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Unmask Alice

LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries

by Rick Emerson

"Unmask Aliceby 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
"One of the must-read books of this century."
-Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Gone Girl
Two teens. Two diaries. Two social panics. One incredible fraud.

In 1971, Go Ask Alicereinvented 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 Aliceterrified adults and cemented LSD's fearsome reputation, fueling support for the War on Drugs. Five million copies later, Go Ask Aliceremains 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 Alicewas 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 Journalmerged with a frightening new crisis-adolescent suicide-to create a literal witch hunt, shattering countless lives and poisoning whole communities.

In reality, Go Ask Aliceand Jay's Journalcame 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 Diariesis 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.
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NON FICTION
SOCIETY & CULTURE
SOCIETY, CULTURE & TECHNOLOGY

AUCK IN STOCK

WGTN OUT OF STOCK

Pages:

384

Published:

Jul 2024

Format

Paperback

Publisher

BenBella Books

ISBN:

9781637745182

"Unmask Aliceby 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

"One of the must-read books of this century."
-Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Gone Girl

Two teens. Two diaries. Two social panics. One incredible fraud.

In 1971, Go Ask Alicereinvented 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 Aliceterrified adults and cemented LSD's fearsome reputation, fueling support for the War on Drugs. Five million copies later, Go Ask Aliceremains 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 Alicewas 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 Journalmerged with a frightening new crisis-adolescent suicide-to create a literal witch hunt, shattering countless lives and poisoning whole communities.

In reality, Go Ask Aliceand Jay's Journalcame 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 Diariesis 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.
$36.00