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Those living in the UK or Europe may not be aware of it, but in the 1970s a sensational diary was published anonymously in the United States under the title “Go Ask Alice.” [The title was taken from the song ‘White Rabbit’ by the San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane, who sang about Alice in Wonderland from the viewpoint of hallucinogenic drugs].
The diary, which claimed to be authentic, told the story of a 15-year-old girl who drifted into a life of drugs. There is a vivid scene describing an LSD trip, and another describing her violent rape. Eventually she works as a prostitute and ends up in a mental institution. Some editions of the book contain an endnote alluding to her death from an overdose with the hint of suicide.
Several school boards banned the book, which of course made it a runaway bestseller, especially among teenagers. It sold over 4 million copies and in 1973 it was turned into a tv movie starring, among others, William Shatner.
Now for the punchline.
It was all a literary hoax, and last year a book came out unmasking the real author. Who was she? A middle-class Mormon housewife. The lurid descriptions of sex and drugs—scenes that many found so horrifying and credible-- were simply made-up. The same woman went on to publish a whole string of similar ‘cautionary tales,’ now under her own name, including the story of a wayward teenager who became involved in the occult and Satanism. Some believe this book helped launch the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture...alice-1380076/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...us-best-seller
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/202...l-literary-con
https://nypost.com/2022/07/09/go-ask...ban-housewife/
Although some viewed ‘Go Ask Alice’ with suspicion and skepticism from the beginning—the writing didn’t ring true-- others were utterly convinced, including a reviewer for the New York Times.
As one commentator writes, “Go Ask Alice,” the supposedly real diary of a teen-age drug addict, was really the work of a straitlaced stay-at-home mom.”
Who would have thought such things possible?
The diary, which claimed to be authentic, told the story of a 15-year-old girl who drifted into a life of drugs. There is a vivid scene describing an LSD trip, and another describing her violent rape. Eventually she works as a prostitute and ends up in a mental institution. Some editions of the book contain an endnote alluding to her death from an overdose with the hint of suicide.
Several school boards banned the book, which of course made it a runaway bestseller, especially among teenagers. It sold over 4 million copies and in 1973 it was turned into a tv movie starring, among others, William Shatner.
Now for the punchline.
It was all a literary hoax, and last year a book came out unmasking the real author. Who was she? A middle-class Mormon housewife. The lurid descriptions of sex and drugs—scenes that many found so horrifying and credible-- were simply made-up. The same woman went on to publish a whole string of similar ‘cautionary tales,’ now under her own name, including the story of a wayward teenager who became involved in the occult and Satanism. Some believe this book helped launch the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture...alice-1380076/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...us-best-seller
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/202...l-literary-con
https://nypost.com/2022/07/09/go-ask...ban-housewife/
Although some viewed ‘Go Ask Alice’ with suspicion and skepticism from the beginning—the writing didn’t ring true-- others were utterly convinced, including a reviewer for the New York Times.
As one commentator writes, “Go Ask Alice,” the supposedly real diary of a teen-age drug addict, was really the work of a straitlaced stay-at-home mom.”
Who would have thought such things possible?
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