Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the Worlds Most Notorious Diaries
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- Create Date：2022-07-10 07:19:46
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Rick Emerson
- ISBN：1637740425
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Summary
"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。
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
Lisa
，
I loved this。 I read Alice as a kid， and while I missed Jay’s Journal， I *did* read Michelle Remembers， so there’s that。 I thought this was interesting ahd well-researched。
Yessica
，
I was obsessed with the anonymous diaries when I was young。 Probably too young， but I was a voracious reader and my mom trusted me。 “Go Ask Alice” and “It Happened to Nancy” were two of my favorites。 I was shocked to discover as I got older that they were written by the same woman。 This book takes a look at how Beatrice Sparks conned her way into bestseller lists and into literary fame。 Starting with Alice， the book describes the state of the world that helped make Alice the success that it beca I was obsessed with the anonymous diaries when I was young。 Probably too young， but I was a voracious reader and my mom trusted me。 “Go Ask Alice” and “It Happened to Nancy” were two of my favorites。 I was shocked to discover as I got older that they were written by the same woman。 This book takes a look at how Beatrice Sparks conned her way into bestseller lists and into literary fame。 Starting with Alice， the book describes the state of the world that helped make Alice the success that it became， and later other books that seemed ripped from the headlines。 While the title references Alice， a huge chunk is devoted to the family that Sparks betrayed and ruined， the Barretts， and the way her bastardized version of their son， Alden’s， journal contributed to the Satanic Panic。 Unbiased and well researched， this book is a must read for fans of the anonymous novels。 It can get a bit information heavy at times， but it helps to understand the world in which these books thrived。 Thank you NetGalley for access to the arc。 。。。more
Natalie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “Go Ask Alice” and “Jay’s Journal” have been around since the 1970’s。 I remember them being some of the very first YA books I read。 It was mysterious that the author was anonymous， and that the books were catalogued in nonfiction。 I’m sure most of you have read， or at least seen these books at some point in your life。 Spoiler alert: They are a series of “diaries” written by troubled teens who go down a dark path of drugs， addiction， sex， and even occultism， ending in suicides。 Outrageous， over t “Go Ask Alice” and “Jay’s Journal” have been around since the 1970’s。 I remember them being some of the very first YA books I read。 It was mysterious that the author was anonymous， and that the books were catalogued in nonfiction。 I’m sure most of you have read， or at least seen these books at some point in your life。 Spoiler alert: They are a series of “diaries” written by troubled teens who go down a dark path of drugs， addiction， sex， and even occultism， ending in suicides。 Outrageous， over the top， sensational are words I would use to describe the books。 Throughout their time of publication until around the 90’s and 2000’s， these books won numerous awards， even some from the American Library Association and School Library Journal。 They were reading material meant to steer young adults away from drugs and what was considered to be non-Christian values。 Well， after reading “Unmask Alice，” I’m here to tell you that the real author of these， Beatrice Sparks， was nothing more than a Mormon fraud who faked having various academic degrees and exploited the real-life deaths of Diane Linkletter and Alden Barrett （the inspirations for Alice and Jay）。 Not only that， but these books （and Beatrice wrote many others） incited what became known as “the Satanic Panic。” In the 80’s， the FBI began receiving calls that adults with repressed childhood memories remembered sacrifices of animals and babies and much worse。 Even Oprah herself endorsed and indulged people on her show with these stories。 The problem was-where were the bodies？ Serial killers that sacrificed babies among many other crimes were rare。 How could there really be that many happening and no one discovering any evidence？ “Unmask Alice” discusses the rise of Beatrice Sparks， the Satanic Panic， the war against drugs （particularly LSD）， censorship， and really how “Go Ask Alice” incited a phenomenon and ensnared readers for decades。 An interesting tidbit about the book is that the Library of Congress （said to be what most libraries model their cataloging system upon） had the book categorized as both fiction and nonfiction。 And after you read “Unmask Alice，” you’ll understand why。 The story of Alden Barrett is quite tragic， and interestingly enough， takes place around Provo Canyon， Utah， home of the terrible school that abused rich， troubled kids like Paris Hilton and Kat Von D。 I’ve written a lot here， but “Unmask Alice” was probably the best nonfiction book I’ve read this year！ 。。。more
Andrea
，
As a child of the just-say-no 80s， I definitely read GO ASK ALICE and still have a copy。 （Sections that stand out: ironing your hair and rolling it in orange juice cans; the parts of the diary written on scraps of brown paper bags， that ending！） It wasn't until many years into adulthood that I found out it was a complete fake。 UNMASK ALICE delves into the backstory of how ALICE was created and the reverberations that followed。 This book has everything - sex， drugs， fraud， Mormons， satanic panic As a child of the just-say-no 80s， I definitely read GO ASK ALICE and still have a copy。 （Sections that stand out: ironing your hair and rolling it in orange juice cans; the parts of the diary written on scraps of brown paper bags， that ending！） It wasn't until many years into adulthood that I found out it was a complete fake。 UNMASK ALICE delves into the backstory of how ALICE was created and the reverberations that followed。 This book has everything - sex， drugs， fraud， Mormons， satanic panic and more！ I never read or even heard of any of the anonymous author's other books， but it's amazing how she got away with so much for so long and never faced any consequences。 The author， Rick Emerson， has a conversational， casual， sometimes sarcastic writing style that some people might not like， but it's a quick， fascinating read。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Danielle
