One hundred twenty-six days before it happens, Miles gains a newfound respect for religion (and one specific teacher) on his first day of classes. The colonel learns why Kevin and his friends are so angry with him and Miles as well. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Looking For Alaska.
one hundred twenty-six days before
Ok, I’m way into this. Way into this. The thing is, this book is rather slow and I don’t think it’ll speed up much until things get closer to the….well, I don’t know what the thing is that this is leading towards. I can’t even guess. Can I just assume it’s the prank? Well…I’ll probably get in trouble doing that. So let’s not.
Novels need a good set-up sometimes to deliver the emotional goods. This is not like The Hunger Games trilogy, which often jumped right into the action in the first couple chapters. I like a slow build BUT YOU ALL KNEW THAT ALREADY. The pieces that John Green is moving into place seem somewhat important for the time being, but I think I’m okay just enjoying the experience.
I wonder if what Green writes about in Looking For Alaska is at all familiar to those of you who don’t live in America; I know that I was still able to find a whole lot that was relatable to me in Harry Potter, despite that many tropes, stereotypes, or narratives were borrowed or lifted from the British schooling system. Does this seem foreign or strange to you as you read it? How much different is this process from what you came to know as a student? (Well, you could still be a student, too, obviously!) As I’ve said many times before, this is not much like public high school at all to me. Instead, it mirrors my freshman year of college in nearly every detail, from class structure, to initial perceptions of classes, to the social anxieties of being the only person from your school around, to what impressed me about certain professors. What’s weird to me is that everything about my experience running up to being in college was so horrifically atypical. That’s not to say that everything about being in a school system like Culver Creek is what I went through. But I expected college to be so drastically different for me since I was doing it all entirely by myself, with no family or friends to rely upon.
I guess that I just worried that I was too different or too poor to enjoy college, that I would be left out of too much because my high school experience was nothing like anyone else’s. LOL NO ONE CARED. And that’s sort of what is so great about it: the professors generally don’t give a shit. Your dorm buddies don’t give a shit. Your horrific schedule doesn’t give a shit. (WHY DID I TAKE TWENTY-ONE UNITS MY FRESHMAN YEAR) I don’t mean that that sort of schooling was soulless and without empathy; I made a lot of great friends and some of my favorite people I’ve ever met were my professors. Like what Miles experiences here, there’s a much different expectation than what high school was like; there is far less hand-holding. All of my classes barely introduced anything at all, choosing instead to delve into the text, into discussions, or into long-winded lectures about things I barely understood at first.
(Side note: I had a 4.37 GPA in high school and also aced every college class I took. Except Marine Biology. For some goddamn reason, that 8am class on Mondays and Wednesdays destroyed me beyond belief, because I failed it twice. And even the third time around, I barely got a C. And it wasn’t that it was uninteresting or boring. The professor was fantastic, and we constantly WENT ON FIELD TRIPS. But something about a class that early in the morning, combined with the fact that our class size was around 200, and the fact that the first two times I picked a lab partner who NEVER SHOWED UP TO ANYTHING, caused me to horrifically fail. And look, now I wake up at like 6 or 6:30 every morning. EIGHT IN THE MORNING REALLY ISN’T THAT EARLY. I don’t know how else to explain this.)
One of the main things we learn in this “chapter” is that the violence against Miles the previous night was also handed out to the Colonel: the culprits peed in his shoes. Wow, what an incredibly effective way to ruin something forever. Sorry, don’t care how many times they were washed; I’d never wear them again. I’m not sure what this all means quite yet; why are Kevin and his friends so upset at these two? The Colonel is dedicated to getting to the bottom of this, and tasks Miles with identifying the other two boys who attacked him.
It’s here where Miles meets Dr. Hyde. He’s my Dr. Roberts, and he was the first professor I had that made me enjoy lectures. Well, enjoy them, sure, but he also ruined them forever because no one could ever hold a lecture quite like he could. I mean, seriously, read this again:
“And in my classes, I will talk most of the time, and you will listen most of the time. Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer.”
