fair analysis. I challenge Mitchell to read Zacharias's book as well and see if he still holds to the theories he puts forth here. It'll be tough -- Zacharias is a brilliant theologian who makes his case beautifully and thoroughly in "Jesus Among Other Gods." If Mitchell can come up with a substantial refutation of Zacharias's arguments, I'd like to see it (yes, Mr. Mitchell, that's a challenge to you.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Children's 12-Up - Religion - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Religion    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    5. Jesus Christ    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Person and offices    9. Religion (Young Adult)    10. Religion - Bible - Biography    11. Religion - Bible - Commentaries & Interpretation    12. Religion - Bible - Stories    13. Religion - Christianity    14. Religion - Christianity - General    15. Social Situations - Abuse    16. Juvenile Nonfiction / Religion / Bible / Stories   

Reviews (9)

Bit by bit
So I've been steadily working my way through the greatest children's books of all time for just over a year now.To do this, I've been attempting to use a variety of already existing lists, so as to bulk up my cumulative kiddie lit knowledge.One of these lists is the New York Public Library's "100 Favorite Children's Books".This list includes everything from "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry" to "Freaky Friday".Now I had been doing quite well on these titles and was pleased with its choices right up until I came across the somewhat bizarre choice of "Little By Little" by Jean Little.This is one of those authorial biographies that are meant to tell an inspirational story by highlighting an author's struggles and tribulations.Now, this is not a badly told story by any means.Jean Little is, admittedly, not one of the better known children's authors living today (though a quick Amazon search will show you that she certainly doesn't lack for titles), but her story is fairly interesting.It's just that... well, I dunno.Maybe kids reading this tale would all find it fully fascinating.For my part, I was disappointed.What we seem to have here is a nice enough story about an obscure person dealing with some physical and social trials who triumphs in the end.It's nice, but the book does not strike me as being a particularly memorable experience.
Little by Little
I really enjoyed this book because it was obviously a stuggle for Jean Little, but she still kept on going.She had many goals in her life and most of them was to do something in order to be normal.I think the most important parts of the story is when she gets her different pieces of writing published and actually gets money for it.She has loved books ever since she grew up.I noticed that many books that she has written has connections with her life.Most of them have a disabled person as a character.I think she writes all her books by using her life as a base, but altering many things.

poignant and inspirational
I have loved Jean Little's books about children facing special challenges for many years, but only found out recently that she has had her own disabilities to cope with.In this book, she talks about her childhood in China and then Canada, the difficulties she faced going through school with severely impaired vision, and the love and support of her family that enabled her to persevere.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, Canadian    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Literary    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Blind    7. Canada    8. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    9. Juvenile literature   

Reviews (1)

A powerful survey of over three hundred historically-based films from moving pictures to modern times
History In The Media: Film And Television provides college-level readers with a powerful survey of over three hundred historically-based films from moving pictures to modern times. Included in the survey is film analysis for historical accuracy, its cultural and social influences, critical assessments of artistry, and capsule summary of plot. An organization by topic and era makes it easy to locate a genre or topic, making for an important reference for any film student as well as a popular pick for browsers.
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Subjects:  1. Biographical films    2. Children's 12-Up - Sociology    3. Cinema/Film: Book    4. Film & Video - History & Criticism    5. General    6. Historical films    7. Historical television programs    8. History and criticism    9. Media Studies    10. Performing Arts    11. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    12. Sociology    13. Sociology - General    14. Television - History & Criticism    15. Film theory & criticism    16. History    17. Radio    18. Social Science / General    19. Television    20. World Wide Web (WWW)   

Subjects:  1. 1775-1817    2. 19th century    3. Austen, Jane,    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography - Literary    6. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    7. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    8. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    9. General    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Novelists, English   

Subjects:  1. 1809-1882    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Science & Technology    4. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    7. Darwin, Charles,    8. England    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Naturalists    12. Science & Nature - Biology    13. Science & Technology - Biology    14. Darwin, Charles    15. History, Other | History of Science    16. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, Swedish    3. Biography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Biography    6. Juvenile literature    7. English literature: literary criticism    8. English literature: texts    9. Writers, poets & dramatists   

