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Unmask Alice
Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries | Rick Emerson
22 posts | 17 read | 42 to read
Two teens, two diaries, two sordid scandals. All from the same dark place: a serial con artist who betrayed a grieving family, stole a dead boys identity, and swindled her way to the National Book Awards. First published in 1971, Go Ask Alice shocked readers and reinvented the young adult genre. Fifty years and 5 million copies later, Go Ask Alice is more than famousits iconic. Even people who havent read it know the basics: Some teenager's diary . . . she's hooked on drugs . . . it might be fake . . . doesnt she die at the end? But Alice was only the beginning. In 1979, another real diary rattled the nation. The posthumous account of a boy lured into devil-worship, Jays Journal spurred the Satanic Panica literal witch hunt that lasted for decades, shattering lives and poisoning whole communities. Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the Worlds Most Notorious Diaries is the true story of a young-adult blockbuster . . . of a terror that stalked 1980s America . . . and of the ruthless charlatan behind both. Author and veteran radio/television broadcaster Rick Emerson spent five years unearthing and assembling this amazing and , nearly unbelievable story: interviewing central and peripheral players, visiting key locations, and sifting through tens of thousands of documents. The story stretches from Hollywood to Quantico, and passes through a tiny patch of Utah desert called the fraud capital of America". Its the story of a doomed romance and an unhinged celebrity. Of a lazy press and a public mob. Of two suicidal teenagers, and their exploitation by a literary vampire. Unmask Alice is the gripping true story of a pop-culture smashand its ugly, ongoing fallout.
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BookwormAHN
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Thank you so much @DeeLew I love what you picked out. I'm really excited about the books and the bag is so cute. I love the socks and candle and am looking forward to trying the treats 👻
#HHS24 #HauntedHollowSwap
@wanderinglynn

KT1432 That tote is so cute!! And ummm I‘m adding the tagged book to my tbr immediately. It sounds fascinating. 6d
wanderinglynn Fantastic! 🎃🖤👻🧡 6d
DeeLew Yay! I‘m glad you like everything! 🙂🎃 5d
JessieKB Great box!!!💜🎃🖤 5d
50 likes4 comments
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Amie
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Pickpick

This is a necessary expose, but I didn't care for the writing style. But it is clear that Beatrice Sparks, author of Go Ask Alice, was a pathological liar and a terrible person. What she did in writing Jay's Journal (a book I hadn't heard of) is reprehensible. Her books should not be in print any longer, but publishers are still making money off them.

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GerardtheBookworm
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Pickpick

I'm sure we've heard about the urban legend of Go Ask Alice allegedly being true by an author going by the pen name Anonymous. Well, it turns out to be all a great big lie! Anonymous is actually a fraudster writer, Beatrice Sparks, an alleged psychoanalyst from the Mormon church embellished stories of troubled teens to push a moral agenda as cautionary tales. Here, the book examines her exploitation of real teens for profit and exposes her!

TheBookHippie This book SHOOK ME. Go Ask Alice was used to scare us in High School. Although I personally thought it was adults just trying to control us, most thought it was real. (The writings of the teen were not sounding valid for the times not sure how it would sound now) I did actually enjoy the read but as FICTION. As it was apparently 🤣👀😵‍💫. I was too old for the rest that came and all the satan panic stuff. Wild story! 3mo
GerardtheBookworm I loved how they used the tagged line 'based on a true story' for marketing, but Jay's Journal, her follow-up was even crazier. She exploited the death of Alden Barrett and made up the circumstances of his struggles using the Satanic Panic agenda to push her religious Mormon agenda. Yeah, she's an awful person! 3mo
11 likes2 comments
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IndoorDame
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Bailedbailed

It may be a case of me not the book, since I was having a bad pain day when I started this and having trouble concentrating on anything… But I found the writing dry and the structure jumpy, and around halfway through I realized I just didn‘t care how things wrapped up.

AlaMich Go Ask Alice freaked me out as an adolescent in ways that I didn‘t even understand until fairly recently. I have feelings about the “author.” 🤬 2y
dabbe Hope you're feeling better soon! 💙💚💙 2y
IndoorDame @dabbe thank you! 🙏❤️ 2y
64 likes3 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

How have I made it this long without reading “Go Ask Alice” by Anonymous? Turns out, Anonymous is actually Beatrice Sparks, who never wanted to be anonymous in the first place, but publishers thought the book would sell better if it was presented as a real diary. They were correct, to put it mildly. This is also the stories of the actual people who inspired the “diaries” written by Sparks, two troubled teens and their families. What a scam.