BLESS THIS MAN FOREVER AND FOR ALL TIME. I mean right. I love that it’s like this inherent statement of how important experience is. Also, I always liked professors who just laid out all their cards on the first day.
There’s a small interaction between Alaska and Miles at the end of this chapter; the two already have a bizarre and slightly strained relationship. The dynamic is odd because Miles is clearly way too attracted to her, and Alaska definitely enjoys Miles’s company, but it’s all just to an extent. Is Miles trying too hard? Maybe not yet, but he’s getting there, and it doesn’t help that Alaska is being dismissive of how Miles feels about being teased. He’s still the outsider to this group, and even though they’ve (sort of) taken him under their wing, he’s still not quite a part of it all.
Hmmmm.
one hundred twenty-two days before
My mom taught me how to iron when I was twelve. Which is extremely weird in hindsight only because she then believed that the iron was too dangerous for me to use unsupervised the entire time I lived with her, so after she taught it to me, I never did it alone until I moved out of the house. WEIRD.
“And when I asked Alaska, she started yelling, ‘You’re not going to impose the patriarchal paradigm on me.’
DEFINITELY WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH HER.
I now feel funny having stated that Alaska and Miles have an odd dynamic to their friendship. That’s because Chip’s relationship with Sara is a million times worse, and something that I will just straight-up state that I do not understand. I acknowledge that I’ve only had two boyfriends in my entire life, that I’ve only been out and dating for nine years, and that I’m relatively inexperienced when compared to others in terms of volume. That doesn’t bother me; I started later than most people because I was in the closet in high school and I never had a high school romance. Plus, I have a whole lot of social anxieties and fears that generally keep me away from dating unless I feel particularly good about another dude, and that’s also rare. I wouldn’t say I’m picky; I think I set the bar high. One of the most important things to me is that I need to be able to get along with a person on a most basic level. I spend enough time yelling into the void that is the Internet as it is. I don’t want to be in a relationship with someone (or even date for that matter) if I am constantly fighting with them.
I honestly don’t know any queer couples that act like this and it seems to me to appear mostly in heterosexual pairings. Obviously, my perspective is limited, but I know straight couples who bicker and fight like Chip and Sara do here, and I know NO NON-STRAIGHT PEOPLE WHO DO THIS. I thought that this was first meant to be a cute sort of thing: the couple argues about almost every little thing, but it quickly escalates to Chip going way, way, way too far when he just gives up on not going to the opera. Yes, both these people are pretty irritating, but Chip seems rather stubborn about the way he acts. I mean…okay, why are these two together? Chip makes a reference to how often the two fight, so is this a regular thing or am I reading too much into it? If two people are having this sort of constant fighting, why….well, I suppose now I’m heading into uncharted territory. I think I just don’t get relationships at all. I DON’T UNDERSTAND THEM. I mean…seriously, I sound like a child. MOMMY AND DADDY HOW ARE BABIES MADE WHY DO PEOPLE HUG I DON’T GET IT.
The plot does thicken because of this: Chip finds out from Sara that others believe Chip was the one who ratted out Alaska’s roommate and her boyfriend, getting them kicked out of school for sexy times. This seems rather impossible; Chip appears to be someone who takes the code for non-ratting quite seriously. So….why would he do this? What evidence could they have? Or is it like Chip says, and they’re actually framing him?
I AM INTERESTED IN THIS PLOT. VERY INTERESTED.
Read only the exact two sections you reviewed: SUCCESS.
I feel like leaving a comment filled with random statements, so:
I think I'm in love with the Colonel. Don't know why.
Alaska is weird, but I love her patriarchal paradigm comment.
My mother never really taught me how to iron. I just sort of do it whenever's necessary, which thankfully is not often because I hate ironing things.
Chip and Sara's relationship is absolutely disconcerting. How is "I'm a bad boyfriend, she's a bad girlfriend, we deserve each other" a sensible reason to keep dating. WHAT IS THIS. I'm with Miles here.
