I like John Green because he writes in a very realistic teen voice type of way. Reading Looking For Alaska, I found myself smiling because Pudge or the Colonel sounded just like me when I was a teen, at least in terms of what they say. Sometimes I still think I think or speak the way John Green's characters do, but that might be because I'm not even 20 yet (*sigh*).While Looking For Alaska had its good and bad, I think lots of teenagers could/have/will relate to it. The critical reading talked about readers identifying themselves with young adult novels; I did as an adolescent. But I think it's important to point out that teenagers won't necessarily relate to this novel only because of the death (though that's a biggie), but also because of things like crushes, those annoying things called feelings, friendship, family, fun, and discovering oneself.
That's part of the reason why I liked Pudge as the main character, since he goes through all those things within the course of the novel. The biggest things for me in high school was friends. I left the Brainerd school district in March of 5th grade to go to New Ulm, left there for Anoka in the middle of 9th grade, stayed for two months, and then went back up to Brainerd for 10th grade, and then in 11th grade went to the local community college as a PSEO student. Each move I had to make new friends--in Anoka, I didn't even have anyone to sit with at lunch, and looking back, I wish I become friends with other people. So I understand Pudge's struggle with friendship. Other teens would understand, too, and relate on a level that might have an impact on them.
And then there are the teens that might identify with the Colonel, Alaska, Lara/Lera/whatever her name is. So despite whatever your opinion on it, John Green's book rates relatively high on the relatability scale.
Your post seems to connect with the article we read. You're connecting your own experiences, even your own discourse, to what the characters are going through/saying in the book. Even though I personally didn't enjoy the book that much, I'm glad that you got something out of it and could relate to it. You were able to use your experiences and memories to relate to the book and therefore have a clearer understanding of the characters and really be able to look into what is happening rather than just take it at face value. Relatability seems to be an important factor with young adult lit. Even if it's dealing with something most people maybe haven't gone through (like the sudden death of a close friend) most people can still relate on perhaps a smaller scale - like the way they speak and the emotions they're feeling.
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