，
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC。Unfortunately， this was DNF for me。 I might go back to it， because despite some of my frustrations， Unmask Alice was a compelling read。 As a person who has worked closely with YA books， this slice of history is really intriguing。 It's a truly wild story， one I was only vaguely aware of until recently。 Emerson unveils the elaborate web of lies spun by author Beatrice Sparks， starting way before her unattributed smash-hit debut， Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC。Unfortunately， this was DNF for me。 I might go back to it， because despite some of my frustrations， Unmask Alice was a compelling read。 As a person who has worked closely with YA books， this slice of history is really intriguing。 It's a truly wild story， one I was only vaguely aware of until recently。 Emerson unveils the elaborate web of lies spun by author Beatrice Sparks， starting way before her unattributed smash-hit debut， Go Ask Alice。 While Google wasn't around during Sparks heyday， it is still stunning to realize how many falsehood that would have been relatively easy to factcheck when unchallenged as she took advantage of grieving families and possibly single-handedly sparked Satanic Panic in the United States。 And contributed to the start of the War on Drugs， which has ultimately ruined more lives than it ever aimed to help。A precursor to moral panic drug fantasies such as CRANK by Ellen Hopkins， Beatrice Sparks lied her way into a prominent position as a writer/editor of books like Go Ask Alice and Jay's Journal， books that were supposedly based on patient's experiences。 Not only was Sparks not a counselor （or physicist or psychologist， she couldn't keep it straight herself） who never had patients， she was a high school drop out who regularly embellished her resume with faux degrees from UCLA and Berkley。 Aspiring for a career as an author， she took advantage of families who experienced the untimely loss of their children and launched their tragedy into her paycheck。 The story is a veritable trainwreck， and it's difficult for readers to look away。But ultimately， Emerson's own mischaracterizations turned me off。 Within the first hundred pages， as a way of setting the scene to let readers better recognize the time period， Emerson makes a reference to the Attica Prison Uprising and inaccurately claims that the prisoners murdered their hostages and guards。 This is painfully untrue， and while a throwaway line within the text， it makes me wonder what else has been mischaracterize or unresearched。 My only other issue is the narrative's timeline jumping。 Emerson might do better to utilize a more linear form of storytelling。This is a solid true crime read for those that want to avoid the blood and gore。 For your fans of The Feather Thief， The Library Book or Empire of Pain， Unmask Alice could be a great fit。 。。。more
Amanda
，
I remember reading both Go Ask Alice and Jays Journal in my youth and being similtanously terrified and intrigued， especially since the latter seemed to point pretty heavily to some kind of local connection。 As a kid of the 90's I was all about The Craft， and Jays Journal felt like a cautionary tale of what happens when you veer off the "white magic" path into the dark side。 As I got older and re-read each with a critical eye， the cracks became more apparent and it started to become more common I remember reading both Go Ask Alice and Jays Journal in my youth and being similtanously terrified and intrigued， especially since the latter seemed to point pretty heavily to some kind of local connection。 As a kid of the 90's I was all about The Craft， and Jays Journal felt like a cautionary tale of what happens when you veer off the "white magic" path into the dark side。 As I got older and re-read each with a critical eye， the cracks became more apparent and it started to become more common knowledge that neither book was as true as it claimed， and subsequent "diaries" from Beatrice Sparks seemed ridiculous and unbelieveable。That started the wondering of how people bought into these books in the first place。 I've always been interested in the sociology around The Satanic Panic and how so many people could wholeheartedly believe （or at least accept） the stories of children who claimed to have been flushed down toilets and forced to swim with sharks with little to no questioning， or why so many people were scared of Dungeons and Dragons。 As someone who doesn't remember living through it， it was easy to view those people as easily manipulated Bible-Thumpers who were taking their scripture a bit too seriously and innocent people were paying for it。Unmask Alice put all of it into perspective for me。 It was like seeing so many sections of a puzzle being fit together and zooming out to see the whole context。 Emerson does a great job of explaining a society where books like Go Ask Alice and Jays Journal were welcomed and celebrated and shows how their popularity created ripple effects that we still experience today。 As a Utah native， the discussions of how a heavily-structured organized religon in a small town felt absolutely accurate， and being able to picture so many places and events he described only enhanced the book for me。 I also felt like he handled many of the issues surrounding Beatrice Sparks with an even hand。 It would be easy to paint her as either completely villianous or the accidental beneficiary of something that blew up outside of her control， but Emerson does a good job describing her past and talking about how she went from penniless mother to "Doctor" Beatrice Sparks。The book is written in a very conversational， non-linear style that I could see being annoying to some people， but I really enjoyed it。 It felt like listening to a podcast to me and it helped me to fly through the book despite it covering essentially 50 years worth of material。 Definitely something to note if you don't generally like this approach。 。。。more