I don't believe for a second that Chip ratted on them. He seemed very serious about it when he talked to Miles.
I want to know where this is going to.
The Britishisms in Harry Potter do seem strange to me, but that was always a part of the story's charm: it's a fantasy story where everything is different to our world and yet has some overlap (it exists beside our own). So it was never alienating or anything, it was just another part of the fantasy.
This story, however, isn't a fantasy, and yet I don't feel alienated by the differences. I only lived on-campus one semester of college and then I transferred schools and moved back home with my family. My experience with what it's like to live alone like this in a dorm and where you're responsible for yourself is extremely limited, so a lot of this, I can't relate to the experience, but I can relate to, "Yeah, I'd probably feel that way in that situation, too." I can relate to characters.
I'm glad you chose this book to read, Mark, because I don't know that I'd have ever gotten around to reading it otherwise, and I'm loving every second of it. In fact, I'm about to head off to Amazon to purchase several other John Green books right now. <3
I don't iron, at all, because I am incapable. See also: my inability to vacuum like a grownup, my problems actually folding clothes, etc. I'm badass at most home cleaning things, but not so much ironing and vacuuming and folding clothes.
I recommend Paper Towns to everyone thinking about reading more John Green — Alaska is his first novel, and compared with Towns it's nowhere near as good. I mean, it's still really good, just….not the ultimate awesome that is Towns. So.
Cncre Gbjaf jnf zl yrnfg snibevgr. V sryg gung gbb zhpu bs vg jnf erplpyrq sebz YSN. V rira pnyyrq vg Ybbxvat sbe Znetb.
I think we should go for TFiOS next. That one sounds good.
Unun, gung'f shaal, orpnhfr fbzrgvzrf V pnyy Cncre Gbjaf "Svaqvat Nynfxn."
First; Dr. Hyde.
I loved religion class. It was one of the most fascinating things I've studied. I may be agnostic, but I have a deep respect for those who are religious. For me, so many of the world's conflicts and people can be better understood by learning about religion, as well as all sorts of ethical and metaphysical issues. However, I personally don't think I would get along well with this teacher.
Oh, I'd listen. I'd listen and probably be fascinated. But in my opinion, that's not really the best way to teach stuff philosophically. The whole point of classes like that for me is to evaluate and discuss what you're learning; if you're just sitting there, taking it in like a sponge, how are you to engage and formulate your own opinions? Whatever. I just have feelings on that class.
As for couples…some just fight a lot. I've known a couple gay/lesbian couples that did so, so its not just a straight thing. This, however, doesn't seem to be lots of fighting; it seems like Sara and the Colonel are just unsuited for each other. Sometimes it seems like people get in relationships just for the sake of it, not because they particularly like the person, but because they 'should' have a boyfriend or girlffriend. That's what it feels like to me.
(Also; how can you not know how to iron? Its not particularly difficult.I mean, I barely ever do it, but you just put the water in, and keep moving it over the cloth. Simple. Maybe I'm just missing something since it was a rule for all the kids I knew to learn it when we were ten in school. So, yeah. Yay, bias!)
I can't iron. Or rather, I can't iron *well*. I manage to iron the creases IN, it's really frustrating.
I remember when I was in middle school I needed something ironed so I went up to my mom and asked her to teach me how to do it and she just gave me this look like I was The Stupidest Thing Ever. All she said was "You plug it in. It gets hot. You iron."
The irons they have these days are so complicated though! My iron has like fifteen settings and I have no idea what they're for. I usually just put the water in and let it get hot and then hope for the best. But mostly I buy clothes that don't need ironing.
Am I the only one getting seriously annoyed by the portrayal of women? We've got Manic Pixie Dream Girl and Heinous Bitch.
John Green himself has repeatedly addressed his Manic Pixie Dream Girl phase. He was a young man (about twenty-five) when he wrote this novel–his very first novel–and I have forgiven him the trope for those (and other) reasons.
I have to say A-levels here are quite different from high school, there is only a limited choice of classes to take, we don't have these discussion circles (the lessons in Dr. Hyde's class are much more like lessons here) and there are much fewer students. This chapter however reminded me a lot of my last year in A-levels.
