Unmask Alice

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

By: Rick Emerson

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

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: 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."

©2022 BenBella Books (P)2022 BenBella Books

I Couldn't Stop Listening

An unplanned read/listen

I was listening to a podcast between audio books and Go Ask Alice was the topic. I knew there was controversy about the author/editior but had no idea how deep it went.

I am not bothered by Go Ask Alice, I read it as a teen and I still think it is a good book despite contradictions.

I had no idea about the second book the author spends much time on. The story broke my heart. The devastation of a very real family was absolutely heart wrenching. Any good from the first book is completely wiped out by this story.

I found myself googling for more information and was disappointed. The story left me wanting to know more about the life of Sparks and where she was vs where she claimed to be.

I would have liked a reference list-probably because I'm persuing a real doctorate degree and have to refernce everything.

This is a powerful story.

Just as riveting as Alice

I loved this! I felt a lot like the readers Emerson mentions in his story when I read Alice as a teenager. I devoured that book in a night. I wondered after its legitimacy. I certainly could not have guessed the truth behind Alice. Bravo. great read.

I could keep reading/listening this forever

Juicy, insightful, funny, concerning, enlightening and so very well researched. I truly enjoyed this after going though several deep dives on the mysterious Go Ask Alice book I had read when it showed up mysteriously on my shelf as a preteen. Great work by the author on this one! Get on the movie!

Holy Cow

I had no idea the scandal behind go ask Alice. As a daughter, granddaughter, niece, to many people drowning in addiction, I really connected with Alice's story. It's both isolating and heart breaking to know the evil that was truly behind it. However I am very grateful to have learned the truth, and wow I had no idea about Sybil!

All these years

I read Go Ask Alice in 1975, was actually expelled out of 5th grade for having the book then telling the superintendent that he could not censor my reading, that was my mother’s job. I never ever touched drugs because of this book. Now, 60, and listening to the actual account that verified it was, in fact, a novel, as I had heard years after I had reached adulthood. Adding in the satan backstory that clarified where that ridiculous ideology started, this audiobook held my attention almost all in one day. Thank you, author, for taking the time to explain all the backstories of the years when I was aware but not a researcher of the surrounding details.

Really interesting content. Style is suss.

The core of this book is really interesting and has a lot to say about media and culture. With that said, it’s not the most academic in terms of tone or research. It makes for easy reading/listening but I think the author has a way of presenting information in a salacious light, even when that may not be warranted. There’s a lot of editorializing, which is not my personal taste for nonfiction. In a previous life the author was a talk radio host: as a result, this book reads like a crime podcast. It’s enjoyable and thought provoking content but the execution is just so-so.

WOW!!!

If this were the physical book it would be a real page-turner. I could NOT STOP listening. I am impressed with the writing and years of extensive research. Amazing book!

Compelling and enthralling

The book is fascinating, with its wide scope for USA societal issues and political panorama. The narrative is fast paced, but not hurried. It sucks you in. The voice actor is really good at giving just the right amount of emphasis that drives home some of the subtle humor and/or observations from the author. 10/10 would recommend.

Fascinating Read!

Great research. I grew up a few miles from Pleasant Grove and have heard the cautionary tales of Jay and Alice retold many times. In addition to a history of LSD, this book offers an authentic voice to "Jay" and his stuggle with depression that was stolen from him and his family. The author accurately portrays the community and mindset of the time, and...the narrator is one of my favorites.

I'm glad I listened!

the books this is about make me sick. I was a kid/teen in the 80's and I remember the panic and how crap like the Alice book made parents cops and idiotic Dr's put innocent people in jail for abuse. I remember how at school we were talked to about if our parents were hurting us to tell and being told regular punishments were more than just a spanking. it was a nightmare that people like the Sparks woman and many others helped to create because they wanted to feel important or just because they were stupid. I'm glad this book was openly honest about where the information came from that some was opinions other was information from friends and some,was from libraries and the internet. it was presented as a fact based book of a child's diary written by a so call PHD who was nothing of the sort. there's alot of information and it's not all blood and gore if that's what you are looking for. it's about how an author lied and manipulated the world with several books selling them as factual and everyone helped her do it. and it hurt alotta people. I won't say it didn't scare some kids away from drugs. but there could've been a more honest way to do so. I had a friend in Jr high die of an OD and I'm appalled by the Alice author for this.