2013 Summer Reading

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Summer Reading Assignment

As you prepare for your first semester at Becker, we would like to challenge you to improve your reading skills. Reading-like any sport, talent, passion, or skill you are trying to perfect–requires practice. The more you read, the better skill set you can develop and the better prepared you will be for the rigor of college writing.

Every first year student will be required to read Looking for Alaska prior to the start of the fall semester. There will be a quiz on the themes of the book and extensive discussion in your First Year Experience course. In addition, English composition courses will be utilizing the book in a writing assignment. In order to be successful in these classes, it is crucial to read the book completely before coming to Becker.

You will receive a free copy of the book during summer orientation. This is your copy, so feel free to make notes and mark up the book as you identify important themes, quotes, and discussion topics in the book. Please bring the book with you when you come to your English and First Year Experience courses this fall.

Book Synopsis

Looking for Alaska follows a year in the life of student Miles Halter, a friendless Floridian who begged his parents to enroll him in the Culver Creek boarding school. Miles dreams of starting anew at his elite Alabama prep school, of finding Francois Rabelais’s “The Great Perhaps.” At school, he falls in with a prankster of a roommate, the Colonel, and the sassy, sexy, messed-up Alaska Young. For an unforgettable 128 days, Miles learns life lessons in love, loyalty, friendship, literature, and poetry, as well as experiences the thrill of a first girlfriend. When tragedy strikes Culver Creek, Miles is forced to undertake an even closer examination of his own character and relationship with his friends.

This is an outstanding coming-of-age novel that has already proved to be a favorite teen read. The characters are well-drawn, witty, and full of individual quirks and spunk. Green even manages to bring in the reality of cigarettes and alcohol without a preachy or over-glorifying tone. This novel has won the Teen’s Top 10 award as well as the Printz Award.

Important questions to consider while reading the book:

• Consider the transformational moments that influence the character in the book, and how does this contribute to their moral and personal development?
• How do the characters in the book accept the consequences of their actions, and how does this depict a step toward maturity?
• Evaluate the values and background of each character. How has that shaped who they are and who they will eventually become as a young adult?
• What is the difference between friendship and “real” friendship. How is this demonstrated in the book?
• Consider the power of guilt in young adults. How does it affect their moral and personal development

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Mosier,
Director of First Year Experience
sarah.mosier@becker.edu,
774.354.0430