Nasdijj

== == Why People Write Fake Biographies…

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Autobiographies have always been a popular form of literature in America. Recently, Authors like Nasdijj and James Frey published memoirs that turned out to be fake. As Laura Browder puts it in her Article Fake Autobiographies: A Great American Tradition, the idea of writing fake memoirs is nothing new. She says that the books fall into an American tradition that is hundreds of years old. She calls them “impersonator biographies.” Browder also states that “the most recent impersonator biographies take advantage of stereotypes about alcoholism, HIV-positive abused teenagers and American Indians.” She also states that “the success of impersonator autobiographies has always depended on the author’s ability to exploit reader’s preconceptions.”======

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But why are these types of books so popular anyway? Browder writes that the autobiographies put a great deal of influence on individualism and self-fashioning, and “make up a form peculiarly suited to American national mythologies.”======

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There have been so many different books written by different authors, so it is understandable that in order to captivate the reader and grab their attention, the author would have to have a pretty compelling story. A story that really grabs the reader’s attention. These “impersonator biographies” are written with the same intent that every genre of book is written with - “to make money”. Autobiographies routinely stretch the truth, or underlying facts about something in order to bring a more compelling story to the table.======

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I think that people write fake autobiographies because making up a story that isn’t your own can be more interesting then what is really going on in your life. When you write stories about bad things that have happened in your life people sympathize with you and feel sorry for you. I believe that writing fake autobiographies is such a growing trend because of the fact that authors tend to have a much easier time making up a character who has had a hard life.======

By: Derek

Who is Nasdijj?

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Nasdijj's real name is actually Timothy Patrick Barrus. Nasdijj claimed to be born on the Navajo reservation in a Hogan in 1950. He was actually born in lansing Michigan. He also claimed that his father was white cowboy and his mother was a Navajo. Both his parents were actually white, middle class citizens. Nasdijj wrote that his mother, who was an alcoholic, died when he was seven. He also said that his father would frequently abuse him.======

According to Esquire, Barrus still plans on writing novels in the future.
By: Jessica

Before & After…What did the critics say?

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Before the discovery of who Nasdijj really was, many critics embraced his books. Regarding The Blood. Ted Conover from The New York Times Book Review wrote: “He reminds us that brave and engaging writers lurk in the most forgotten corners of society.”Rick Bass called it “mesmerizing, apocalyptic, achingly beautiful and redemptive… A powerful American classic.” Howard Moaher, who is a well known book editor said it was “the best memoir I have read about family love, particularly a father’s love for his son, since A River Runs Through It.” The Washington Post called The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping “vivid and immediate, crackling with anger, humor, and love”.======

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The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping won a 2004 PEN/Beyond Margins award. According to LA Weekly, that really paved the way for Nasdij to become one of the nations most celebrated multicultural authors. But with this newfound success, Nasdiij ran into a lot of skepticism. Especially from the Native American Community.The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping portrays the life of his adopted son, who he claimed had fetal alcohol syndrome. The book portrayed his son’s short life, as he supposedly died from a seizure on a fishing trip when he was six. Sherman Alexie, who was the most prominent voice in Native American literature at the time, said it only took him a few pages before he realized that he couldn’t vouch for Nasdiij’s writing. “At first I was flattered, but as I kept reading I noticed he was borrowing from other Native writers too.======

By: Derek


 * Books Written under the name “Nasdijj”: **

//The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams (2000)//

//The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping (2003)//

//Geronimo’s Bones (2004//

Books Written by and under the name: Timothy Barrus:

 * //My Brother My Lover//. Gay Sunshine, 1985.
 * //Anywhere, Anywhere//. Knights Press, 1987.
 * //Genocide The Anthology//. Knights Press, 1988.
 * //Selective Service// (with Robert McCartney-Moore). Knights Press, 1991.
 * //To Indigo Dust//. Knights Press, 1992.

By: Jessica

I believe that he had these stories in mind already but since he was known as an author who write gay fiction he believed that he wouldn’t get published with his real name so he made up a fake one and started doing really well and so he kept it. I feel that Timothy Barrus appears to be very angry with peoples reactions to him writing the fake memoirs he doesn't understand why people seem to care so much about his personal life he believes that there are much bigger problems in the world. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with this people get to worked up over it because they are going to do it anyways. There are a lot of bigger problems to worry about in the world then people writing fake autobiographies. If someone has the ability to write a good story people should focus more on the story then on the author’s personal life. I think that Nasdijj and Forrest Carter are similar because they both wrote stories about Indians.In Nasdijj’s books he pretends to be a Indian of the Navajo tribe and Forrest Carter says he is a Indian of the Cherokee tribe. Forrest Carter still claims to have Cherokee descent. As far Forrest Carter yes it was a big shock to find out that he wasn't the sweet little Indian boy who he writes about in Little Tree that he was actually a violent racist. But he still wrote a very touching story that grabs the attention of a lot of people and is still a very popular book and even though it is a fake it is still a pretty good book.
 * Group Comments **

By: Jessica

I also agree with the notion that Timothy Barrus was a struggling author, who knew that if he tried to publish these books under his real name, nobody would take the story as seriously as if he wasn't a gay erotica author. I think that it's wrong to pretend that you are from another culture, and to lie about tragedies that happen in your life in order to gain new readers. But it isn't illegal. You Can be mad at him, but he is still a very talented author.

By: Derek

Works Cited Browder, Laura. "Fake Autobiographies: A Great American Tradition." //History News Network//. Web. 08 June 2010. . Chaikivsky, Andrew. "Nasdijj - Esquire." //Beautiful Women, Men's Fashion, Best Music, Drink Recipes - Esquire.com//. Web. 08 June 2010. . Fleischer, Matthew. "Navahoax - Page 1 - News - Los Angeles - LA Weekly." //Los Angeles News, Events, Restaurants, Music LA Weekly//. 26 Jan. 2006. Web. 08 June 2010. .