Aug 03, 2022 06:00:00

How a Mormon Housewife's 'Fake Diary' Became a Best Seller

The relationship between

Beatrice Sparks , a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , commonly known as Mormonism, and 'Diary of a 15-Year-Old Girl,' who lost her life after being addicted to drugs and prostitution, was published in an American magazine. Compiled by The New Yorker.

How a Mormon Housewife Turned a Fake Diary Into an Enormous Best-Seller | The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/01/how-a-mormon-housewife-turned-a-fake-diary-into-an-enormous-best-seller

Born in Idaho in 1917, Beatrice Sparks, who married a Mormon man named Lavon Sparks after she grew up, worked as a believer and as a housewife. He was also active as a lecturer who taught him how to behave. Sometimes he was a counselor, sometimes a therapist, a social worker, sometimes a psychologist, and sometimes he went on to study psychiatry. He became famous for his book.

That book is 'Go Ask Alice'.

Amazon | Go Ask Alice | Anonymous | Letters & Correspondence
https://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099416379/gigazine-22

The author of 'Go Ask Alice' is Anonymous, that is, the author is unknown, and Sparks claims that he just discovered and edited the manuscript of a teenage girl who will be the original author. And the main character, Alice (pseudonym), whose name is taken from the lyrics of Lewis Carroll's book 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' or more directly from the Jefferson Airplane song '

White Rabbit, ' was born into a middle-class family. He is set as a normal 15-year-old, white, Christian man.

In Alice's diary, everyday life such as dieting and dates with boys were spelled out, but one day Alice wakes up to the drug acid, that is, LSD . As a result of this, Alice ran away from home and became addicted to various drugs. In the end, he stopped writing his diary, went home, and soon died of a drug overdose.

The diary left by Alice was discovered by Sparks, edited and published by Sparks. However, as research into the book has grown, many doubts have arisen about the authenticity of its authorship and content, and in recent years it has been claimed that it was not a diary written by a real teenage girl, but a fictitious story created by Sparks. is the general opinion.

Rick Emerson, author of Unmask Alice , a tell-all about Go Ask Alice, said in the book, 'Alice's model was met by Sparks, who worked as a counselor at a Mormon summer camp. She was a teenage girl,' he claims.

Despite these suspicions, there are quite a few readers who believe that Alice actually existed due to the vividness of the content and the writing style of a teenage girl, which uses a lot of slang and vulgar language. According to The New Yorker, the driving force behind Go Ask Alice's strong support from readers and some educators is the controversy surrounding the book itself. Teenagers are delighted with Alice's raw depictions of drugs and sex, while adults frown on pornography and depravity, which fuels more and more teenagers' interest. 'Go Ask Alice' became even more popular when the title of the book appeared in many library and school index lists.

Sparks, who made a name for himself with 'Go Ask Alice,' has since published a number of books based on the diaries of boys and girls. 'Jay's Journal', which is a diary of a boy who committed suicide in 1971 after being absorbed in devil worship and witchcraft, is one of them.

Amazon | Jay's Journal | Anonymous, Sparks, Beatrice | Teen & Young Adult

At the beginning of 'Jay's Journal,' a woman reads Sparks' book and writes, 'I published the diary of my son, who died at the age of 16, despite having a genius IQ, to bring the dangers of witchcraft to light. I want you to expose it to me.' However, Scott Barrett, the brother of Alden Barrett, the boy who committed suicide, said, 'Sparks used only about a third of the boy's diary, and 90% of what was written in the book was fabricated. ” testifies.

For example, in ``Jay's Journal'', it is written that Jay (Alden) awakened to supernatural powers at a juvenile detention center and was possessed by a demon named Raul, but there is no description about the occult in the actual diary of Alden. . Also, it is believed that suicide was caused by depression, not to escape from the devil's control.

When 'Jay's Journal' was published, it shocked Alden's mother. After that, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett divorced and Alden's mother left his hometown, and it seems that Alden's grave built in his hometown was destroyed many times. Even after the family split up, news of young people performing occult rituals in an attempt to recreate the contents of Jay's Journal haunted the surviving family many times.

Sparks later wrote books about teenage tragedy, including '

It Happened to Nancy ,' about a 14-year-old girl who died of AIDS, and ' Finding Katie ,' about an abused teen in foster care. Publishing until he was in his 80s, he died in 2012 at the age of 95.

Amazon | Finding Katie: The Diary of Anonymous, A Teenager in Foster Care | Sparks, Beatrice | Teen & Young Adult

The New Yorker wrote of Sparks' writings, which, whether true or fictional, continued to depict the anguish of teens: 'Those who perceive Go Ask Alice and other Sparks books as manipulative should know where they came from.' If you know it's questionable, it might make sense, but to someone who's fascinated by Sparks' work and has been able to use it as a deterrent to self-sabotaging behavior, its origin probably doesn't matter.' I commented.