Looking for Alaska b y John Greene
Surely youve heard of the bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It
boosted him to incredible fame and popularity, particularly among teen readers. However,
another bestseller and fan favorite was published about seven years prior: Looking for Alaska.
i!e many of Greens other boo!s, Looking for Alaska is full of parado"es and contradictions.
Somehow it is both hilarious and tragic, heartwarming and sorrowful. Its one of those ama#ing
stories that will ma!e you laugh and cry within a single chapter. $f course, it also has all
romance, drama, action, friendship, and mischief needed for an incredible plot, characters, and
an overall outstanding boo!.
%he boo! centers around &iles Halter, a slightly nerdy teenage boy who has a uni'ue
obsession with last words. In his (unior year of high school, he transfers to )ulver )ree!
*reparatory High School, a boarding school that his dad once attended. His reason for switching
schools is his wish to find a +Great *erhaps,, a concept borrowed from the final words of
-rancois .abelais. /s he settles in, he becomes friends with his roommate )hip, also !nown as
+%he )olonel,. Soon he also meets )hip0s two other friends, %a!umi and /las!a. &iles soon
becomes buddies with them as well. /s he latches on to their social circle, he is launched into a
whole new world centering around /las!a 1oung. /las!a is beautiful, smart, and incredibly
mischievous. He finds himself somewhat obsessed with her. 2ut there0s only one problem 3
/las!a has a boyfriend.
&iles becomes incorporated in to their lifestyle, one that includes smo!ing, drin!ing, and
other illegal behavior. He can0t help but dote on the gorgeous, yet dangerously unpredictable
/las!a. 4ventually, /las!a sets him up with a girl, ara. %he five friends 5including ara6 form a
cohesive bond and slowly &iles learns more about their e"periences and hardships in the past.
His own problems are put into perspective, particularly when he learns of the tragedies /las!a
has had to suffer through. %he group wor!s together to pull off a mighty pran!, &iles reali#es
that he really does li!e ara. However, despite his now close relationship with ara, &iles still
can0t sha!e his passion for /las!a. 2ut, that was all before. %he after is the part that will truly
shape &iles and his friends, and change his life forever.
Looking for Alaska is a truly mesmeri#ing boo!. John Green reveals all aspects of
growing up from the dar!est dirtiest secrets to the playful memorable times spent with friends.
He uses both descriptive and blunt writing. %his contrast of language adds a sincerity to the story.
/t times, he uses powerful words and e"pressive ad(ectives to paint a vivid picture in the reader0s
mind. In other places he writes in a fran! and straightforward matter, much li!e the way a
teenager thin!s and tal!s.
-urthermore, Green creates incredibly comple" and well developed characters. 4ach
student, parent, teacher, or any other person in the story has their own uni'ue personality 'uir!s
and traits. 4ven the students who /las!a and her friends consider +shallow, have a deeper layer
to them. Green doesn0t sugarcoat anything either. %he main characters are certainly not the
traditional idea of +good,. %hey smo!e, they drin!, they engage in many activities that could
have them arrested or e"pelled. %here is no blac! or white, good or evil, only varying shades of
gray in between. 1et, you can0t help feeling empathy towards them. 7espite their flaws, Green0s
prominent characters are undeniably li!eable. -inally, most of the characters are very dynamic,
particularly &iles. 2y the end of the boo! he is a changed person, for better or for worse. &ost
importantly, through /las!a and his friends, &iles finally finds his +Great *erhaps,.
$verall, I thought Looking for Alaska was an incredible boo!. It is beautifully written,
very relatable, and completely enthralling. I would suggest it to any of my friends, though there
are definitely some highly inappropriate sections. )onse'uently, I advise that younger !ids in
elementary school or si"th grade should wait to read it. However, it is an ama#ing story and is
great for older middle school students, high schoolers and beyond. 2ut, I hope you regard my
last piece of advice....do not start reading Looking For Alaska when you have something
important to do.....it will be impossible to stop8
