Memoirists Unmasked: Frey, Leroy & Nasdijj

[pzarquon]

Turns out the whole James Frey debacle was just a tip of the iceberg. (Though with the whole Oprah thing, it was a pretty big tip, to be sure.) At least two other high-profile memoirists have been debunked in recent weeks.

Nasdijj, an acclaimed Navajo writer praised for giving Native Americans a voice, turned out to be a struggling white writer of erotica from Michigan.

And J.T. LeRoy, who won praise and sympathy as an HIV-positive, former drug addict, ex-prostitute teenager, has been unmasked as 40-year-old woman in San Francisco.

Interestingly, LeRoy's book, "The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things," is about to come out as a movie. (How's that for a fitting title?) So the marketers have had to repackage it as a "controversial" film based on a "seductive" story, and add the new tagline, "behind the greatest hoax of our time is the heartbreaking story that started it all."

Seems any popular story written as autobiography is going to get a fresh look and an extra dose of skepticism...

[1stwahine]

Re: Memoirists Unmasked: Frey, Leroy & Nasdijj

When will People learn? Tell the TRUTH!!!

Auntie Lynn

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Memoirists Unmasked: Frey, Leroy & Nasdijj

...

Seems any popular story written as autobiography is going to get a fresh look and an extra dose of skepticism...

Question:

am I the only one who just does. Not. Care. About the backstory of a novel? Even the difference between fiction and nonfiction isn't that wide, imo.

If it's fiction, it is still based on some sort of personal experience, or a learned experience by personal influence.

If it's nonfiction, it still contains elements of "fiction" in order to tidily move the story along.

If the book is riveting, then it is. What mean dat word "scandal" anyway?

[U'ilani]

Re: Memoirists Unmasked: Frey, Leroy & Nasdijj

Tonight I was listening to a report on NPR about a documentary that was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and was extremely well received. The film tells the story of a guy named Doug Bruce who one day woke up on an NYC subway train completely unaware of who he was and where he was--he had a rare form of amnesia. The film asks the question of whether the person who we are is largely determined by past experiences, such that if those experiences were wiped from our memory would we be a different person--such was the case with Doug Bruce. The story sounded intriguing, so I googled it when I got home to learn more and found this article by Roger Ebert:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...TARY/602200301

[pzarquon]

Re: Memoirists Unmasked: Frey, Leroy & Nasdijj

Question: am I the only one who just does. Not. Care. About the backstory of a novel? Even the difference between fiction and nonfiction isn't that wide, imo.

I'm sure you're not the only person who doesn't care. I've never had any interest in these books at all. On the other hand, I can't dismiss these revelations as completely insignificant.

Yes, even "nonfiction" requires sometimes significant tweaks to make it palatable to a mass audience. Certainly there's some nonfiction and autobiography that's pure (and dry), and some that's embellished considerably. But in these specific cases, the authenticity and reality of the life documented is the basis of their success and acclaim. Frey said, "This was my life, my tough life, and I share it to help others." Except it wasn't.

"But everyone was entertained, and moved, and isn't that the point? No one was hurt, right?" I don't think it's as simple as that. As a reader, I consider my investment of time and thought to be valuable, and more importantly, how I appreciate a book is based largely on the credibility of the author -- for fiction or non-fiction. "Based on a true story" means something. Maybe not much, but something.

As for hurt or damages, consider the credibility dent these cases make for writers, publishers, critics, literature lovers. Frey's publisher invested lots of money in producing his books. Oprah put a lot on the line to promote Frey. Whether you focus on the fortune made before the fraud was exposed, or on the impact on folks in the aftermath, I don't think you can say the "real world" effect of these cases was zero.

I think more troubling is the fact that they (and Nasdijj in particular) capitalized on their voices being shining examples of "underrepresented voices." Native Americans, troubled and exploited youth... when in fact they were neither. A case can definitely be made for Nasdijj turning out to be yet another outsider exploiting an already exploited and maligned group... and in the process, probably overshadowing or marginalizing genuine voices that deserve to be heard.

There's definitely going to be a new layer of scrutiny applied to writers of memoirs and biographies, their books tackled by fact-checkers as well as critics, and on some level perhaps there's a positive result, as you could hope there are fewer Freys and Leroys in the future. But I can't help thinking that there is also now more barriers for other deserving writers hoping to tell their unique stories.