Beatrice Sparks

Beatrice Sparks, born Beatrice Ruby Mathews in 1917, gained notoriety as an author and alleged hoaxer. She presented her books as compilations of real diaries or interviews from troubled teenagers, addressing sensitive issues like drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy, and AIDS. While she claimed to be a youth counselor and therapist, evidence suggests these claims and the authenticity of the diaries were fabricated. Her most famous work, "Go Ask Alice," published anonymously in 1971, became a bestseller, though its veracity was questioned early on and later widely debunked.

Sparks' career was marked by controversy and a pattern of presenting fictional accounts as factual. Following the success of "Go Ask Alice," she published "Voices" and "Jay's Journal," the latter of which was based on the writings of a deceased teenager but significantly altered to include themes of Satanism, causing distress to the boy's family. Despite lacking verifiable credentials, Sparks continued to produce similar books, sometimes inserting herself as a therapist character. She passed away in 2012, leaving a legacy of doubt regarding the authenticity of her published works.

Born Beatrice Ruby Mathews in Idaho in 1917, she spent her formative years in Utah before moving to California. After marrying LaVorn Sparks in 1937, she began a family and, despite early financial difficulties, her husband's successful oil speculation during WWII led to a comfortable lifestyle. Under the name "Bee Sparks" or pen name "Susan LaVorn," she contributed to local publications and church materials, and briefly worked for a magazine. During this period, she made unsubstantiated claims about her academic background, stating she had studied at Utah State Agricultural College or psychology and philosophy at the University of Utah. She also co-authored a play that was later adapted into a film, though her contribution was omitted from the final credits.

After moving to Provo, Utah, Sparks continued volunteer work, which she later exaggerated into professional youth counseling roles. She claimed to have met the author of "Go Ask Alice" through her volunteer activities, presenting the book as the diary of a deceased teenage girl involved with drugs. Published anonymously in 1971 at the publisher's and agent's behest to connect with younger readers, the book became a massive success, selling millions of copies. Despite the anonymity, Sparks received royalties but expressed frustration at not being credited. She later claimed the book was partly an actual diary and partly embellished based on her experiences, but failed to produce the original diary for verification, leading to public questioning of its authenticity.

Sparks's next book, "Voices" (1978), presented alleged interview transcripts from troubled teens, but lacked proof of the subjects' existence and was criticized for its lack of believability. Her following work, "Jay's Journal" (1979), purported to be the diary of a teenage boy involved in Satanism. This book was based in part on the writings of Alden Barrett, a deceased teenager, but his family vehemently denied Sparks's claims of occult involvement, stating she fabricated much of the content. Investigators suggest Sparks may have incorporated Satanic themes to capitalize on contemporary social anxieties, potentially influencing the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s.

From the 1980s onward, Sparks claimed to hold a Ph.D. in fields like psychology or human behavior and to be a licensed psychotherapist. However, no records supported her claimed academic studies at institutions like UCLA or Columbia, and her licensure as a therapist could not be verified. She produced several more "real diaries" from the mid-1990s, including titles addressing AIDS, street life, pregnancy, and eating disorders. In these later works, she sometimes included a fictionalized persona, "Dr. Beatrice Sparks," a renowned therapist who supposedly guided the diarists. These books garnered far less attention than her earlier works, and the existence of the subjects and her professional practice remained unsubstantiated.