Reviews (1)

Funny, incisive and revealing.A great boook!
I loved this book and found it a sophisticated journey through Martina's life, even though the title says it's aimed at young adults.(I'm an older adult!) It's the best book written about Martina Navratilova. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography - Sports & Recreation    3. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    4. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    6. Juvenile literature    7. Lesbians    8. Tennis players    9. United States   

Reviews (8)

When Mary was a Little Girl, She Discovered a Dinosaur
Mary Anning was born to a poor family and grew up on Great Britain's southern shores. Her cabinetmaker father helped support his family by finding and selling fossils from the Jurassic period which were abundant in that area. He died when Mary was only eleven, but she'd learned his fossil finding skills. Mary is credited with finding the first ichthyosaur fossils when she was eleven year old. This book, by Don Brown, as wonderful as the others he's done about amazing women, shows young readers Mary's childhood and the hardships she had to rise above. It's a perfect book for any dinosaur loving child. After all, they should know how we know about the great beasts that roamed the earth so long ago.
Terific illustrations, inspiring book
I have used this book (and others by Don Brown) to support a "Famous People" unit I teach in my 2nd grade classroom.I love the illustrations in this book and the inspiring and interesting text. This book would be especially (but certainly not exclusively) appealing for children interested in prehistoric times.

Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and her Remarkable Discoveries
Having loved all of Don Brown's previous work, I was happy to see that this work was highly praised by Pulitzer Prize-winner Natalie Angier in the New York Times Book Review.Rare Treasure was even better than the firstbooks: historically accurate, engaging, and beautifully illustrated.Brownis able to write simply and humanistically about remarkable people, in away that allows the young reader to relate.He spoke at my daughters'elementary school, and both kids and parents are still talking about hiswork. Bravo!Don Brown, write more! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    4. Biography & Autobiography - Science & Technology    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    6. Children: Grades 3-4    7. England    8. Ichthyosaurus    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Paleontologists    12. Science & Nature - Fossils    13. Women paleontologists    14. Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Science / Archaeology    15. Writers, poets & dramatists   

Reviews (1)

Remix captures the heart and soul of refugee teens' lives
Remix gets to the core of what it is to be an immigrant teen in the US today.Budhos allows the characters to speak their own stories, yet also gives us stunning insight into their lives through her observations ofthem.It is refreshingly unsentimental, yet permits moments of raw emotionand poignant vulnerability to erupt on the page.It is indeed a windowinto a world that few mainstream Americans every pause to consider. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - Cultural Heritage    2. Biography & Autobiography - Ethnic    3. Biography & Autobiography - General    4. Children of immigrants    5. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    7. General    8. Immigrants    9. Interviews    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Social Issues - Emigration & Immigration    12. Teenagers    13. United States   

Subjects:  1. Asian Americans    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - General    4. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Juvenile Nonfiction   

Subjects:  1. 1934-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - General    4. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    6. Children: Grades 2-3    7. England    8. General    9. Goodall, Jane,    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Primatologists    13. Scientists    14. Zoologists    15. Biography: general    16. Goodall, Jane   

Reviews (2)

Readable, Poetic, and Inspiring
I teach sixth grade, and my students and I love this book. What a great book to spark writing. There are many vignettes that can be read aloud in isolation or in patterns. Sensory details, concrete language, and a poetic style make this book a winner for many purposes. I often use its passages to get my students writing. Kids like reading it because of the shortness of each vignette. But don't let the shortness fool you--they pack a wallup.

Kathi Appelt's poignant collection of eloquent prose poems
The memory of our childhood is like a collection of snap shots that capture not only high points but unrelated odds and ends that are preserved for reasons we can not even suspect any more.An autobiography tries to connect all the dots and provide a smooth narrative flow, filling in gaps the way the scientists in "Jurassic Park" spliced in other genes to make a complete strand of DNA.However, the artificiality of such life stories and the way they lose reality but making all the pieces fit is revealed by Kathi Appelt's "My Father's Summers: A Daughter's Memoir."What we have here are a series of prose poems that provide brief glimpses at the bits and pieces of a life more vividly than would a complete autobiography.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1954-    2. 20th century    3. Appelt, Kathi,    4. Authors, American    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography - General    7. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    8. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    9. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    10. Family - Parents    11. Family relationships    12. Homes and haunts    13. Houston    14. Juvenile Nonfiction    15. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    16. Texas    17. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Reviews (1)

