You smoke for fun, I smoke to die.
Looking for Alaska written by John Green There are crazy, unstable people in our lives. People we either run into in passing or crazy people that stay with us always. For Miles "Pudge" Halter, who memorizes peoples "last words" for fun, that person was Alaska. He met her at his new boarding school, Culver Creek, junior year. He had decided to move to this school in Alabama from his Florida hometown in search of the "Great Perhaps", or what we may commonly refer too as an "adventure" or "new experiences and ideas". Miles wanted to find that "Great Perhaps" and he found it in Alaska. She is beautiful, funny, clever, unique, self destructive, alluring, and kind of messed up, but Miles finds himself falling for her despite her glaring faults and fragments. She is one of the many friends he makes at his new school, along with Takumi, who loves a good freestyle rap, Chip, Mile's roomate who goes by "the Colonel" with an aptitude for pranks and cigarettes, and Lara, a pretty forgettable girl(at least in comparison to Alaska in Miles' opinion). With such an interesting cast of characters a seemingly normal boarding school will become so much more and becomes the "Great Perhaps" Miles is seeking. In many ways this unique story seems to be the literary twin of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Same themes come across with Miles' introduction into alcohol, sex, infatuation, crime, and many, many cigarettes. Miles has many interesting peers surrounding him, but he only has eyes for Alaska, she is his "Great Perhaps" and he's sure of it. However, everything changes. This book is cleverly divided into two parts; before and after. The book is sectioned by backs such as "128 days before" and "5 days after". I do not dare spoil the event that cracks this book in two. You'll have to read and find out "before what?" and "after what?" for yourself, but don't worry because it is significant and only slightly predictable a page before it happens when a sinking feeling takes hold as you eagerly await the "event". The book held some extra pull for me because its about a turbulent time in ones life when their childhood is ends and their adulthood is supposedly beginning. This book may not be at the same heart-wrenching level as The Fault in Our Stars, but I found Miles story of new experiences more relatable. This book is about seeing beginnings ahead while The Fault is Our Stars is mostly about only seeing endings ahead. This made Looking for Alaska an inspirational, joy to read. The story is filled with pranks on the principle that will make you giggle and wish you went to Culver Creek too(slight spoiler; one of the pranks involves a male stripper) and many more dramatized, typical, high school antics. If you loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars then stop reading my blog now and go pick up Looking for Alaska, but then come back and read some more, okay?
