From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay's Journal
Author	Anonymous (Beatrice Sparks)
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Publication date	1978
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	192 pp
ISBN	ISBN 9780671735593
OCLC Number	19817668

Jay's Journal, which is presented as an autobiographical account, is a book that tells the story of a depressed teenage boy who becomes involved with a Satanic group. After participating in several occult rituals, "Jay" believes he is being haunted by a demon named Raul. The book is based on 'true' events of 16-year-old Alden Barrett from Pleasant Grove, Utah, who committed suicide in 1971.

Some critics have challenged the complete authenticity of this story, noting that the editor of this book, Beatrice Sparks, has filled the same role on many other "actual, anonymous diaries of teenagers" that explore such sensational themes as drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, and prostitution. These books, the most well-known of which is Go Ask Alice, serve as cautionary tales. Furthermore, although Sparks has always presented herself as the 'editor' of Jay's Journal, a search at the U.S. Copyright Office ^[1] reveals that she is in fact listed as the book's author.

According to a book written by Barrett's brother Scott (A Place in the Sun: The Truth Behind Jay's Journal), and interviews with the family, Sparks used roughly 25 entries of 212 total from Barrett's actual journal and took literary license with the rest, based on case histories from other teenagers she worked with and interviews of friends and acquaintances of Barrett.

A rock opera titled A Place in the Sun was created and performed by Utah country Band Grain in 1997. According to some family members, it was a more accurate portrayal and showed Sparks' alleged exploitation of the story.

Within the city of Pleasant Grove, Jay's Journal has been the source of many urban legends, including alleged locations where Jay performed actions described in the book, his home, the effect on his family after his death, and other rumors.

References

External links

• Detailed article on Jay's Journal from Salt Lake Weekly, June 3, 2004
• Blog entry on the "Mormon Horror Fiction" of Jay's Journal
• Review of Grain's A Place in the Sun rock opera
• Debunking by Snopes of the anti-drug tale Go Ask Alice, also written by Beatrice Sparks.