When I first read Looking for Alaska by John Green, I was in class full of students who wanted to become teachers in order to teach and read classical literature. This was the only kind of literature that they deemed as worthy. They were not drawn at all to the YA genre, and thought most of it was ridiculous and dismissible. When we read Looking for Alaska, all of that changed.
There was something about this book that drew in even the literary snobs in the class. This book combines the best parts of YA literature while bringing in the conventions of classical literature. For instance, the metaphor of the labyrinth of suffering was something that was more akin to a great classical novel. It also has characters that are more modern and more relatable to a teen audience. It was interesting that Alaska was a well drawn out character, without it being written from her perspective. A typical story in which a guy pines after a girl leaves the girl on a pedestal. Though it starts out that way, the story pulls in to peel back more and more layers of the complex character. Though it is presented as a boy likes girl typical drama, the book also manages to address fairly complex and serious issues about class and power hierarchies and the place for young people within the system.
Looking for Alaska pulls young audiences in with the romance, but teaches them so much more about life and growing up. Even the side characters are multi-dimensional and add elements to the story about race, socio-economics and gender.
If you liked this: I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, How to Say Goodbye in Robot and Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Sandiford
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