Wow, so I haven’t done much reading lately. Especially considering the fact that I went from having two off blocks last semester, to having none at all. Time to do my everyday tasks has been limited; however, I have been able to read a little bit of the book, Looking for Alaska, written by John Green.
The book isn’t set up like normal books with normal chapters. It has a chapter-like set up, but instead of it reading “chapters” it says something like “128 days before” and so on. When I first picked up the book, this really sparked my interest because in my mind, I was thinking “before what,” so I think that Green did an amazing job at reeling the reader in with that.
128 days before
Within this first “chapter” the reader is introduced to the main character of the book, Miles. Miles is described as an “unpopular” teenage boy who lives in Florida. In the first chapter the reader is told that Miles is planning to soon go to a boarding school in Alabama. His parents throw him a going-away-party, however, no one shows up.
After reading this chapter, I noticed that the writing style was very familiar. Mind you, I didn’t look to see who the author was before I started reading it. I got about half way through the chapter and then realized that the author was John Green. It all made sense why his style of writing seemed so familiar; it’s because it was! I had read a few of his books in my early high school years. He definitely sticks to his unique voice in Looking for Alaska.
128 days before
In the next chapter, Miles begins his journey to the boarding school he will soon start attending. The reader is then introduced to Miles’ roommate, Chip. Chip is a very well developed character. Right off the bat, he tells Miles the “rules” of the dorm and the do’s and don’ts. After settling in, Chip takes Miles to meet a girl named Alaska. Miles is faced with an immediate attraction to her.
In this chapter I realized that “Alaska” which is in the title of the book, is an actual person. This got me even more engaged in the book due to the fact that I wanted to know why someone was looking for her.
The writing of the two chapters is very descriptive and entertaining. If I had the time, I know that it would be very hard for me to put down. I expect to finish this book soon, but as of now, I’m really enjoying it and enjoying the content.
