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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Can't Anybody Here Tell the Truth?


Another memoir author is in the news for ... well, writing a novel and calling it a memoir. From a story in the New York Times ...

In Love and Consequences, a critically acclaimed memoir published last week, Margaret B. Jones wrote about her life as a half-white, half-Native American girl growing up in South-Central Los Angeles as a foster child among gang-bangers, running drugs for the Bloods ... The problem is none of it is true.

What is especially interesting is a comment from the editor who was deceived.

Ms. McGrath said that she had numerous conversations with Ms. Seltzer about being truthful. "She seems to be very, very naïve," Ms. McGrath said. "There was a way to do this book honestly and have it be just as compelling."



  • William Zinsser, author of the classic guide On Writing Well, talks to Michele Norris about the challenges of writing personal history.
  • Truth or Lie: Fiction vs. Memoir--How Memoir Writers Can Approach Truth and Healing
  • How Memories Become Memoirs - Walt Harrington Talks about the Reported Memoir

Written and Posted by Unknown at 7:19 AM  

Labels: memoirs

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