Go Ask Alice is a book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of self-destructive escapism. Attributed to "Anonymous", the book is in diary form , and was originally presented as being the edited actual diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Intended for a young adult audience, Go Ask Alice became a widely popular bestseller.
Slick's song is understood as using Carroll's story as a metaphor for a drug experience. In , a year-old girl begins keeping a diary, in which she records her thoughts and concerns about issues such as crushes, weight loss, sexuality, social acceptance, and relating to her parents.
The dates and locations mentioned in the book place its events as occurring between and in California , Colorado , Oregon , and New York City. The two towns in which the diarist's family reside during the story are unidentified, the only indications being that universities are situated in both.
The diarist's father, a college professor, accepts a dean position at a new college, requiring the family to relocate. The diarist has difficulty adjusting to her new school, but soon becomes best friends with a girl named Beth.
When Beth leaves for summer camp, the diarist returns to her hometown, where she meets an old school acquaintance, who invites her to a party where glasses of cola—some of which are laced with LSD —are served.