Cinfhen I just read Go Ask Alice this past year. What a crime that the whole thing was a scam!!! 2y
Shaaaannnn Wait, what?! I had no idea. I need to read this asap!! 2y
sarahbarnes I‘ve somehow never read Go Ask Alice either. That‘s crazy! 2y
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Chelsea.Poole @Cinfhen @sarahbarnes I had half a mind to read it now but I feel like I‘m too old to “get it”. Plus, you know, it‘s a lie 😆😳🙄 Did it work for you, @Cinfhen? I am afraid I can‘t be objective at this point. (edited) 2y
Chelsea.Poole @Shaaaannnn oh yeah…it‘s bizarre! 2y
Cinfhen As a “work” of NF I thought it was compelling but as fiction, it was awful ( dated & cheesy) 😣 2y
Chelsea.Poole @Cinfhen yes… A Million Little Pieces comes to mind 😬 2y
Cinfhen EXACTLY!!!! 2y
EKonrad This book was crazy! Loved it! 2y
Megabooks Great review!! 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I felt the same way Cindy did reading it as an adult. 2y
Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks I don‘t think I will. There‘s too many others demanding to be read 🤓 2y
Megabooks Fair enough for sure!! 👍🏻👍🏻 2y
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GidgetsTreasures75
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12-1-22: My November Book Wrap Up part 1! These 3 books were terrific and I gave them 5⭐️.

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jdiehr
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Pickpick

When I was a young teen in the early 80s, 'Go Ask Alice' blew me away.

Fast forward forty years and 'Unmask Alice' did the same thing.

Turns out the diaries weren't anonymous after all, but were written by a Mormon housewife who went on to publish several other 'diaries' dealing with hot topics such as Satanism and AIDS.

I have to say that, as part of the intended audience, 'Go Ask Alice' scared me away from drug use.

ElizaMarie I was also blown away by this book! It made me really sad how the author of Go Ask Alice manipulated that other family though. I mean, I'm very conflicted with the “ends justifying the means“. 2y
jdiehr @ElizaMarie ? I wish I had thought of the phrase "the ends justifying the means" because that's really the crux of it all. It's definitely not justified for Jay's Journal ? 2y
ElizaMarie @jdiehr and to have everyone “know” who the real “Jay” is. So horrible! That poor family! 2y
Megabooks I felt so bad for the family of Jay‘s Journal. She‘s a truly despicable person! 2y
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GidgetsTreasures75
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Pickpick

11-3-22: My 110th finished book of 2022! I was completely invested in Go Ask Alice as a young girl/teen. As an adult I‘ve heard the rumors it was not real but this book really breaks it all down. Beatrice Sparks was the creator of Alice and Jay‘s Journal a similar diary concept. To think this woman‘s made up story had such an impact, and is still selling, is unbelievable. Highly recommend this book. It‘s an easy read and so informative.

GidgetsTreasures75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣1️⃣0️⃣ 2y
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Pickpick

Gripping exposè on the fraud behind “Go Ask Alice” and other “real diaries” published since the 1970s. Now known to be fake, these novels were marketed as truth which created fear in parents, contributed directly to the Satanic Panic, and had devastating repercussions for a family. Emerson pulls no punches here, nor should he. I read these “diaries” as preteen, so it was so interesting to revisit them as an adult (minus the pearl clutching). 4⭐️

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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Go Ask Alice always read as fake hyperbole to me, so I was surprised to read it was taken so seriously by most when it came out in 1971. This book chronicles the real-life conniving and damage done by the middle-age mom who wrote it. The truly sad part of this exposé about Beatrice Sparks was the real-life family who gave her the diary she virtually ? fabricated into Jay‘s Journal, her follow up that fed into the satanic panic of the 80s.