George A。 Hickman
，
A remarkably addictive page turner which turns what could have been a simple presentation of facts into a well structured and compelling narrative。 There's so much to be surprised， horrified， and outraged by and I highly recommend going on this journey。 A remarkably addictive page turner which turns what could have been a simple presentation of facts into a well structured and compelling narrative。 There's so much to be surprised， horrified， and outraged by and I highly recommend going on this journey。 。。。more
Alison C
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Like millions of teenagers in the early 1970s， I was captivated by the supposedly “true” book， “Go Ask Alice，” although I have to admit that I read it more as fiction than as cautionary tale。 （I still have my paperback copy of the book， in fact， some 50 years later; and I also remember the TV movie made from it。） I seem to remember hearing that its “truth” quotient was a bit dodgy， but until this nonfiction account was published， I knew next to nothing about Beatrice Sparks， the woman behind th Like millions of teenagers in the early 1970s， I was captivated by the supposedly “true” book， “Go Ask Alice，” although I have to admit that I read it more as fiction than as cautionary tale。 （I still have my paperback copy of the book， in fact， some 50 years later; and I also remember the TV movie made from it。） I seem to remember hearing that its “truth” quotient was a bit dodgy， but until this nonfiction account was published， I knew next to nothing about Beatrice Sparks， the woman behind the journal， and I hadn’t connected it to Nixon’s “War on Drugs” until reading this book。 I also wasn’t part of the demographic that some years later picked up “Jay’s Journal，” which took the journal entries of a young Mormon boy who killed himself and warped it into an early instigator of the late 1970s/early 1980s “Satanic panic” that gripped the US and destroyed many lives。 Rick Emerson’s treatment of these books and more written by a woman who seems to have been， at best， a con artist， is lively and informative， although some of his footnotes are rather snarky。 As a piece of investigative journalism about a pop culture phenomenon （or three）， it is illuminating， entertaining and horrifying in equal measure; perhaps the scariest part is the realization that no doubt there is a new “Beatrice Sparks” operating in pop culture right now。 。。。more
Katie Wright
，
Highly recommend if you’re into con artists， frauds or moral panics。 I listened to the audiobook and couldn’t turn it off。 The history behind this is fascinating and infuriating。 I’ve never even read the books in question， it doesn’t matter！
Margi Finch
，
I had never heard of any of these books until an episode of the podcast You're Wrong About。 How I escaped these stories as a kid in the 80s and early 90s， I'll never know。 I had never heard of any of these books until an episode of the podcast You're Wrong About。 How I escaped these stories as a kid in the 80s and early 90s， I'll never know。 。。。more
Kathleen M。 Bourque
，
Fast， fascinating readAs someone who had Go Ask Alice foisted upon me in "literature" class in the 1970s， I've always been interested in what might have been the real story behind that book。 Thank you for the truth。 The research done for this book is excellent。 I won't give away any spoilers， but the last few chapters， as well as the epilogue， were very surprising！ No， you shouldn't skip ahead。。。 Fast， fascinating readAs someone who had Go Ask Alice foisted upon me in "literature" class in the 1970s， I've always been interested in what might have been the real story behind that book。 Thank you for the truth。 The research done for this book is excellent。 I won't give away any spoilers， but the last few chapters， as well as the epilogue， were very surprising！ No， you shouldn't skip ahead。。。 。。。more
robbie
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i refuse to believe that i didnt personally inspire this entire book to be published
Michelle
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I， like so many before me， grew up reading "Go Ask Alice" and "Jay's Journal"。 So， Unmask Alice looked right up my alley。 I grew up with a fuzzy understanding that these were fiction books based on real events。 So I was blown away by this book。 It captivated me from the very first page。 Rick Emerson was funny， informative， and witty， and he did not hold back。 And thank the gods for that， because I never would have known the atrocities that were committed by Beatrice Sparks， and the Satanic Panic I， like so many before me， grew up reading "Go Ask Alice" and "Jay's Journal"。 So， Unmask Alice looked right up my alley。 I grew up with a fuzzy understanding that these were fiction books based on real events。 So I was blown away by this book。 It captivated me from the very first page。 Rick Emerson was funny， informative， and witty， and he did not hold back。 And thank the gods for that， because I never would have known the atrocities that were committed by Beatrice Sparks， and the Satanic Panic her actions helped to incite。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Sarah
