Unmask Alice Review

My first review in the New Year, this is so exciting! I wanted to select a book to review that fell in line with my book-related New Years resolution. This year my reading resolution is to read more non-fiction books. I read quite a few memoirs and a couple (today's book included) general non-fiction books in 2022 but I am hoping to explore more of the genre in 2023. I am realistic and know that it will probably never be my favorite genre but I want to be converted from a 'non-fiction hater' to a 'non-fiction appreciator'. I read the book that I am reviewing today in November of 2022 as a part of The Morbidly Curious Bookclub. I have found that involving myself in a few different bookclubs has made me a more well rounded reader---which is a trend that I am hoping to continue in 2023!

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries is a non-fiction novel and is written by author, Rick Emerson. It was released in June of 2022.

If you would like to purchase Unmask Alice, you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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 boy’s 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 famous—it’s iconic. Even people who haven’t read it know the basics: Some teenager’s diary…she’s hooked on drugs…it might be fake…doesn’t 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, Jay’s Journal spurred the Satanic Panic—a 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". It’s 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 smash—and its ugly, ongoing fallout.

I gave this book 3.75 stars on Goodreads. I mention all the time how I don't typically enjoy reading non-fiction. This was more approachable to me, as a self proclaimed 'non-fiction hater'. I don't actually hate non-fiction but I do find a large portion of it to be painfully boring. Its a personal preference! Occasionally, if a premise hooks me, I do give non-fiction works a chance. In the case of this book I was, as the name of the book club I am in suggests, morbidly curious. This is the perfect kind of non-fiction for me. It features true crime elements and tells the story of a woman who conned educators, librarians, parents, and students alike---for decades!

If you haven't read Go Ask Alice, there is a great podcast episode from the You're Wrong About Book Club that covers the book. I have listened to it and it is super informative. You can read this book without consulting either but I do think there is something to be said about entering this book with a clear understanding of the source material. Here is the link to the podcast if you are interested.

Overall, this was a good read. I do wish there was a bit more order. It felt a bit jarring at times. I would recommend for other morbidly curious readers 17+. I think this would be a perfect read for readers born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s! I think that anyone who read or is familiar with Jay's Journal or Go Ask Alice would be shocked to find out the truth behind these books and their creator.

Have you read Unmask Alice? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

As always, thank you for reading!

XO,

Madison