Fake memoirs.

The Crowman

Reading this list of debunked best selling "memoirs" got me thinking, it's a nice earner for compulsive liar fantasists with an active imagination to come up with a best seller. Some of these listed are still in print. Is it as easy these days in the age of social media for say a plumber from Sheffield to fool millions into thinking he's Chief Squawking Bird of the Hopi Indians?

http://listverse.com/2010/03/06/top-10-infamous-fake-memoirs/

Are Am Eye

IBT Bible.

Pac1Man

I would happily buy some fictional memoirs if it stated it was fiction. Finding out after the fact is bad form.

Comparatively the Fargo TV series got me good. It states from the beginning that it's a true story. A quick Google revealed it is fiction.

The Crowman

There seems to be a big market for misery memoirs in Ireland. Kathy O'Beirne's two books about her supposed incarceration in a Magdalene laundry has been largely debunked. There were question marks as well about some details in Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes.

Hector Bellend

This why I used to like skinny mags.

At least you can blast one off to the pictures.

The Crowman

"Wellness blogger" and fraudster Belle Gibson is coming from a similar place.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/13/behind-belle-gibsons-cancer-con-everything-about-this-story-is-extreme

Stigura

Good read, OP. Thanks for the heads up.

chicorytip

The Crowman wrote:

Reading this list of debunked best selling "memoirs" got me thinking, it's a nice earner for compulsive liar fantasists with an active imagination to come up with a best seller. Some of these listed are still in print. Is it as easy these days in the age of social media for say a plumber from Sheffield to fool millions into thinking he's Chief Squawking Bird of the Hopi Indians?

Why is "Angela's Ashes" by Frank Mc Court not on this list?

Mr. Incognito

I generally dont read junk like this but people do so what can you do

Hermy

Lance Armstrong - It's Not About The Bike

Ulysses Gaze

Ahern's autobiography should be on that list too.

Thomas_IV

The Crowman wrote: »

There seems to be a big market for misery memoirs in Ireland. Kathy O'Beirne's two books about her supposed incarceration in a Magdalene laundry has been largely debunked. There were question marks as well about some details in Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes.

Oh yes, I remember that well. Very controversial discussions in the media and time witnesses who knew the family often said that he might have exaggerated it 'a bit'.

branie2

The Hitler diaries

Thomas_IV

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Ahern's autobiography should be on that list too.

Never read it. In general speaking I think that one can't expect people writing their own autobiography to tell everything in it. Some details the author of an autobiography omits are rather picked up by other writers who write a biography based on their research.

thesandeman

Just wait until Enda Kenny publishes his.

razorblunt

Maidhc Dainín ó Sé's. Ok so it might not be fake but the stories are shíte, the fact it was on the LC curriculum was a cheap and easy way to make him some cash.

valoren

Hermy wrote: »

Lance Armstrong - It's Not About The Bike

This. It would be alright to an extent if he was a humble, reserved and charity focused cheater. You'd say sure they were all at it and he didn't kill or hurt anyone. Instead he was a certifiable liar and a narcissistic, bullying scumbag who instead killed careers and reputations for the sake of the dollars and for winning bike races.

kowloon

branie2 wrote: »

The Hitler diaries

Lots of war memoirs fall into a spectrum between dramatised and utter BS.

The Crowman

Thomas_IV wrote: »

Oh yes, I remember that well. Very controversial discussions in the media and time witnesses who knew the family often said that he might have exaggerated it 'a bit'.

A named man who he had down as spying on his sisters undressing turned out to have no sisters.

Hermy

valoren wrote: »

This. It would be alright to an extent if he was a humble, reserved and charity focused cheater. You'd say sure they were all at it and he didn't kill or hurt anyone. Instead he was a certifiable liar and a narcissistic, bullying scumbag who instead killed careers and reputations for the sake of the dollars and for winning bike races.

In fairness though - he wasn't lying - it wasn't about the bike!!:(:(

Ipso

The movie Sleepers was supposed to be based on a true story, ended up it wasn’t.
Also, Jack the Ripper’s diary.

Capt'n Midnight

valoren wrote: »

This. It would be alright to an extent if he was a humble, reserved and charity focused cheater. You'd say sure they were all at it and he didn't kill or hurt anyone. Instead he was a certifiable liar and a narcissistic, bullying scumbag who instead killed careers and reputations for the sake of the dollars and for winning bike races.

Yeah he killed people.

Indirectly, but certainly. He took doping to a new level. People died trying to keep up. People who would otherwise be alive if the doping had stayed at an amateur level.

The Crowman

More on O Beirne and her phoney memoir. You will always get people like this trying to capitalise on the suffering of people who did go through the Magdalene system.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635834/Mis-lit-Is-this-the-end-for-the-misery-memoir.html

AllForIt

The Crowman wrote: »

There seems to be a big market for misery memoirs in Ireland. Kathy O'Beirne's two books about her supposed incarceration in a Magdalene laundry has been largely debunked. There were question marks as well about some details in Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes.

Hmm. There seems to be a bit a a theme to what you think shouldn't be considered to be true. Not that I'm inferring anything.

CrankyHaus

Numb : The purported memoir of a British War correspondent and Sado Masochistic murdering rapist, allegedly compiled by mysterious writer Louis La Roc from diaries presented to him by the man's widow.

In fact it was a publicity seeking hoax written by Cork based novelist, solicitor and sumo wrestler Colin Carroll. Google him and you get a picture of him in his sumo nappy, it's pretty funny.

The Crowman

AllForIt wrote: »

Hmm. There seems to be a bit a a theme to what you think shouldn't be considered to be true. Not that I'm inferring anything.

Care to expand?

_Dara_

Pac1Man wrote: »

I would happily buy some fictional memoirs if it stated it was fiction. Finding out after the fact is bad form.

Comparatively the Fargo TV series got me good. It states from the beginning that it's a true story. A quick Google revealed it is fiction.

Did you not know that would be the case from the film?

Pac1Man

_Dara_ wrote: »

Did you not know that would be the case from the film?

I never actually saw the film.

_Dara_

Pac1Man wrote: »

I never actually saw the film.

Seriously one of the best films ever. In my top ten.