Looking for Alaska in The Challenge Factory

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Looking for Alaska

John Green

Start date: April 15, 2024

Finish date: April 30, 2024

Discussion: Archived-A Year of Banned Books

Discussion leader: Erica

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Archived-A Year of Banned Books

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* Reading List
By Erica , Quality Control Supervisor · 1 post · 96 views

last updated Dec 12, 2023 04:05PM

* A Year of Banned Books Info
By Erica , Quality Control Supervisor · 1 post · 122 views

last updated Dec 12, 2023 03:53PM

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What Members Thought

Mar 16, 2013 K~Terror rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Original Read: 4/15/13

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Aug 27, 2013 Nicole Field rated it it was amazing

I didn't think I would say it (especially not after Paper Towns which disappointed me so much) but this book by John Green is almost as good as The Fault in Our Stars. Slightly less painful only because the events of this story haven't exactly played out in my life.

I will say, while reading it with a friend, both of us noticed John's tendency towards geeky/smart boys falling in love with aloof girls in these stories. I think that he could stand to broaden his view of teenage character archetype I didn't think I would say it (especially not after Paper Towns which disappointed me so much) but this book by John Green is almost as good as The Fault in Our Stars. Slightly less painful only because the events of this story haven't exactly played out in my life.

I will say, while reading it with a friend, both of us noticed John's tendency towards geeky/smart boys falling in love with aloof girls in these stories. I think that he could stand to broaden his view of teenage character archetypes for characters of his who don't have cancer. However, had I note read Paper Towns before this, I would not have noticed this and therefore not complained.

From the very first page, I was immersed in Miles' story; who he was, the characters surrounding him. I loved everything from the goodbye party that had two friends and his parents in attendance. I loved the last words quotes, and the love Miles had for biographies, if not the works and art of the people they were inspired by. I loved when I found out this was to be a story set in a boarding school, because I find those interesting. I had a love/hate relationship with the Colonel, where I thought he was senselessly pretentious, but then kinda loved when he would be lying around drinking while at the same time reading and quoting from his books. I loved the fact that his friendship with Alaska was completely platonic, and yet loving and protective all the same. I love that this book felt like such a real book about teenagers and how fucked up everything can be.

I spent a lot of time pulling out quotes from this book that I wanted to remember later, but that's starting to become a John Green tradition.

I will admit, though, read the blurb for this book about 20 pages in, and from that point looked forward to whatever "tragedy" was about to strike. Let's all face it: John Green is at his best when he's causing his readers to ugly-sob all over his pages. Unlike some, I wasn't spoiled as to what exactly the "tragedy" was, and for that reason I won't mention it here in the review (however if you keep scrolling down to the progress stats of this book, which are basically a record of my aforementioned quotes, be warned, for there be spoilers).

In short, I loved every minute of this book and wouldn't have changed a bit of it. ...more

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Oct 25, 2014 Malvika Puranik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014

the book makes us question what are a person's thoughts in their last moment. How do people they left battle with their emotions about the person.

"how will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" the quote aptly describes, how a person feels when they lose someone close to them. and how they keep on blaming themselves, would things
be different had they behaved differently.

A fun and eccentric person like Alaska leaves a lot of questions. A young girl who feels if she slips, things will go wrong. Th ...more

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Dec 19, 2013 Bouchra Rebiai rated it really liked it

Shelves: 101-in-1001-days-2, read-in-2014

This is one of those books in which you don't like the plot as much as the basic one-liner behind it: What do the people who care about someone a lot do when said someone dies prematurely, possibly in a suicide attempt?

So many philosophical questions are pondered in this book, but what resonated with me most was, how do you find peace after someone has died without saying a proper goodbye? How do you find peace in knowing that someone may - or may not - have been killed by another human being, e ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 Alina rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, 2015-pop-reading-challenge

I liked this book. Didn't love it like The Fault in Our Stars but liked it. John Green really knows how to put you in the mindset of teenagers. I could feel the stresses and anxieties teenagers face with peer acceptance, sexuality, dating, and going to a new school for the first time. The main character Alaska did get on my nerves a bit as she seemed almost bi-polar in her actions. I could relate to the closeness and the camaraderie of the main characters; which reminded me of my close friendshi ...more

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