Looking for Alaska

*Note this blog entry offers spoiling information about John Green's Looking for Alaska

You never really know what life has in store for you, right? In John Green's Looking for Alaska, this question is shown to be so true. In just one moment, one's whole life can be changed. Miles "Pudge" Halter is a total dork from Florida who transfers to Culver Creek a boarding school in Alabama. However, once Pudge met Chip "the Colonel" Martin, Alaska, and other crazy characters, his life surely changed from that what is was before.

Looking for Alaska made me laugh hysterically and cry my eyes out. On the exterior level, it is a book about rowdy teens who drink, smoke, and enjoy pulling outrageous pranks. But when you really delve into this story, Looking for Alaska is about so much more. This book questions the fundamentals of religion and life. It examines social power and issues of gender. This book is about a group of teens trying to find out who they are, why they are here, and what happens to them when they leave.

Pudge and Alaska develop a special relationship, that begins with one vital question. Pudge is fascinated by the last words of famous people and when Alaska finds out about this she asks Pudge what he think Simon Bolivar's last words "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" means. Alaska says, "That's the mystery, isn't it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape -- the world or the end of it" (19). This one question provokes the group of teens to look at suffering in life. Pudge's suffering came from being ridiculed by fellow classmates back at school at home. Is this is labyrinth? Did he escape it by leaving Florida and going to school at Culver Creek? The Colonel's suffering came from growing up in a trailer park with his mom after his dad left them. Is this his labyrinth? Can he escape it by one day becoming wealthy and being able to take care of his mom and him? Alaska's suffering came from watching her mother die and having the regret of not calling 911 to save her. Is this her labyrinth? Did Alaska escape the labyrinth when she got in the car, one night, after drinking and died when she crashed into a police car, possibly committing suicide?

Looking for Alaska helps to answer these provocative questions that teens face on a daily basis. It allows teens to see the effects that suicide have on the people they leave behind. The book helps teen's look for the answer to the question, "What happens when we die? Where do we go?" Looking for Alaska breaks down barriers, that society has put up. It does not push any issues under the rug, yet exposes them for what they are worth. Looking for Alaska is a breathtaking novel that all teen's should have the opportunity to experience.