2cnd Half of Finding Alaska

The second half of Finding Alaska is much more serious and depressing then the first. In the first there were pranks and love and Miles’ quest to seek his Great Perhaps. In the second there is searching, depression, heartbreak, and breaking of friendships. In the first half I felt like something was going to happen as I mentioned in my last blog. Something did. Alaska Young died in a car crash. Miles and the colonel can barely understand what happened and decide to find out what happened to her. They were with her on the night she died and helped her to get off campus where she ran into a cop car full speed so not only were they extremely sad that their friend was gone but they were wracked with guilt. In their search to find out what happened to Alaska (this search is the reason the book is called Looking for Alaska and is not about some 1800’s expedition to Alaska the state) Miles and the colonel almost lose all their friends as well as themselves. In the end they come to terms with themselves despite not finding out exactly what had happened to her. They realize that some mysteries can’t be solved and manage to forgive themselves for what they did. Overall Finding Alaska is a great book that I think most people should read.

1st half of Finding Alaska

In my outside reading book, Finding Alaska, the main character is a boy looking for a Great Perhaps. Miles Halter, nicknamed Pudge despite being tall and skinny, arrives in an Alabama boarding school called Culver Creek. His life up to that arrival had been normal and boring. In Culver Creek Miles finds existence, meaning to life, and at least part of his “Great Perhaps.” He finds this with the help of some new people he meets at Culver Creek. There’s the Colonel (his roommate), Takumi, Lara, and larger than life Alaska. I just recently finished the first part of the story. This part is all about how Miles finds existence. While at Culver Creek he lives life to the fullest, while doing a copious amount of homework of course. He and his new found friends pull pranks, get thrown out of basketball games, go on three and a half dates, and find love. I really like the story so far, although not exactly a page turner I still want to keep reading. I want to find out what happens but I don’t have to like in a mystery novel. So far in the book I like the author’s style. As the first section is titled before and the second after I’m guessing something big is about to happen in the story. I can’t wait to read it.