Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

            The book, Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous is a diary of a teenage girl named Alice, who enters the horrifying world of drugs. It first starts out when she has a drink laced with LSD at a party she goes to. Since this day, she becomes addicted to drugs, and everything goes downhill from there.

            There are many significant scenes throughout the diary. One of them is when Alice loses her virginity to a boy named Bill while she is on acid. This act shows how people cannot make the right judgment while being on something. Alice worries that she may be pregnant and expresses her feelings, “I keep asking myself how I could have been such an idiot, and there is no answer other than the fact that I am an idiot! A stupid, bungling, senseless, foolish, ignorant idiot” (47). She promises herself that she will never try drugs again except she breaks it shortly after, which reveals her hypocritical character. Another unforgettable part is when she and her friend, Chris, flee to San Francisco after witnessing their boyfriends having sex while being stoned. Once again, Alice along with Chris “pledged to each other that [they are] going to stay clean” (64), but they fail to do this after going to a party, which shows how Alice cannot stay committed to things. The escape also affects every aspect of Alice’s life because she leaves her loving family, drops out of school and starts working. She makes a quick decision to throw away her life without thinking about anything.

             I enjoyed reading this diary because I got to read what was going through Alice’s mind and hear her true, honest thoughts on her experiences. It realistically captures the nightmare of drugs, and people can definitely relate to it because there are some teenagers out there, who may be in similar situations like Alice. From this book, readers can learn the dangers of drugs and receive the message the author is trying to send: stay away from drugs!

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

           The novel, At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks is a suspenseful, love story filled with secrets and unexpected events that keep the readers’ attention throughout the book.

The main character, Jeremy Marsh, is engaged to Lexie Darnell, whom he met when he was in Boone Creek, North Carolina for work. She is the love of his life, and he believes that they are meant to be especially when he learns that Lexie is pregnant although Jeremy has been told by the doctor that he can never be a father from his first marriage. Jeremy moves to Boone Creek and anticipates the start of his family. Just as everything seems to be settling down, he receives mysterious emails from an unidentified person that threaten to tear him and Lexie apart. Keeping the emails a secret, series of events occur as they try to deal with the tension, fear and doubt. Towards the end of the novel, Jeremy learns a shocking truth that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together, followed by an unexpected ending that no one would have ever guessed.

          An important choice Jeremy makes in the novel is when he decides to move to Boone Creek, leaving his family and friends behind and risking his career. It is very significant because it leads to the incident where he gets mysterious emails from an anonymous person. This occurrence tests Jeremy’s relationship with Lexie as it creates many questions such as who could have possibly written the emails and what his or her motive was. I also wondered if what the person was saying is true or if he or she was just messing with Jeremy. This suspense is what made the book interesting and made me want to read more to learn the truth.

           Sparks did an amazing job on writing this novel. Just like his other books, I enjoyed reading it very much because the plot and the way he writes make me want to keep on reading until the very end. I recommend this book to those who like love stories with a little bit of suspense in it, and I think anyone can enjoy it.