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Unmask Alice tells the story of the book Go Ask Alice， edited/authored/created/manifested by Beatrice Sparks， a book that nearly all of us can say we read at some point in our life。 The first half？ of the book talks about Sparks and her upbringing and how she came to publish the book。 It also discusses what came after the book was published: utter fear of teens doing drugs， an attack on all drugs （mostly LSD）， a crackdown on drugs and penalties， forcing children （and adults） to read this book to Unmask Alice tells the story of the book Go Ask Alice， edited/authored/created/manifested by Beatrice Sparks， a book that nearly all of us can say we read at some point in our life。 The first half？ of the book talks about Sparks and her upbringing and how she came to publish the book。 It also discusses what came after the book was published: utter fear of teens doing drugs， an attack on all drugs （mostly LSD）， a crackdown on drugs and penalties， forcing children （and adults） to read this book to show them what drugs would do to them。 Essentially， this book created a cultural and social shift in American culture at a time when there was more of a "freeing" movement in behavior。 The second part of the book addresses the story of Alden Barrett。 Barrett was a typical teenager navigating emotions， school， friends and first love。 But Barrett was not without problems。 Considered a rebel， his Mormon parents "tried everything" to fix his behavior。 He even went to a psychiatrist who didn't believe he was depressed and therefore， wouldn't give him medication。 Barrett took his own life。 What happened next was created by Sparks herself。 She obtained Barrett's journal and turned it into the next installment of her journal series: Jay's Journal。 The problem was that is wasn't Alden's journal but rather parts of it and then she proceeded to make up the rest。 By doing this， she destroyed the family， Alden's reputation， the town and subsequently set off the Satanic panic in the United States。The story essentially， through her two main books， discusses how Sparks fabricated her books， never took ownership for her actions， and continued to market herself as an author meanwhile creating upheaval in our society。I thought this book was FASCINATING。 I loved not only the parts about Sparks （yuck） but also the integration of the history of the time and how these books affected it。 I found it interesting to see just how much each decision by Sparks ruined so many lives。 Just from her fabrications， people lost their lives， spend decades in prison， created laws， and so much more。My only downside to this book was that Emerson sometimes made some snide or snarky remarks which seemed to just be thrown in there and seemed unnecessary。 Also， while I understand the need to cover the two books， there was not a lot totally about Sparks herself。 However， I think anyone who likes history and literature or has read these books would really enjoy this book。 I truly enjoyed knowing the story of Alden Barrett and that for the first time in 50 years， the truth of his life came out after being smeared by Sparks。 I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ashley Holstrom
，
Remember Go Ask Alice？ That ~anonymous~ diary of a teen who falls into a whirlwind of drugs？ IT WAS ALL MADE UP。 Beatrice Sparks wrote that and a slew of other “diaries” with anti-drug and satanic panic messaging。 She fooled us all。Rick Emerson dives deep into the stories surrounding the creation of these books （and the creation of LSD！） and it reads like a thriller。
Suzan Ball
，
What is hard to understand is the lack of out cry。 The author of this book exposes a blatant literary fraud 。The iconic book Go Ask Alice， which is said to be an actual journal of a young drug abuser， is revealed to be a piece of fiction disguised as a dairy。 Many copies are sold of this book but no one ever seemed to question its truthfulness。 People in prominent positions start an antidrug bandwagon that seems to take on a life of its own。 The expert who claimed to have edited this journal go What is hard to understand is the lack of out cry。 The author of this book exposes a blatant literary fraud 。The iconic book Go Ask Alice， which is said to be an actual journal of a young drug abuser， is revealed to be a piece of fiction disguised as a dairy。 Many copies are sold of this book but no one ever seemed to question its truthfulness。 People in prominent positions start an antidrug bandwagon that seems to take on a life of its own。 The expert who claimed to have edited this journal goes on to write similar works。 She cites bogus creditials that were not difficult to check。 The readers of these books seem willing to believe whatever this author writes。This carefully researched book uncovers a literary career based on untruths。 Nobody seems at all disturbed by this。 I find that very disturbing。 。。。more
Heather
，
I have always been fascinated with the mystery and con artistry surrounding the most salacious book of my childhood， Go Ask Alice。 I remember being young and thinking the title and cover were intriguing and then hearing more about the scandalous nature of the narrative I learned that it was a "true" book written by some mysterious girl whose life was a tragic spiral of drugs and sex。 Heady stuff for a middle schooler to hear about。 The truth is that the book was written by a middle-aged conserva I have always been fascinated with the mystery and con artistry surrounding the most salacious book of my childhood， Go Ask Alice。 I remember being young and thinking the title and cover were intriguing and then hearing more about the scandalous nature of the narrative I learned that it was a "true" book written by some mysterious girl whose life was a tragic spiral of drugs and sex。 Heady stuff for a middle schooler to hear about。 The truth is that the book was written by a middle-aged conservative woman named Beatrice Sparks with dubious ties to any sort of "psychology" job who used the fears of the time to push her agenda。 While her first book was arguably more harmless as the lies were just figments of her imagination， Sparks continued to try to ride off the back of her initial fame with another book。 