In 2003, author James Frey memoir entitled A Million Little Pieces was published to great acclaim. It was only after close scrutiny and an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show that the public learned the truth; that large sections of his so-called memoir were actually exaggerated or totally fabricated. That opened up a new dialogue among readers and publishers: were his well-chosen words any less impactful because they were largely false?
And now there’s the story of Laura Albert – aka Jeremiah “Terminator” Leroy, Emily Frasier or “Speedie”. In the late 90s, JT LeRoy's disturbing autobiographical tale of abuse of a young Southern man became a cult hit. But who really wrote that chilling, alarming debut novel narrated by a twelve year old boy named Sarah?
Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, director Jeff Feuerzeig film unravels the longstanding mystery surrounding the literary persona created by American author Laura Albert. Accompanied by extensive home movies, animation and interviews, Feuerzeig peels the onion skin; layered and complicated.
The daughter of a mother who was a musical playwright, and father who was an assistant principal, both were children of Jewish immigrants. Her family, like many 2nd generation immigrants, didn’t have a lot of money and thus lived in public housing for the lower-middle class in the outlaying New York boroughs. Albert credits her dysfunctional family dynamics, which were punctuated by child abuse, sexual molestation and psychiatric incarcerations with multiple stories to tell – but not in her own voice. Does that make these stories any less credible?
As her tales became more fantastic, the world became more curious about the young man who endured such a malignant childhood. There is point where Albert could have come clean, but instead, like all true performance artists, she upped the ante. She took the “hoax” a step further – actually creating and producing this boy-girl wunderkind – her sister-in-law who had an androgynous look. And Albert came along for the ride as JT Leroy’s publicist/friend/agent. No place was sacred – even the red carpet walk at the Canne Film Festival. And suddenly, JT Taylor and friends were everywhere – magazine covers, fashion shows and hobnobbing with the Hollywood elite.
Although many suspected the truth, the house of cards was brought down by a story published in 2006 by The New York Times. This sonic boom reverberated through the literary universe when it was definitively revealed that JT LeRoy was a figment of the imagination of a middle aged writer named Laura Albert.
Author: The JT Leroy Story is a fascinating study into the psyche of a clearly talented and gifted writer. Is her story any less compelling because she created the characters who “wrote” and populated this memoir? Never has the phrase “Truth is stranger then fiction” had so much meaning.
Runtime: 110 min
Reprinted with the permission of the TJP