EKonrad This book made me so angry! I couldn‘t believe some of that woman‘s actions! Crazy! 😬 2y
Megabooks @EKonrad yes! She was horrible!! 2y
MicheleinPhilly This book was absolutely bananas! What a nutter! 2y
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AlaMich I read this as an adolescent. Recently I read an article written by a woman who feels that she suffered a sort of low-key trauma from it. I realized from reading that piece how influential—and NOT for the good—the book had also been on me. (edited) 2y
Megabooks @AlaMich I can definitely see that, especially depending on your age when you read it, etc. the woman who wrote it really gave no shits about anything but her own fame and notoriety. It was truly appalling. (edited) 2y
Megabooks @MicheleinPhilly she was! And she did so much harm in service of her own ego. I felt so sorry for Alton‘s family. She really did them dirty. 2y
LeahBergen I read Go Ask Alice for the first time when I was about 12 (so late ‘70s) and firmly believed it was a true diary. 😆😆 And I have this waiting on my TBR and can‘t wait! 2y
BarbaraBB I felt so too @LeahBergen 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y
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LKK526
Pickpick

In the ‘70s, Go Ask Alice came out, purportedly the diary of a 15-year old girl who got into drugs and died. There was a frenzy among parents and the government alike. Satanism, misinformation about LSD, pot, all impelled by the editor of the diary, Beatrice Sparks who subsequently produced other “diaries”. The press was complicit and it seemed such a herd mentality that no one stopped to think and ask questions. Rick Emerson does a good job

bthegood 3 picks in a row - you are on fire!! Glad you are finding some books you enjoy - I just recently got out of the so-so range to picks myself! Have a nice day 🙂 2y
LKK526 Must be something in the air! Happy Labor Day😃📚 2y
LKK526 @marleed @ozma.of.oz @jlhammar thanx for positive feedback. I have been having e-trouble and didn‘t get notified of reactions. 2y
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LKK526 @ozma.of.oz @marleed @jlhammar thx for the positive feedback. I have been having e-trouble and didn‘t get your comments 2y
jlhammar I put a hold on this one at the library. Sounds good! 2y
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MicheleinPhilly
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Pickpick

This was absolutely 🍌👖crazy. Like many children of the 80s I was obsessed with Go Ask Alice. My sheltered little Catholic brain found it salacious and scandalous. I literally haven‘t thought about this book for 40 years and had no idea any of the background behind the scam artist who penned it. This was a wildly compelling read and brought to mind the current book banning nonsense as well as a certain BS “group” that starts with the letter Q.🥜

LeahBergen I recently bought this, too. Your review has me even more excited now! 👏👏 2y
squirrelbrain I stacked this a little while ago and now I‘m even more keen to read it! 2y
eanderson Sounds good! 2y
Megabooks I need to read this! I keep forgetting about it. 2y
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ElizaMarie
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Pickpick

❤️❤️❤️ Don‘t even know what to say…. Just wow ❤️❤️❤️

😈😈😈

+ 3.57 = #PennyAPage

#ReadMyRoom
@AkashaVampie @jb72 @Bookworm54 @AsYouWish @CocoReads

CocoReads Why did no one tell me I was a devil worshipper? 🤦‍♀️ 2y
jb72 Well hells bells….😈 2y
Bookworm54 Sounds so interesting! 2y
31 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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ElizaMarie
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Cults!

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ElizaMarie
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ElizaMarie
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Such a sad reality.

BethM Truth 2y
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ElizaMarie
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Getting my car detailed so I‘m sitting in a Dunkee‘s reading and it‘s freezing in here!!!

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ElizaMarie
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I will try to read this one (I think my eyes are ready for a physical book). My husband found this one when we were hanging out at a book store and picked it up for me, saying, “this one looks like you should read it.“ It looks really interesting. So, I am excited to start it.

5feet.of.fury That sounds wild! Go Ask Alice is a classic 2y
ElizaMarie @5feet.of.fury OMG! I know! It‘s so interesting how so much of the 70s-80s parents were manipulated 2y
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EKonrad
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Pickpick

I remember reading “Go Ask Alice“ back in the day - the story behind it is super crazy! This was a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me! #arc

Full review: https://erinkonrad.com/2022/08/08/unmask-alice-book-review/

MemoirsForMe I remember reading Go Ask Alice. Who knew! 2y
EKonrad @UwannaPublishme I had no idea and was just intrigued by the subtitle. It‘s a crazy true story! 2y
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DogMomIrene
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Mehso-so

Such potential. Compelling topic. Author did solid research, but his snark was too much. He couldn‘t contain his loathing for the woman who brought us Go Ask Alice and Jay‘s Journal. His narrative was also disjointed in places, making me wonder where he was going. But he consistently made disparaging remarks about Beatrice Sparks. Just give me the facts. They‘re outrageous enough to make me dislike her. Don‘t need your adjectives hammering away.

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