Go Ask Alice

An influential voice for 1970s youth, Beatrice Sparks (1917-2012) is more recently known for her dishonesty, unanswered questions, and fallacious assertions about sex and drugs. She was commonly referred to as a serial hoaxer. Her true biography is shrouded in mystery, primarily because Sparks frequently changed the names of her alma mater, professional titles, and roles in writing her books. Born in rural Idaho, Sparks worked in a restaurant with her single mother after dropping out of high school to help support her siblings. She married a man of Morman faith from Texas, and the couple’s wealth grew substantially after they invested in oil. While caring for a younger sister and three children, Sparks worked for a multilevel marketing company, falsely promoting high sales returns on records touting family values and parenting advice. There, Sparks met Art Linkletter, primarily known for the television show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” After Linkletter’s daughter died by suicide, he started a campaign against teen substance use that aligned with President Nixon’s war on drugs. Sparks sent Linkletter an early draft of Go Ask Alice. Letters indicate that Sparks initially hoped to receive credit for the diary; however, her publisher convinced Sparks to refer to the author as “Anonymous” to avoid compromising the work’s authenticity.