This one is much more insidious though， as Sparks was given access to the diaries of a young， troubled teenager who committed suicide by his actual family in hopes she could do something useful with it to help other depressed young people。 What Sparks did was horrifying。 The boy in question was artistic， emotional， trying to figure out life and himself and while he did slip into some drug usage， was more plagued by mental health issues than anything else。 Sparks turned his story into the salacious Jay's Journal， an exploitative book about Satanism， something the young man was never involved in。 Even more horrifically Sparks' book pushed the witch hunt of the "Satanic panic" that happened around this time， a situation that ruined the lives of many innocent people。 Sparks never seemed to feel any remorse about what she did to the grieving family of the deceased teenager nor did she slow down her career， continuing to tap into whatever panic was happening at the time to write more "true" books that fed into parent fears。 The whole story is the height of what irresponsible authorship causes。 The author of this book has done a great deal of research into the story of a shady writer and the impact her lies had on culture。 The tale is almost too strange to be believed and has the feel of true crime since Beatrice Sparks could easily be termed a con woman。 It brings into question the idea of transparency when it comes to writing and ranks as one of the biggest scandals of the literary world。 It also questions the publishing industry itself，as similar scandals continue to happen when book houses rush to publish what they think will be a best seller without looking into the author or their credentials。 A cautionary tale and an infuriating one about a woman with no scruples。Thank you to Net Galley and BenBella Books for the ARC copy 。。。more
Brandi Guarino
，
Review to follow
Ann
，
I read Go Ask Alice as a preteen in the 1980s and even at that time I could tell it was actually a work of fiction or at the very least highly edited。 People need to be intuitive enough to know that most of these so-called diaries and works of non fiction are doctored if only to keep them readable。 I don’t feel fooled or duped。 It was still a great book。
Cathy Mullan
，
I haven’t read this book yet， but I did devour Go Ask Alice when I was thirteen back in 1972。 I don’t know what the author says about “Alice，” but somehow I can guess this progressive Portland native will trash it。 I LOVED that book as a kid， and I absolutely believe it kept me from making some bad choices as a teen when drug use was so prevalent among middle class teens everywhere。 It scared me into avoiding those kids in my Catholic school who were involved in the drug culture， and there were I haven’t read this book yet， but I did devour Go Ask Alice when I was thirteen back in 1972。 I don’t know what the author says about “Alice，” but somehow I can guess this progressive Portland native will trash it。 I LOVED that book as a kid， and I absolutely believe it kept me from making some bad choices as a teen when drug use was so prevalent among middle class teens everywhere。 It scared me into avoiding those kids in my Catholic school who were involved in the drug culture， and there were many。 So， say what you will about the “Anonymous” author， she will remain a hero to me， as I stayed away from those kids—some， who sadly， never grew up。 。。。more
Tammy Buchli
，
I was riveted by this book。 Like so many others，， I read Alice in middle school。 Years later， I heard that it had not been a true diary at all， but some sort of a hoax。 So I was eager to read this and finally get the details。 I loved the way Emerson wove his narratives about drugs and the Satanic Panic， keeping Beatrice Sparks at the center。 I found his format to be very readable。 That said， there was a bit more novelization （putting words and thoughts specifically into the minds and mouths of t I was riveted by this book。 Like so many others，， I read Alice in middle school。 Years later， I heard that it had not been a true diary at all， but some sort of a hoax。 So I was eager to read this and finally get the details。 I loved the way Emerson wove his narratives about drugs and the Satanic Panic， keeping Beatrice Sparks at the center。 I found his format to be very readable。 That said， there was a bit more novelization （putting words and thoughts specifically into the minds and mouths of the characters） than I prefer。 This， as well as Emerson’s decision not to include citations， make the book seem much less scholarly than it might have been。 Finally， I think the section which included a highly speculative guess at who may have been the “real” Alice should have been left out completely。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review。 。。。more
Caitie
，
This is a fascinating account of how the book Go Ask Alice came into existence。 When it was first published， it was by “anonymous，” but really the brain child of a woman named Beatrice Sparks。 Sparks claimed to be a counselor of some kind， a Mormon woman working with troubled kids—mostly teenagers。 Questions arose at the time of publication， Sparks claimed that she’d gotten the diary in a paper bag but somehow recognized it as the life of someone she’d “treated。” The book took off， thousands of This is a fascinating account of how the book Go Ask Alice came into existence。 When it was first published， it was by “anonymous，” but really the brain child of a woman named Beatrice Sparks。 Sparks claimed to be a counselor of some kind， a Mormon woman working with troubled kids—mostly teenagers。 Questions arose at the time of publication， Sparks claimed that she’d gotten the diary in a paper bag but somehow recognized it as the life of someone she’d “treated。” The book took off， thousands of teenagers seeing themselves in the diary of a girl who wanted acceptance but fell into the wrong crowd。 It’s still somewhat unclear who the real “Alice，” was。 