I had to switch schools in grade 11, because the first school was to be demolished.
So I was completely on my own that year with people who had attended school together for at leat the last 4 years.
And you are right Mark 'NO ONE CARED'. Lessons where so different, teachers where much stricter and
NO ONE CARED! I wish I had had a Colonel or even an Alaska with me, I might have even finished school then.
About relationships: I have never been in one myself, as I'm not that good with people in general,
but what Chip and Sara are going through seems quite like the relationship of my sister and her husband.
They are always arguing, have been for the last 10 years. I never understood how they can stand it.
I guess opposites attract, but they don't really lead to happy ever after.
ooh, two days in one day.
I wonder how many chapter thingies are in this book anyway. I remember wondering that with The Book Thief. Since they weren't numbered, I couldn't figure out in advance when you were going to get where.
Exactly! I expected Mark to jump all over this Magic Pixie Dream Girl stereotype in a big way. Way to miss this one, Mark! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl)
A Magic Pixie Dream Girl is a damaging female stereotype. My guess is the author is aware of this and includes a lot of feminist rhetoric to make up for it, just as Stephanie Meyer includes that random bit about misogyny to throw people off. But…. the whole book still revolves around a crap stereotype of women.
PLEASE analyze the rest of the book with this context! I'm dying to know if you think whether/to what extent the other features of the book are redemptive.
[youtube uqJUxqkcnKA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEAA8A912F6B3E14E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJUxqkcnKA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEAA8A912F6B3E14E youtube]
That or the fact that the only other girl so far is portrayed as a bitch. Not gonna lie, I'm really disappointed by the overlooking the gender thing.
The Inheritance Cycle may be crap writing, but at least it HAD female characters whose roles went beyond "eye candy" or "bitch".
And yeah, having Alaska refuse to iron on "anti-patriarchy" grounds hardly compensates for making her a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
/I have a lot of feelings.
I see this as not really a Pudge thing instead of a John Green thing.
I'm going to assume both of you have read this book, so like…could I get there? I mean, I'm like 15% into this thing, so I don't know what Alaska's full characterization is, but this sure clues me into what John Green is doing.
I dunno, I feel really weird when people tell me I have to write about certain things, or that I'm disappointing for not writing about a trope. So, again, can I get there myself?
Looking For Alaska. LOOKING FOR…
…she’s not going to be found in the first 15% of the book. Obviously.
Keep on, Mark. I’m enjoying seeing John Green’s words through your eyes.
Mark, no disrespect at all intended! You normally pick up on this stuff 100x faster than me. Just wanted to let you know…. so it can be in the back of your mind. If you read and conclude "I see why the internet thinks this, but it is incorrect for the following reasons:" that would be hella interesting too.
I guess I bring it up because the issue is so conflicted for me, given the tone of the overall novel.
No, I recognize the good intent but…you're basically spoiling this for me? Not like HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS, obviously, but now you've put it in my mind that John Green's treatment of Alaska is this trope.
All I'm saying is we can talk about these things and feel free to say you're disappointed that I missed something….
….but could you wait until I get there? That's all.
How is telling Mark what should be in his mind while he reads a book not spoiling him, in fact, for the WHOLE BOOK, by making it impossible for him to interpret it as he goes along?
And on top of that, like
OH GOD I AM SPOILING MYSELF
but if you'd just waited until Wednesday, you'd see that I brought up this same issue by that time. So….AWKWARD.
Again, I am 100% up for discussing this and for people being disappointed that I missed something (THAT IS A WEIRD SENTENCE TO TYPE), but please let me get through the book without telling me things I should look for or keep in mind.
FWIW I'm reading exactly at the pace you are. I know that usually I've read the books you do, but this time around I HAVEN'T in fact read it. And still I'm getting irritated by Alaska's characterization 15% in. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it turns out to be a deconstruction, but I want to let you know I'm only where you are and I'm feeling the sexism. That's why I'm surprised you didn't point it out already. Normally you pick up on gender stuff really quickly.
