Having never read John Green, I picked this up, probably on somebody's recommendation. This was 10 years ago, and I was not a young adult at the time. Inside the front cover was a post-it note. "This is the best young adult book ever written. Really."

Miles has transferred to a new preparatory school, and John Green uses this to introduce the reader to the wonderful characters, including the titular Alaska Young. As counterpoint to the social interactions, the class with the most focus is religious studies. There are no chapters, only sections, each labeled with a decreasing number of days "before" - so the reader knows something is coming - and later a number of days "after". I didn't read ahead to find out what, and suggest you don't either.

Character interactions with each other, with adults, and with their schoolwork really define the novel and breathe life into everything. The setting is richly described, especially days of dismal rain and the vibrant green afterwards. Alaska is a very strong female character, smart and quick to point out objectification of women.

There have been some controversies around the novel also, including frequent depictions of smoking, drinking, and one particular scene. That scene of physical intimacy with no emotional connection is an important counterpoint to a subsequent scene of emotional intimacy with no physical aspect. I could see some schools or parents kicking up a fuss, but it would be hard to pretend teens don't already know everything here.

This is my second read of this book but my first solid review. In doing a little research for this, I see that there is an eight episode TV adaptation released just a few months ago. I will probably watch it, but would strongly encourage everyone to read the book first. Really.