Rick Emerson， the author， discusses how the book’s publisher should’ve asked more questions about where the diary really came from。 Sparks was well known in the publishing industry but had needed a new project （which should’ve been a red flag） and suddenly this whole thing falls into her lap。 But Beatrice Sparks went even further， after receiving a letter from a mother who’s son had committed suicide in 1971…she took this boy’s story and turned it into a diary where satanism is discussed。 The real boy， Alden Barrett， had nothing to do with satanism， but in reality was a Mormon kid who was feeling depressed。 However， in the 1960s and 70s mental health was swept under the rug， parents didn’t think kids had anything to be depressed about。 But at the time， literally everyone was afraid of the devil and therefore Satan。 I think that Rick Emerson did a good job of explaining how Beatrice Sparks decided that she wanted to be known for something。 Sparks clearly had her own problems， and it seems like she didn’t really have a masters degree or even a PhD in any form of psychology…。so she probably wasn’t helping any kid。 But she had a script to go on—“don’t tell anyone how I got the information， that way no one will really ask tough questions。” Honestly， more questions should’ve been asked， and if it were 2022 they would’ve been。 But back in the day Go Ask Alice seemed so real that no one thought anyone would make up anything so disturbing。 In conclusion， this was an incredibly interesting book。 And while this is a nonfiction book， there are some Content Warnings: Suicide， drug use， discussions of mental health， religion （Mormonism）， Satanic Panic。 。。。more
SundayAtDusk
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This looked like it was going to be a really interesting read， but unfortunately it was not。 The story is all over the place， and has way too much in it about the drug scene of the '60s-'70s， as well as the Satan worshipping accusations of later decades。 I was looking for more information and analysis of Beatrice Sparks， to understand how she could live such a lie and write such lies。 In addition， I question the author's belief that Go Ask Alice had such a profound effect on so many individuals。 This looked like it was going to be a really interesting read， but unfortunately it was not。 The story is all over the place， and has way too much in it about the drug scene of the '60s-'70s， as well as the Satan worshipping accusations of later decades。 I was looking for more information and analysis of Beatrice Sparks， to understand how she could live such a lie and write such lies。 In addition， I question the author's belief that Go Ask Alice had such a profound effect on so many individuals。 The book came out when I was in junior high， and I only knew one person who ever read and talked about it。 It was a fellow student who always was reading "important" books in high school， and was often holding such a book when she entered a classroom。 （Hey， she even read The Bell Jar！）Book sale numbers don't lie， though， and apparently Alice's fake journal sold like wildfire。 Plus， it was endorsed by individuals in the book and school worlds who should have known it was a fake。 If it did keep some kids from using drugs， though， good！ But really， what genuine good can come out of a huge lie？ Jay's Journal， a book I never heard of until I read this one， was an even bigger lie， and horribly libeled a teenager who had killed himself。 Beatrice Sparks obviously had no shame， and unfortunately there's not enough information in this book to explain exactly why。（Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author。） 。。。more
C。G。 Twiles
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4。5 rounded to 5Fascinating story of a middle-aged hustler， Beatrice Sparks， who had an unerring brilliance when it came to faking teen diaries and synching them to whatever the country was beginning to panic about， be it hard drugs， witchcraft， date rape or AIDs。After decades of getting nowhere with her writing， Sparks， who had a hardscrabble childhood， makes an important connection in Art Linkletter， who at the time was a sort of "America's dad" and extremely famous。 When his daughter commits 4。5 rounded to 5Fascinating story of a middle-aged hustler， Beatrice Sparks， who had an unerring brilliance when it came to faking teen diaries and synching them to whatever the country was beginning to panic about， be it hard drugs， witchcraft， date rape or AIDs。After decades of getting nowhere with her writing， Sparks， who had a hardscrabble childhood， makes an important connection in Art Linkletter， who at the time was a sort of "America's dad" and extremely famous。 When his daughter commits suicide， Linkletter decides LSD is to blame （at the time America was beginning to freak out about LSD in the same way the country is currently up in arms about opioids）。 Sparks sees an opportunity—she hands over a diary to Linkletter that is supposedly the true life account of a teen girl caught up in drugs who dies。 The book became an monster bestseller—only this "true life teen diary" was pure fiction。 Sparks had been a volunteer counselor of troubled teens and it's likely she took their stories as inspiration， but she never had any kind of diary of "Alice。"Her ruse was swallowed completely by the publishing world which， as it is wont to do even today， wasn't about to scrutinize something that was making it so much money。While perhaps making up a teen diary and passing it off as authentic is bad but not cruel， her next act was actually cruel。 This time she took a real diary of a troubled Mormon teen boy and used some of it， but then embellished and fictionalized a huge side plot of him being dragged into death through Satanic ritual and witchcraft。 This book， Jay's Journal，。 also became a smash hit。Simon and Schuster， which published the books and still does， currently has an entire set of "diaries" of supposed troubled teens。 