Yeah, I am… I'm glad you're addressing this stuff, because I was about to like, ride to your defense all over these comments in a way that could have gotten me all banninated and shit. It sounds to me like some of the folks have come here with a pre-set agenda and are just waiting for you to agree with them. Jesus, can't you read the book on your own terms?
Pre-set agenda? I have no pre-set agenda, but when fewer than 100 pages in, I observe that there are three females, one of whom is his mother for whom he feels disdain, one of whom is OMG HAWT AND PERFECT AND A LITTLE QUIRKY and one of whom is OMG WHAT A BITCH, yeah it gives me a visceral reaction of feminist irritation. I’m reading this for the first time, and I only go one section ahead of this blog (well today I went two sections ahead ’cause I saw that today’s was covering two sections). But so far, every time Alaska is being described, I wince.
Things that can get you banned from this site:
1. Spamming.
2. Being a bully.
3. Using pejorative slurs.
4. Being a bigoted asshole.
5. Posting egregious spoilers.
If you were honestly considering doing any of the above "in defense of" the person who banned these things from this site (and isn't even under attack in the first place), I think you really need to do some reevaluation.
In addition (and aside from the fact that many people making these comments are new to this book), I see a lot of posters coming in here with a pre-set agenda who're just waiting for Mark to agree with them. It just usually takes the form of squeeing and waiting for him to fall in love with/get engaged to their favorite book or series. Why would it be different for people who're more critical of a specific work?
Bit late to the "party", but – yes. This. I understand being upset about Mark getting spoiled, but none of the actions listed above are appropriate responses. If you see someone posting a spoiler, don't verbally abuse the offender, report it to the mods. We'll take care of it. Accusing people of having a pre-set agenda also veers too close to personal attack for my tastes.
I seriously need to make a REAL About page and then a separate SITE RULES page, because that link is A LIE. It's says ABOUT in it! NOT FAIR.
Yes, you really, really do, and also, you need a page where people can ask you questions about the structure of your reviews and the schedule, and you will actually answer. Maybe the new Ask Mark section of the forums will be this, but are the forums even live? I don't even know if you're going to see this comment.
Just a note: if you see a spoiler posted here, report it and the mods will deal with it. "Riding to [Mark's] defense" in a manner that you think could get you banned is not the appropriate response.
I also had a couple of awesome experiences with college professors. My Special Relativity professor had already retired and only came back to teach this one class because he loved it so much. One day one of the (super annoying) kids in the class (who didn't believe in Special Relativity) was trying really hard to disprove the whole theory. When he'd finished asking a particularly dense question, Professor Emeritus threw his hands up in the air and in a complete deadpan said "Oh my God, I hadn't thought of that. My career is over." It was brilliant and an awesome reminder that all that experience does count for a lot.
I'm having a hard time commenting on this book. In my mind it's very strongly linked to another book, but I can't comment on the connections (or the book) yet without spoiling you completely. So I'll just have to wait.
You're really not prepared at all.
but what if i am
what if i am
If you were prepared for something my universe would explode. I just can't believe that it's possible.
Out of curiosity would you recommend that book you compared it to in the spoiler blog?
Sure, my spoilerific comment is here
First of all, I don't know if you would do this, but I would love for you to take a bunch of guesses at what the event is that creates "Before" and "After." This is a long shot, but I suspect that you are unprepared for whatever it is 😀
The whole getting up early thing…. can I just say that all of you people that get up early on your own are weird and I'm envious of you. I have a 10am class on these days, and I can't even make it to that more than once a week. Please tell me I'll grow out of it. And yeah, the professors don't care if you make it on time or make it at all, not one bit, so THAT makes it even harder to go. Oh, college.
Also, I have to admit that this was the book that made me take up smoking. SAD DAY. I blame it all on you, John Green! ALL OF IT
Mark said in his very first LFA post that he assumed The Prank came between Before and After, but I don't know if he still thinks that.