A bit out of date, but a good introduction
I've seen most of the books on Yao and this is one of the best overall. Although this book is a bit out of date in terms of the time period covered (it basically ends just as Yao is about to come to Houston), it is a good introduction for those who don't know anything about Yao, and even manages to go into a bit more detail in places than Yao's own book. Written by C.F. Xiao, a Chinese sports reporter, the book duly traces Yao's childhood but places emphasis on his early training (contrary to what you might think Yao was not a "phenom" from the get-go); all the blood, sweat, and tears involved; his years competing in the CBA, or Chinese Basketball Association, as well as the Chinese Olympic team. There is a large cast of characters and the book features several play-by-play descriptions of CBA championship games, which is pretty cool. The author treats the subject with a lot of respect, and the book is very easy to read, even if you don't know the Chinese "pinyin" spelling. So, if you want to learn about Yao's early years, this book is enjoyable, informative, and a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1980-    2. Basketball - General    3. Basketball players    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography & Autobiography - Sports & Recreation    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    9. China    10. Juvenile literature    11. National Basketball Association    12. Sports & Recreation - Basketball    13. Sports - General    14. Yao, Ming    15. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography   

Subjects:  1. 1883-1971    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Women    5. Chanel, Coco,    6. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    7. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    8. Children: Grades 3-4    9. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    10. Fashion    11. Fashion design    12. Fashion designers    13. France    14. History    15. Juvenile Nonfiction    16. Juvenile literature    17. Rich & Famous    18. Women    19. Women fashion designers    20. Biography: general   

Reviews (12)

A Real Hero Then and Now!
Sometimes you follow someone's life in the media and you wonder if this guy is all what he seems to be. For those many veterans and handicapped people out there who have been helped because of the personal efforts of Eddie R. Beesley, then reading his short memoir will make you a believer, once again, in heroes. His book "Lucky Enough" is about a doing something positive regardless of what life deals you.
Great Book!
This book is written from the heart, and tells the story of an incredible Marine and his family. Don't start reading it late at night, you will keep reading until you finish it! Ed and Connie Beesley are wonderful people, and this book is a keeper.

Doesn't glorify war.
Most people think about sharecropping and poverty in historical terms. When I read Eddie Beesley's account of his childhood, as the 18th of 21 children, the first images that popped into my mind were James Agee's and Walker Evans' book 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.'Mr. Beesley's story is different.First of all, with the exception of the photo of his wife Connie, the photographs are not as good.To be fair to Mr. Beesley, Walker Evans was one of the most famous photographers of the past century, while Eddie Beesley is just a lucky enough Marine.Second, Agee and Evans tell a story of families living in historic poverty, butthe story Mr. Beesley tells ishis own, and while it begins in adversity it ends, considering all the circumstances, in personal triumph.And third, Mr. Beesley's book is better written.It's direct, open, gripping, and funny.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    4. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    5. General    6. Inspiration & Personal Growth    7. Military    8. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. 1860-1904    2. American - African American & Black    3. Biography & Autobiography - General    4. Biography & Autobiography - Literary    5. Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich,    6. Children's 12-Up - Literature - Classics    7. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    8. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    9. Continental European    10. Criticism    11. Criticism and interpretation    12. Juvenile Nonfiction    13. Literary Criticism & Collections    14. Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich    15. Literary studies: general   

Subjects:  1. 1747-1792    2. Admirals    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    5. Children's 12-Up - Sociology    6. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    7. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    8. General    9. History - United States/Colonial & Revolutionary    10. Jones, John Paul,    11. Juvenile Nonfiction    12. Juvenile literature    13. Navy    14. United States    15. United States.   

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    4. Biography & Autobiography - Political    5. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. France    9. General    10. History    11. Juvenile Nonfiction    12. Juvenile literature    13. Mothers of kings and rulers    14. Queens    15. Reformation