Unmask Alice
LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries
Ratings7
Average rating4.4
15
LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries
Ratings7
Average rating4.4
"Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson goes a long way to showing what investigative journalism could be in the right hands . . . this book is undeniably buzzworthy." —Portland Book Review "An absorbing and unnerving read . . . this book demands to be finished in one sitting." —Booklist Two teens. Two diaries. Two social panics. One incredible fraud. In 1971, Go Ask Alice reinvented the young adult genre with a blistering portrayal of sex, psychosis, and teenage self-destruction. The supposed diary of a middle-class addict, Go Ask Alice terrified adults and cemented LSD's fearsome reputation, fueling support for the War on Drugs. Five million copies later, Go Ask Alice remains a divisive bestseller, outraging censors and earning new fans, all of them drawn by the book's mythic premise: A Real Diary, by Anonymous. But Alice was only the beginning. In 1979, another diary rattled the culture, setting the stage for a national meltdown. The posthumous memoir of an alleged teenage Satanist, Jay's Journal merged with a frightening new crisis—adolescent suicide—to create a literal witch hunt, shattering countless lives and poisoning whole communities. In reality, Go Ask Alice and Jay's Journal came from the same dark place: Beatrice Sparks, a serial con artist who betrayed a grieving family, stole a dead boy's memory, and lied her way to the National Book Awards. Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries is a true story of contagious deception. It stretches from Hollywood to Quantico, and passes through a tiny patch of Utah nicknamed "the fraud capital of America." It's the story of a doomed romance and a vengeful celebrity. Of a lazy press and a public mob. Of two suicidal teenagers, and their exploitation by a literary vampire. Unmask Alice . . . where truth is stranger than nonfiction.
Reviews with the most likes.
Truly enjoyed this bit of sad, weird history. Really wish the citations had been more thorough as it kinda hurts a true crime work's credibility when the core thesis is centered around the concept of falsified research and the like. Still, briskly paced and readable.
First I'm going to pick my jaw up from the floor.....Now I'll proceed.
Go Ask Alice was a very influential book for me in middle school and in high school (2000's era). I took so much away from the book and connected with it on such a personal level. It shaped me.
With that being said, the deep dive into the history of the publication, along with other diary style titles and how they impacted a toxic culture blew my mind. Satanic panic has been a topic I find endlessly fascinating and this book did not disappoint me in adding to my growing knowledge. The details on drugs and the war on drugs had me shocked. And I won't even begin to discuss Beatrice Sparks and the endless ways she slipped through every filter there was because I think reading about her with fresh eyes is the best way to go. The state of publishing, libraries, and bookselling is touched on and another interesting aspect of the book. I went through the emotions of shocked, sad, mad, furious, and heartbroken. This is a story that took so long to tell, which is such a shame, but Rick Emerson did a great job.
When it comes to non-fiction books, I enjoy them, but I tend to take a longer time to read. I need to really let the information sink in. With Unmask Alice, however, I couldn't read it fast enough. I needed all of the information ASAP. Emerson's writing is very readable and the mix of his personal touches (and opinions) I felt added to the readability. While authors' opinions can detract from the information in non-fiction, I thought it added to it (maybe this is because I agreed with all of them, but you never know).
There's so much more I want to add, but I don't want to spoil anything for readers. I highly recommend reading Unmask Alice!
I couldn't put this down! I already knew a fair amount about Beatrice Sparks but HECK, there was a lot I didn't know.
Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson
Unmask Alice covers the story of Beatrice Sparks... a woman so desperate to become a writer, she fabricates diary excerpts and puts them out as non fiction....
Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries is a true story of contagious deception. It stretches from Hollywood to Quantico, and passes through a tiny patch of Utah nicknamed “the fraud capital of America.” It's the story of a doomed romance and a vengeful celebrity. Of a lazy press and a public mob. Of two suicidal teenagers, and their exploitation by a literary vampire.
Unmask Alice . . . where truth is stranger than nonfiction.
This was what made me want to read this book so bad!
Go ask Alice was used to push the agenda on drugs during the war on drugs. The father of a young lady who ended up dying because of her life choices, made it his mission in life to vilify the drug LSD instead of blaming the choices his daughter made that led to her death. He needed something or someone to blame.
The second book Jay's journal, came from a real boy... a real boy who committed suicide but she made his story into a dramatically version of events, making it seem like he was a devil worshipper.
Not only did she lie about being a psychologist, she used people to get what she wanted. She was the worst kind of bottom feeder.
These books helped fuel hysteria in the 70s and 80s. This book was a real eye opener on the dangers propaganda can have on the population. This is a problem we still see today. Politicians and the news feeding media hysteria to get what they needed. This book goes into details of what the president did to get what he wanted and it was never about public safety.
This is a cautionary tale of how you should always be mindful of what you are reading and whether you can take it for facts. You need to think for yourself and do research rather than blindly trusting.
The author did a ton of research and it was well thought out. I really enjoyed the way it held my attention. I actually had no idea about this woman and these books but now I want to know more.
4.5 stars for me!