(ryy bu ryy abg cercnerq)
OH, I totally forgot that!!! I would love for him to make other random guesses, just to see the stuff he comes up with. I think it would be ridiculous and hilarious.
naq BU ZL TBQ lbhe ebg13 znqr zr ynhtu fb uneq. FB GEHR. Ur unf ab vqrn. Ur arire qbrf, ohg V srry yvxr guvf vf cnegvphyneyl hacercnerq. V erzrzore ubj oyvaqfvqrq V jnf ol vg…..
I AM STILL OF THE MIND THAT IT'S THE PRANK. I mean, as this goes on, the prank war escalates and our characters haven't retaliated.
THAT IS STILL MY GUESS.
I always loved teachers and professors who could just fill a lecture/class with their talking, of course, classes with participation and discussion are awesome aswell, it's great to learn from one another… but to be able to just sit there and let wisdom drizzle down to you… a-mazing! 🙂
Also re: ironing
When I lived at home, ironing was always everyone's job, and not an unpopular chore, as whoever did it, controlled the tv remote. Nowadays, I really don't bother with it, I fold my clothes and that was it, except if I have something fancy coming up 😉
The couple's thing… weird. I've been in 2 serious relationship where that was never an issue and couple where this happens, I just don't understand them. If you're not able to make each other happy anymore… why bother? Why dread coming home because you know you'll fight again? Ugh.
1. This is the first time anyone has ever agreed with me about lectures.
2. Miles makes me think of the way that John Green describes boys courting girls in some vlogbrothers videos.
3. Jeez, I sometimes feel bad when I read this stuff 'cause I've never had a high school romance, and probably won't with what time I have left.
4. As usual, I bet there is more to Chip than meets the eye.
It is pretty great that people don't care in college. I mean, they treat you like an adult. If you skip class, that's your business, and if you then don't do well on a test or final, that's also your business. You don't have to ask permission to go to the bathroom. I remember that being strangely liberating for me. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK PERMISSION TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. PEOPLE ASSUME YOU ARE AN ADULT AND YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE TO PEE.
And I think the core difference is, in college, you have to WANT to be there. If you don't, nobody is going to MAKE you want to be there. Unlike pre-college education, in which you have to be there or you get in serious trouble, which is one of the huge problems with our school system I think–that it's compulsory. Kids do it because they have to, not because they want to, and then you wonder why they hate school and resist learning? But if I start this rant, I'll never stop.
Anyway, in college I discovered I wasn't such a math whiz as I'd always thought. I always did really well in high school math, but when I got to college, people just expected me to get the fundamental principles of calculus and I was like WHAT IS A DERIVATIVE, HOW DO YOU MATH. And because the professor didn't give a shit whether or not you were following his explanations, I got a C in math for the first time ever. And I never took another math class again.
So I think the "not giving a shit" can go both ways. It can help you or it can keep you from learning as well as you could. But I definitely prefer it to the oppressive structure of high school.
Anyway, I have to disagree with Miles about discussion classes. When I hear something interesting in class, I have to talk about it or I feel like the words are going to burst out of me. I don't waste any time worrying about what the professor wants to hear. Maybe other people do that in discussion classes, but I think that's sad. I remember at my (small, liberal-arts, private) college everyone discussed everything all the time, because we were so passionate about all the subjects, and then when I took summer classes at the local huge public university, NOBODY TALKED. I was the only one discussing anything, and nobody would engage with me, and I was so frustrated.
But there is something to be said for professors that are genuinely interesting to listen to, I agree. The problem is most of my "lecture classes" bored me to tears. I don't know if that was just the subjects, or if the professors weren't good enough at making the subjects interesting.
EIGHT IN THE MORNING REALLY ISN’T THAT EARLY. I don’t know how else to explain this.
I had trouble with my earliest classes no matter what time they were, because the act of just getting up and getting ready for the day was (and is) difficult to me. But I'm one of those people who is late all the time to everything. I also think there's something to be said for a teenager's body and how it is programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than an adult's. It's true, they have done studies.