In 1976, a stage play of the same name, written by Frank Shiras and based on the book, was also published. The book was adapted into the 1973 television film Go Ask Alice, starring Jamie Smith-Jackson and William Shatner. Go Ask Alice has also ranked among the most frequently challenged books for several decades due to its use of profanity and explicit references to sex and rape, as well as drugs. It is praised for conveying a powerful message about the dangers of drug abuse. Intended for a young adult audience, Go Ask Alice became a widely popular bestseller.

Nevertheless, its popularity has endured, and as of 2014 it had remained continuously in print since its publication over four decades earlier. Some sources have also named Linda Glovach as a co-author of the book. Sparks went on to write numerous other books purporting to be real diaries of troubled teenagers. Questions about the book's authenticity and true authorship began to arise in the late 1970s, and Beatrice Sparks is now generally viewed as the author of the found manuscript–styled fictional document. Attributed to 'Anonymous', the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited actual diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist.

Go Ask Alice is a 1971 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.

Beatrice sparks author