JT LeRoy review – a less surprising hoax the second time around

The fake author who fooled the publishing world is brought back to life in a diverting tale that treads familiar ground“Sometimes, a lie’s more truth than the truth,” drawls author JT Leroy, speaking down a crackling telephone line. This straightforward dramatisation of Savannah Knoop’s 2008 memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy details the scandalous, six-year-long ruse created by Knoop (Kristen Stewart) and author Laura Albert (Laura Dern) in the early noughties. Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy wasn’t just Albert’s pseudonym; he was a full-blown literary persona with a salacious backstory of poverty and child abuse that made the teenager’s acclaimed semi-autobiographical novels appear more authentic.When Albert meets her boyfriend’s shy, androgynous sister Savannah, she sees an opportunity to realise the reclusive LeRoy (the hunched, shuffling Stewart is perfect casting) and turn him into a celebrity phenomenon. Albert styles herself as LeRoy’s mad British manager Speedie; magazine covers and multimillion dollar film adaptations follow. For those familiar with the story, this version of LeRoy’s rise and fall won’t offer new revelations. Still, Dern brings a hungry, manic energy to Albert, a sad and troubled woman who used LeRoy as a vehicle to process her own childhood trauma, while Stewart’s performance is typically interiorised and exacting. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-08-18 07:00:10 UTC ]
News tagged with: #magazine covers #childhood trauma #memoir #publishing world

Other Publishing stories related to: 'JT LeRoy review – a less surprising hoax the second time around'


How to watch 'Letter to a Stranger' night at the L.A. Times Book Club

Pico Iyer, Maggie Shipstead, Michelle Tea and Colleen Kinder discuss 'Letter to a Stranger' at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-05-26 21:35:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pico iyer #maggie shipstead #michelle tea #times book


TV ad leaders say Nielsen measurement alternatives not ready for prime time

Measurement solutions from iSpot.TV and Samba TV, among others, are buzzy at this year’s upfronts, but won't see much action. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2022-05-26 14:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #samba tv #prime time #measurement solutions #nielsen


Review: With 'Yerba Buena,' a top L.A. author of queer YA romance is all grown up

Nina LaCour's first novel for adults, "Yerba Buena," follows a promising and complicated lesbian love story in the mold of Sarah Waters. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-05-26 13:00:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nina lacour #sarah waters #first novel


‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ Review: A Life Too Simplified

This New York City Children’s Theater adaptation of Maya Angelou’s celebrated memoir faces the challenge of faithfully telling a story that encompasses a great deal of pain. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-05-25 20:59:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #maya angelou #great deal #memoir


In these gloomy, divisive times, does anyone care about books? I do.

Books emphasize interiority, encourage empathy, require thought and are meant to foster rational argument -- things we all need. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-25 16:39:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #encourage empathy


Review: “The Shore,” by Katie Runde

Katie Runde’s debut novel takes readers on a stroll down a sandy boardwalk and into a family facing a big loss. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-05-24 09:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #takes readers #big loss #debut novel


In ‘This Time Tomorrow,’ a 40-year-old gets to be 16 again

Emma Straub's novel follows a woman who can revisit the past and reshape the future. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-20 11:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #emma straub


It’s Time to Destigmatize Talking Openly About What’s Going On Down There

When I started reading Chloe Caldwell’s new book, The Red Zone, a memoir about identity, love, health, and pain, all told through the lens of her relationship to her period, I didn’t think I had period hang-ups of my own to work through. I do have pudendal neuralgia, a nerve pain condition that... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-05-12 11:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electric literature #memoir


Keanon Lowe stopped a school shooting. The timing was ‘a miracle.’

Keanon Lowe left the NFL to coach high school sports, a series of fateful decisions that would change his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-12 11:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Surprising and Inspiring Readers: Close-up on Union Square & Co.

Since launching in January of this year, Union Square & Co. has established itself as a publisher of broad-ranging, unique, and enriching titles across multiple categories and genres. Whether it’s publishing fresh and authentic voices in fantasy, cookbooks, or anything in between, Union... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #inspiring readers #union square


Some of the Most Influential Asian American Literature of All Time

Get to know some of the most influential Asian American literature of all time, including Dictee. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-05-06 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american literature


John Waters’s First Novel Is Manic, Hyperbolic and Deviant. Surprised?

“Liarmouth” is about three generations of women in one family who plan to confront or kill one another. It also has a trampoline fun park. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-05-03 09:00:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john waters #first novel


Book Review: ‘The Gotti Wars,’ by John Gleeson

John Gleeson’s “The Gotti Wars” is a memoir about what it took to jail America’s star gangster. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-04-29 20:03:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #john gleeson #memoir


Review: Geoff Dyer's brilliant new book on 'lateness' is about much more than Roger Federer

Dyer's gloriously shape-shifting literary project — intensely perceptive, essayistic memoir — continues with "The Last Days of Roger Federer." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-28 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #geoff dyer #roger federer #memoir


An Easter Surprise in the States: 30 Million More Books Sold Than in 2019

Holiday print sales in children's books helped the US market gain 3 percent in the week ending April 16. The post An Easter Surprise in the States: 30 Million More Books Sold Than in 2019 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-04-25 18:01:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books helped #print sales #books sold


3 great new audiobooks for your walk, commute or chill-out time

This month’s picks: ‘Mecca,' by Susan Straight, ‘Funny Farm,’ by Laurie Zaleski and SJ Bennett’s ‘All the Queen’s Men’ Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-25 11:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #susan straight #funny farm #laurie zaleski


L.A. Times Book Festival: Janelle Monáe feels like she's living her 'second Earth life'

Janelle Monáe was joined by Times columnist Erika D. Smith to discuss her book 'The Memory Librarian' on Saturday at the L.A. Times Book Festival. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-24 17:01:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #janelle mone #memory librarian #times book


Rep. Adam Schiff, Véronique Tadjo and Paul Auster among winners of the L.A. Times Book Prizes

After a few years of virtual ceremonies, the 42nd Los Angeles Times Book Prizes was held in person Friday at USC, kicking off the Festival of Books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-23 04:25:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #adam schiff #paul auster #virtual ceremonies #times book


Neo-Romanticism fell out of fashion. It’s time for another look.

"Theatres of Melancholy," by Patrick Mauriès, presents an alternative history of modern art which makes the case for the importance of a loosely aligned group of painters termed the Neo-Romantics. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-19 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #alternative history #modern art


Very Short Stories to Devour in Record Time

Very short stories–also known as flash fiction, micro fiction, drabbles, and the like–are a delightful form of fiction. Start with these. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-04-19 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #flash fiction #micro fiction #short stories