A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

A Rock And A Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story by Anthony Godby Johnson.

Published: New York: Crown, 1993.

Penned by Vicki Fraginals, under the pseudonym Anthony Godby Johnson to tell the story of a sexually abused, HIV-positive 14-year-old boy, A rock and a hard place is a prime example of literary fraud, presented as a memoir. The story is unsentimental and extraordinarily depraved in its descriptions of child sexual abuse, his neglectful parents beating him and depriving him of food. Johnson eventually escapes to a life on the mean streets of New York before being rescued by a pair of social workers, finally finding a loving family. Written with maturity and wisdom, it is ultimately, an adolescent’s personal account of overcoming abuse and terror.

Sources

Cover image: Goodreads

Citation: Amazon

Annotation: Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes & Nobel

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things by J. T. Leroy

Published: New York: Bloomsbury, 2000.

Heartbreaking and grim, The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things is a collection of autobiographical short stories told from the perspective of Jeremiah, an abused young boy on the run from small town America who ends up on the streets of San Francisco. Following on from his debut novel, Sarah, the author J. T. Leroy reprises two characters, the narrator Jeremiah and his drug addicted prostitute mother, Sarah. This time, the plot focuses on Sarah’s relentless torture of her son and his desperate yearnings for her love and attention in spite of her repeated abuse and abandonment.

Sources

Cover image: Goodreads

Citation: Novelist

Annotation: Novelist, Literature Resource Center and Goodreads

SARAH

Sarah by J. T. Leroy.

Published: New York: Bloomsbury, 2000.

Sarah is an intensely emotional and grim novel written by J. T. Leroy (real name Laura Albert). The story is narrated by Cherry Vanilla, a twelve-year-old boy who adopts his prostitute mother’s name – Sarah – as he hitchhikes through the truck stops of West Virginia, all the while disguised as a girl. Along his journey, he meets an evil pimp, Le Loup and a cast of bizarre underworld characters. The book caused a sensation after it was revealed that J. T. Leroy was a fictional character made-up by journalist Laura Albert, who had recruited a stand-in to pose as Leroy for public appearances.

Sources

Cover image: Novelist

Citation: Amazon

Annotation: Novelist and Amazon

A CHILD CALLED "IT"

A Child Called "It" : One Child's Courage To Survive by David J. Pelzer 

Published: Omaha, Neb. : Omaha Press Pub. Co., 1993.

Widely considered as the first of the “misery lit” genre, A Child Called “It” is the disturbing personal account of author David Pelzer, who was tortured as a young boy by his sadistic, alcoholic mother who starved and brutally beat him, to the point of his becoming her slave. Eventually Pelzer manages to overcome the extreme abuse to lead a scarred, yet ultimately successful life. The book is well known for it's graphic and morbid content.
There remains doubt as to the veracity of Pelzer’s claims in the book, with both The New York Times and The Guardian newspapers noting the lack of details authenticating his recollections.

Sources

Cover image: Goodreads

Citation: UTS Library Catalogue

Annotation: Fiction Connection, Goodreads and Amazon.

SATAN'S UNDERGROUND

Satan's Underground: The Extraordinary Story Of One Woman's Escape by Lauren Stratford

Published: Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 1991.

Purported to be the true account of a young girl’s struggle to escape from a sadistic satanic cult, Satan’s Underground was written by Laurel Rose Wilson, who adopted the name Lauren Stratford while writing the book. The 'memoir' tells in disturbing and graphic detail, years of sexual and ritualistic abuse at the hands of Satanic cult members and acts of human sacrifice and child abuse. Eventually, Lauren’s strong faith and belief in God help her survive these horrors. Laurel Rose Wilson was later revealed to be a Christian Evangelist with a history of mental illness and making false allegations of abuse. 

Sources

Cover image: Goodreads

Citation: Goodreads

Annotation: Goodreads and Amazon