Beatrice Sparks was an American therapist and Mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the 'real diaries' of troubled teenagers. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy or AIDS, and are presented as cautionary tales. Although Sparks always presented herself as merely the discoverer and editor of the diaries, records at the U.S. Copyright Office show that in fact she was listed as the sole author for all but two of them.
Sparks began working with teenagers in 1955, after attending the University of California at Los Angeles and Brigham Young University. She has worked as a music therapist at Utah State Mental Hospital and taught continuing education courses at BYU.
Critics have called the precise extent of Sparks' qualifications and experience into question. The editorial credit on some of the diaries published by Sparks identifies her as "Dr Beatrice Sparks, PhD". However, when journalist Aileen Pace Nilsen interviewed Sparks for School Library Journal in 1979, she was unable to find any confirmation of where or when Sparks earned her doctorate. Nilsen also wrote that Sparks was "vague about specifics" when asked about her counseling qualifications and professional experience.
Sparks said that her experience working with troubled adolescents made her want to produce cautionary tales that would keep other teens from falling into the same traps. Her first work, Go Ask Alice, was published under the byline 'Anonymous' in 1971.
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Subjects
Children's fiction, Diaries, fiction, Fiction, Adolescent girls, Case studies, Juvenile fiction, Attitudes, Conflict of generations, Diaries, Drug abuse, fiction, Interpersonal communication, Juvenile Fiction, Teenagers, Youth, AIDS (Disease), AIDS (Disease) in adolescence, Adolescent psychotherapy, Adoption, Anorexia nervosa, Análisis de casos, Autobiographical fiction, Biography, College stories, College students, Conflicto entre generacionesPlaces
United States, Berkeley, California, Colorado, Coos Bay, Estados Unidos, New York City, Oregon, San FranciscoID Numbers
- OLID: OL1861418A
- ISNI: 0000000083587062
- VIAF: 13918939
- Wikidata: Q4877197
- Inventaire.io: wd:Q4877197
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Alternative names
- Beatrice Mathews Sparks
- Anonymous
September 27, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | add ISNI |
August 2, 2019 | Edited by Lisa | Edited without comment. |
April 3, 2018 | Edited by Mary Elizabeth Delfino | Added new photo |
April 2, 2018 | Edited by Mary Elizabeth Delfino | Added author bio. |
April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | initial import |