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Online Critical Reading Wiki Project Spring 10
= Truth or Hoax? =

This site is created by the Critical Reading class at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington.

In 2005, James Frey, author of 'A Million Little Pieces', wrote a powerful and touching autobiography that captured Oprah's attention, made it into her book club, and jumped onto the best-seller list. The story of his life touched many people. The only problem: it was a fake. He had manufactured or embellished many of the events and details of his 'autobiography'.

Zoom back to 1974, The Today Show, with Barbara Walters interviewing Forrest Carter about his touching, powerful autobiography, 'The Education of Little Tree', which was also a best-seller. The only problem: it was also a fake. Although some parts of the story might have basis in fact, the story itself was not an autobiography. More shocking, Forrest Carter was actually Asa Carter, a segregationist speechwriter and violent racist with past ties to the Ku Klux Klan.

Some questions will immediately come to your mind. How could a violent man like Asa Carter write a beautiful and gentle book like 'Little Tree'? How should you feel about a book whose author was such a violent man? Another question might occur - how can a white person tell a story about Indian culture that seems so authentic? Or was it really as authentic as it seemed? Surprisingly, this phenomena of “fake” autobiographies is not so uncommon as you might think.

Click on an author's name to see each project =James Frey JT LeRoy Nasdijj Solly Ganor Forrest Carter =