While the company still passes off Go Ask Alice as a real diary （HOW？）， the subsequent "diary" blurbs read more like fiction but a cursory glance at the reviews makes clear most readers think they are nonfiction。Author Rick Emerson has a strong （somewhat snarky） voice。 The first third of the book is utterly fascinating as it deals with Sparks and her Alice hoax。 Then Emerson takes on Alden Barrett， the real-life troubled teen whose diary was the basis for Jay's Journal。 Alden has his own sad， tragic tale， but for a long period of time （not being familiar with the book） I had no clue how this tied into Beatrice Sparks， and as I didn't find Alden's story as compelling。 I almost abandoned the book。 I wish the author had tied in Sparks much earlier to Alden's story because for many chapters I was quite baffled。 Additionally， it was unclear to me whether Brenda's story was supposed to be the basis for Go Ask Alice。 It's strongly hinted at but never stated clearly。 I also kept waiting for Emerson to approach Simon & Schuster， which continues to profit off these "diaries，" for comment but oddly he never does。Finally， there is a long portion about the Satanic Panic of the 80s which is jaw-dropping， and I can see how Emerson included it because Sparks' books played perfectly into the hysteria of that era。 But there were long segues that seemed as they belonged to a different book entirely。 （I would loved for Emerson to approach Oprah Winfrey， who did her part in giving credibility to a horrific social panic that sent innocent people to prison for child abuse。）Finally， it is my belief that we are currently in the middle of several social panics and I hope anyone reading this book will take a good hard look at the decade's "cancellations" and online mob rule and see them for what they are—not "accountability" and "transparency" but hysteria and social contagion。 The words may change but the game stays the same。Thank you to Rick Emerson， Ben Bella Books， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rachel the Page-Turner
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I think the first time I read “Go Ask Alice” was when I was around 11 or 12。 I read it several times when I was younger， because that girl’s diary was horrific and morbidly fascinating。 I mean， think of it！ This girl was unknowingly dosed with LSD， fell into a life of drugs， and she ended up dying thinking parasites were on her！ My friends and I were obsessed … and to this day， I’ve never tried LSD。 😂I don’t remember when I learned that it was a work of fiction， （more like， a work of fraud） but I think the first time I read “Go Ask Alice” was when I was around 11 or 12。 I read it several times when I was younger， because that girl’s diary was horrific and morbidly fascinating。 I mean， think of it！ This girl was unknowingly dosed with LSD， fell into a life of drugs， and she ended up dying thinking parasites were on her！ My friends and I were obsessed … and to this day， I’ve never tried LSD。 😂I don’t remember when I learned that it was a work of fiction， （more like， a work of fraud） but I was an adult， and I was so annoyed that I was completely fooled by a trickster， a hustler。 A woman named Beatrice Sparks。 This book is about her， and about her many books， including the bestselling “Go Ask Alice”， a completely fictionalized tale， and “Jay’s Journal” - which somehow eluded me！ After reading this book， I want to read that one now， but I definitely wouldn’t buy it and support the utter bullshit this woman spread to the masses。Both books were fakes， with “Jay’s Journal” being （very） loosely based on the real diary of a young man （not named Jay） who killed himself。 Witchcraft， Dungeons & Dragons and Satan worship took this bright young Mormon boy from the world … it would have you think。 The truth was that “Jay” （actually a teenage boy named Alden） was a kid who had severe depression。 His parents tried to get him help， but psychology was much more primitive then， and he committed suicide。 The occult had NOTHING to do with it; he wasn’t remotely involved with any of those things。This book about Ms。 Sparks is written informally， but excellently， with exacting details and footnotes。 It was a very easy， quick read and I thought the subject matter was so interesting。 This woman， who pretended to be a psychotherapist， who pretended to “find” diaries of teenage drug users/homosexuals/devil worshipers/sinners， who defined generations， who influenced the “war on drugs”， who ruined people’s lives … well， she’s a real piece of work。 This book takes you through all of it， and it’s definitely interesting。Four stars， maybe even 4。5 if you remember reading these when you were younger。 Millions of Americans did， and while I eventually found out Alice’s story was fake， I had no idea how much damage this one woman did to generations。 I appreciate getting the chance to learn the truth， in a serious but entertaining manner。（Thank you to BenBella Books， Rick Emerson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review。） 。。。more
Jamie Keck
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This book uncovered the truth of "Go Ask Alice" and "Jay's Journal。" I remember reading those books as a teen and being so shocked at what "Alice" went through。 To know that these were simply works of fiction is even more troubling。Emerson does an amazing job of showing how America was during the 1970's and 1980's。 His extensive research really shines through as he uncovers the lies and shows the effects that Beatrice Sparks' had on the criminalization of drugs。 I don't read non-fiction often， b This book uncovered the truth of "Go Ask Alice" and "Jay's Journal。" I remember reading those books as a teen and being so shocked at what "Alice" went through。 To know that these were simply works of fiction is even more troubling。Emerson does an amazing job of showing how America was during the 1970's and 1980's。 His extensive research really shines through as he uncovers the lies and shows the effects that Beatrice Sparks' had on the criminalization of drugs。 I don't read non-fiction often， but this one was something I won't soon forget！Thanks for the ARC， Netgalley！ 。。。more
