#rick emerson

[spiralhouseshop]

New in the Spiral House Catalog!

Unmask Alice: Lsd, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson

Full disclosure, I loved the Go Ask Alice and Jay's Journal books as a younger teenager. As an older teenager growing up in Utah, I actually listened to Rick Emerson, the author of Unmask Alice, on the radio. When I moved to Portland I was happy to find his familiar voice on the radio again and have followed his endeavors ever since.

That being said, this book is excellent. It's well documented. It's a great story and an intriguing peek behind the scenes of what motivated the tragic War on Drugs and the Satanic Panic told almost in journal-like digestible segments that keep the story moving along to an earnest and revealing story.

Hardcover 384 pages

From the Publisher:

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. Find it in our catalog here

#go ask alice #unmasking alice #rick emerson #books

[the-final-sentence]

Sparks's headstone reads, 'Families are Forever.'

Rick Emerson, from Unmask Alice

#Unmask Alice #Rick Emerson

[bebe-benzenheimer]

#society if #unmask alice #rick emerson #satanic panic #antis #jay's journal #michelle remembers #beatrice sparks #lawrence pazder #michelle smith #booklr

[broughtabooktothedance]

I need everyone to read Rick Emerson’s “Unmask Alice” because everything it brings up about the insidiousness of moral panics is so relevant to today.

#reading list #history #rick emerson #unmask alice #independent bookstore

[onebluebookworm]

February 2023 Book Club Picks

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, fascinated with thoughts of romance and passion. Her older sister Elinor, conversely, is practical and sensible, always having to keep her flighty younger sister out of trouble. But when both sisters are faced with romantic calamities that threaten their futures and their hearts, they that a combination of sense and sensibility are what’s needed to survive life’s many trials.

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson: In 1971, Go Ask Alice hit shelves, and revolutionized young adult literature, opening America’s eyes to the horrors of drug addiction, mental illness, and teen prostitution. In 1979, Jay’s Journal was published, detailing a young man spiraling into the violent world of Satanic worship, and is often credited with igniting the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Both books purported to be true diaries from real young people. In reality, they were both written by the same person: aspiring writer and fame-hungry con woman Beatrice Sparks, who twisted what facts she had and made up the rest, relying on halfhearted reporting, public outrage, and parents’ inherent fear of children they don’t understand to turn her into one of the most infamous “anonymouses” that’s ever existed.

The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward: “You know and I know, that the country is celebrating one hundred years of freedom one hundred years too soon.” These words positively singe in James Baldwin’s letter to his fifteen-year-old nephew in what would become his 1963 essay “The Fire This Time”. And Jesmyn Ward felt them when another year came, bringing with it a slew of black lives ended by police violence and racist rhetoric. Gathering the premiere writers, poets, and thinkers of the modern age, Ward puts together a collection of thoughts and essays to refute the truth that we are living in a “post-racial” society.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Nick Carroway is a new face in the swinging Jazz Age New York scene, full of beautiful people throwing money around and living like they’ll die tomorrow. And among the beautiful elite is the crown jewel of the city, Nick’s neighbor Jay Gatsby, known for his lavish parties and enigmatic past. Everyone has a guess about who Gatsby is and where he (and his money) came from, but Nick finds himself slowly being drawn into Gatsby’s inner circle to learn the truth. Unfortunately, learning that truth comes with a whole host of personal problems Gatsby has been harboring for decades, which all culminates explosively and painfully.

Exit, Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell: The time is 1953. The United States is locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and the government is scrambling to flush out any subversives that may compromise the nation to the encroaching Communist threat. Among those under suspicion is famed Southern playwright Snagglepuss, the toast of Broadway who’s harboring a secret or two of his own. When he becomes the target of the House Committee of Un-American Activities, no one in Snagglepuss’ life is safe.

#book club #february 2023 #sense and sensibility #jane austen #unmask alice #rick emerson #the fire this time #jesmyn ward #the great gatsby #f. scott fitzgerald #exit stage left: the snagglepuss chronicles #mark russell

[maddie-grove]

Little Book Review: Nonfiction Round-Up (May-December 2022)

Waking the Tiger by Peter A. Levine (1997): a self-help book with a somatic approach to dealing with trauma symptoms. It contained some advice that was useful at my old job. Unfortunately, I was too traumatized from said job to concentrate properly on the audiobook, so I was kind of in a Catch-22.

The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman (2022): A deliciously disconcerting series of essays about the fractured last decade of the twentieth century. It wins the coveted "book I'm most determined to lend to my mom" award.

Yes, I'm Hot in This by Huda Fahmy (2018): a cute collection of comics from Fahmy's Instagram, covering subjects from strangers being stupid about her hijab (hence the title) to lighthearted scenes of domestic life. I found it in a Little Library.

Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson (2022): an exploration of the life and writing career of Beatrice Sparks, author of multiple "real" diaries by troubled teens, through-and-through grifter, and coiner of the immortal phrase "freak wharf." This fucked, y'all. Emerson seamlessly delves into multiple topics of interest--Sparks's hardscrabble youth, the discovery of LSD, the Satanic Panic--with plenty of compassion and humor.

The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber (2013): the true-crime account of Charles Cullen, a Pennsylvania/New Jersey nurse who murdered possibly hundreds of patients by poisoning their IV bags in the late 1980s to early 2000s. The subject matter is shocking, and it's horrifying how the indifference of the large medical systems he worked for kept him from facing consequences other than getting fired for years. The style/organization of the book is kind of pedestrian, though.

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow (2019): an account of Farrow's efforts to write a story for NBC about the decades-long sexual predation of producer Harvey Weinstein, including NBC's sideways attempts to get him to back off. Farrow's a solid narrative writer, not great, and the book gets less interesting when he strays beyond the inner workings of NBC.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (1968): In her first collection of essays, Didion talks about murder, movies, mental distress, and Sacramento. It's incredibly fresh in some ways (the essay where she talks about raising her daughter away from her extended family) and incredibly dated in others (her incredulity at people who ascribe artistic vision to Meet Me in St. Louis). I genuinely appreciate her ability to make me go "girl, what are you even talking about."

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (2020): an illustrated memoir/series of comics, focusing on coping with mental illness and the unexpected loss of a loved one. There are some very funny passages (particularly one involving a troublesome dog), some devastating ones (Brosh's montage of memories of her late younger sister), and some aimless ones.

Monkey Mind by Daniel Smith (2012): part memoir and part general information about anxiety (the science of it, how different people have written about it through history, etc.). It's more interesting as a memoir. I remember that it had some good advice at the end for managing anxiety, but I don't know for the life of me what it was. Still, I feel like I should give him credit for it.

#little book review #waking the tiger #peter a. levine #the nineties #chuck klosterman #yes i'm hot in this #huda fahmy #unmask alice #rick emerson #the good nurse #charles graeber #catch and kill #ronan farrow #slouching towards bethlehem #joan didion #solutions and other problems #allie brosh #monkey mind #daniel smith

[funemploymentradio]

WHAT'S IN THE BAG? WHAT'S IN THE BAG?!

Today: Sarah and her many treasures, tootsie roll pops and cut mouth, mowing someone's lawn without permission, pickle in a blanket and melted cheese, motherships are close, and food experiment tomorrow! Have a great day :)

Check out our new episode!

#portland #radio #podcast #portlandia #funemployment radio #nibler #dylan #rick emerson

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Teen Throwback Thursday: Take this deep dive into the story behind Go Ask Alice!

Then, learn more in the new book Unmask Alice : LSD, satanic panic, and the imposter behind the world's most notorious diaries

#Teen Throwback Thursday #Go Ask Alice #Beatrice Sparks #Unmask Alice #Rick Emerson

[backlogbooks]

Love this idea! For the end of the year wrap up how about 🧩 (if it doesn’t load it’s a puzzle piece emoji)

Okay my first thought with the puzzle emoji was this book I read recently

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the Worlds Most Notorious Diaries

This was a Wild nonfiction book about the “””real””” published diary Go Ask Alice and it was a wild ride imo, watching the author piece together all the lying and, more weirdly, all the people who just accepted the lies with no questions asked was very entertaining and occasionally infuriating lol

thanks for playing! 😊🧩

#asks #unmask alice #rick emerson #go ask alice

[literarysiren]

2022's Banned Books series was foiled by a combination of mail mishaps and depression chemicals, but the two I managed this year were some of the wildest research I've ever done. Go Ask Alice, ultimate grift shit show, is still one of the books that lives so firmly in my memory of reading in high school at just the tender age to suspend my belief; the book released this year uncovering the lies behind it all was one of the most convoluted reveals I've ever read, and the shakeout of everything Beatrice Sparks did to unsuspecting families is horrendous.

Catcher in the Rye, meanwhile, social media's annual whipping boy revealed itself to be more a deeply sad portrait of complex expression, smothering voices of victims of assault, and breaking down under the pressure of pretending everything is fine.

#books #banned books #go ask alice #beatrice sparks #unmask alice #catcher in the rye #jay's journal #rick emerson #j.d. salinger #satanic panic #complex characters #booksbooksbooks

[radedneko]

By decade's end, a violent populism had spread to the airwaves, where it was postured as the voice of God. Overwhelmingly white, male, and southern, the new evangelicalists harnessed a growing resentment: the sense that families were under assault. [...] Once again, Beatrice Sparks had perfect timing, blending militant faith with parental dread, and unleashing a new kind of menace.

"Jay's Journal," [Joseph] Laycock concluded, "helped trigger the Satanic Panic."

~Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson

#quotes kelly likes #unmask alice #rick emerson #history

[isyrein]

Bit late to the party, but i wanted to post my thoughts on Unmask Alice. I never read this book, but i’ve had friends speak about how reading it scarred them.

I would like to read more nonfiction relating to influential books.

#book review #unmask alice #Rick Emerson #nonfiction #true crime #booklr #bookish #books

[bebe-benzenheimer]

#unmask alice #booklr #rick emerson #tw: suicide #depression #mental health #i'm ok right now just wanted to post this quote

[bookjotter6865]

Winding Up the Week #228

Winding Up the Week #228

An end of week recap “Problems of human behaviour still continue to baffle us, but at least in the Library we have them properly filed.’” – Anita Brookner (Born 16th July 1928) This is a weekly post in which I summarise books read, reviewed and currently on my TBR shelf. In addition to a variety of literary titbits, I look ahead to forthcoming features, see what’s on the nightstand and keep…

View On WordPress

#Anita Brookner #Beatrice Sparks #Books #Mariama Bâ #Max Cutler #Reading #Rick Emerson

[onebluebookworm]

Ranking Books I Read In 2022: 10-6

10. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center - bell hooks

What I Liked: Probably one of the most accessible books on feminist theory I’ve read. hooks, as usual, has some fire quotes in here that just sing to me. What I Didn’t Like: Nothing, it was great. Final thoughts: A perfect companion to Ain’t I A Woman, and a great jumping off point for anyone getting into or wanting to expand their understanding of feminist theory.

9. Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries - Rick Emerson

What I Liked: In-depth, compelling research. Very humorous, even for so dark a subject, but knew when it needed to stop joking and give something the tact it deserved. What I Didn’t Like: This isn’t the books fault, but I’m very mad I can’t go back in time and kick Beatrice Sparks in her fucking shins. Final thoughts: Another well-done book about a niche subject that appeals to me specifically, along with a heavy dose of a bittersweet desire to time travel and save the poor, misunderstood children this witch made her fortune on. TW suicide, mental illness, and poor handling of that mental illness.

8. The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything - Mike Rothschild

What I Liked: Another book that really balanced the humor and seriousness, but honestly even better than Unmask Alice because you can tell Rothschild is just...so tired. Gave great insight into this bizarre little internet phenomenon, which I appreciate. What I Didn’t Like: Some political discussion that got kinda boring. Final thoughts: The perfect way to learn about what the hell QAnon even is, how to fight it, and where we got from here. TW suicide, mental illness, and child abuse.

7. Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg

What I Liked: Beautifully simple prose. A protagonist I adored. That line from Queen Christina I read in Celluloid Closet - about being nostalgic for a place you’ve never been - was ringing in my head as I read about vintage lesbian bars. What I Didn’t Like: I know this book is semi-autobiographical, and therefore Feinberg based a lot of what happens in it on things that happened to her and people she knew, but goddamn it was depressing. It took me a long time to read it just because every page would bring new pain that I needed to process. Final thoughts: An essentially for young LGBT people, especially young butches and GNC kiddos. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful. TW for rape, homophobic and transphobic language.

6. Unbound: My Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement - Tarana Burke

What I Liked: Burke’s absolutely badass voice throughout the entire thing. I would have a beer with her, she seems hella cool. The fantastic metaphors used to describe her feelings of shame and guilt over her assault, only for it to come to a poetic climax when she’s forced to confront not only her child being victimized, but how her bottling up her feelings about her past has affected them both? Chef’s kiss. What I Didn’t Like: Nothing, it’s excellent. Final thoughts: Like Stone Butch Blues, this book will break your heart and rend you asunder, but I feel like it does a marginally better job with balancing the pain and the happiness. TW for sexual violence of all kinds.

#ranking books 2022 #feminist theory: from margin to center #bell hooks #unmask alice #rick emerson #the storm is upon us #mike rothschild #stone butch blues #leslie feinberg #unbound #tarana burke

[lesbian-of-nine]

dad the prog rock men you like are being babygirlified on tumblr

#this is not a dig at ANYONE bc i am also an active participant #geddy lee #rick wakeman #alex lifeson #neil peart #keith emerson #< main targets from what ive seen but DEF more #prog rock #rush band #yes band #king crimson #genesis #jethro tull #jasper screams