Amber
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*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Wow， what a way to begin my journey back into nonfiction！ I was someone who read the original "Go Ask Alice" in middle school and spent weeks afterward wondering if Alice was a real person。 At that age， I was also struggling with my mental health， wondering if other people felt that way I did。 Cue "Alice，" marketed as an anonymous journal about a troubled teen girl。 I was hooked。"Unmask Alice" is an expose of sorts concerning the natio *ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Wow， what a way to begin my journey back into nonfiction！ I was someone who read the original "Go Ask Alice" in middle school and spent weeks afterward wondering if Alice was a real person。 At that age， I was also struggling with my mental health， wondering if other people felt that way I did。 Cue "Alice，" marketed as an anonymous journal about a troubled teen girl。 I was hooked。"Unmask Alice" is an expose of sorts concerning the national bestseller "Go Ask Alice，" which made it to the top of bestsellers lists everywhere and became "the book that all teens and adults should read。" The publishing of "Alice" was part of a chain of events that added fuel to Nixon's War on Drugs， as well as （in part） kickstarted the Satanic Panic。 The problem was。。。 "Alice" was fiction。 And so were all of the subsequent novels Sparks published， all of which she claimed were either personal diaries or compilations from her "psychological case notes。" （as Unmask Alice points out: Sparks was not a psychologist nor any type of counselor。） The librarian part of me is fascinated at how "Alice" and Sparks' other novels were so heavily endorsed by booksellers and librarians across the country; the neuroscientist part of me is horrified at the way "Alice" presented drugs， addiction， mental health， and suicide to such a huge public audience。 As much as I was captivated by this book， I really want to touch on how the author talks about suicide （so: Content warning for this review and for the book in general: gory descriptions of suicides。） It's rare that my book reviews overlap with my professional life， but I have worked in suicide prevention research specifically with young people。 I am by no means an expert， but I'm still involved in academic research。 My problem: The section of the book dedicated to Alden's story claims that "The argument for whitewashing suicide goes like this: too much attention。。。can trigger more suicides。。。 That's indisputably true （p143）。" This isn't。。。 *completely* true。 Talking about suicide actually decreases the risk of young people dying by suicide。 A more true statement would be that in strict religious， conservative communities， talking about suicide might lead to messaging of shame and guilt， which isolates teens and increases risk of depression and suicide。 （See: Alden's "counselor" who continues to tell his parents that Alden isn't truly depressed， he'll grow up and grow out of it。） Or: another true statement would be that giving the gory details of a person's suicide and fixating how， when， and where a suicide happened *could* trigger a cluster of suicides。 Community and context are extremely important when referencing why suicide clusters may occur。 Simply talking about suicide does not indisputably increase suicide rates。 Okay， I'm off my soapbox now。 I just don't want people to take the sentiment "talking about suicide is bad" from that part of the text when really， open， judgment free conversations about mental health save lives。 "Unmask Alice" is a fast paced， thorough， critical look at how one woman's lies can influence the cultural zeitgeist for generations。 4 stars。 。。。more
Michelle Herzing
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As a teenager， I devoured Go Ask Alice， reading my paperback copy until it was ragged （and a girl borrowed and lost it）。 Reading Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson was a little bit of a trip down memory lane， transporting me back to the early 1970's with his descriptions of not only the book and TV movie， but the culture and politics of the time。 I never read Jay's Journal， nor did I read any of Beatrice Sparks other 'diaries，' which did not impede my enjoyment of this meticulously researched and impa As a teenager， I devoured Go Ask Alice， reading my paperback copy until it was ragged （and a girl borrowed and lost it）。 Reading Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson was a little bit of a trip down memory lane， transporting me back to the early 1970's with his descriptions of not only the book and TV movie， but the culture and politics of the time。 I never read Jay's Journal， nor did I read any of Beatrice Sparks other 'diaries，' which did not impede my enjoyment of this meticulously researched and impartially reported book。 Beatrice Sparks starts as a somewhat sympathetic character， one who has had credit for the diary stripped， and watches it become a sensation， but as we learn more about her deceptions and actions， she takes on the role of villain。 I was somewhat shocked by the ease with which her deceptions were accepted at face value， though who would have suspected the extent of it！For fans of the original diaries， true crime lovers， and 1970's history buffs， Unmask Alice is a great read。 Thank you to Netgalley， BenBella Books， and Rick Emerson for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Unmask Alice。 The opinions in this review are my own。 。。。more
Megan
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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 d 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！ 。。。more
Meags
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