Ishmael Beah’s Memoir Facing Frey-like Scrutiny
By Jane • Jan 22nd, 2008 • Category: Publishing News • •As if the Cassie Edwards’ copying scandal hasn’t demoralized your faith in the publishing industry enough, Ishmael Beah’s bestselling memoir, A Long Way Gone, is the subject of two investigative pieces by The Australian. The first article was published on January 19, 2008, and tells the story about a couple who were keenly interested in Beah’s story.
They engaged in some research and thought that they might have uncovered Beah’s father. This discovery led to a revelation crucial to the timeline of Beah’s memoir.
Beah writes on the second page of his story: “The first time that I was touched by war I was 12. It was in January 1993.”
But the event he goes on to describe did not occur until January 1995.
The date difference is important since it mean that Beah might have only spent a couple of months in the army and not the years the memoirs describe. The article is not an indictment of Beah’s story but rather the oversight that the publisher took in fact checking the book. Perhaps this would be a non story if not for the Frey hoax but the reporters of The Australian note that the date could be confirmed by a simple Google search.
When the publishers, FSG, were questioned, the reporters were met with hostility and the couple who had discovered the date discrepancy were accused of being “troublemakers.”
The second article further implicates the publishers suggesting that they had exploited Beah.
Professor Chaon suggested Beah’s publisher and agent were being protective of a young writer because “there are a lot of predators out there”. He discounted the idea that the publishing business itself might be the biggest predator.
There was some suggestion that the memoir needn’t be subject to the stringent standards of journalism (doesn’t this all sound familiar). In rebuttal, the reporter offered up the following:
Literary agent Fran Moore, of Curtis Brown, said there was a standard contract for authors that protected publishers. “The author has to take responsibility that the work is true and proper. If the publisher has any doubts, they’ll have it legally read.”
Melbourne University Publishing’s chief executive officer and publisher-in-chief Louise Adler disputed the idea that a memoir was permitted to be less reliable than an autobiography.
“There’s no difference. I expect the highest level of authentication and fact-checking in both. Doing a memoir doesn’t let you off the hook,” she said.
Edited to add: Ishmael Beah has come out with a public statement in his defense.
I was right about my family. I am right about my story. This is not something one gets wrong. The Australian’s reporters have been calling my college professors, asking if I “embellished” my story. They published my adoptive mother’s address, so she now receives ugly threats. They have used innuendo against me when there is no fact. Though apparently, they believe anything they are told–unless it comes from me or supports my account. Sad to say, my story is all true.
Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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That will be a shame if it is found to be Frey like. I was really moved when I read the book.
One would think that it would be rather hard to go back and investigate a case like this. During such a long and protracted civil war like the one he was involved in, I rather doubt that meticulous records were kept. And in my experiences of living in West Africa, exact dates and times are never important, but rather life is measured by major events and rites of passage.
I heard a report about this on NPR. Apparently an Australian mining engineer who was sent to manage the titanium mine where Beah’s father had worked, took a copy of the book with him. One of the workmen mentioned the date of the attack which was different from the book and the engineer asked around about it. The principle of the school Beah had attended stated that the facts about the attack were correct, the date was wrong.
The publishers were approached privately but brushed the person approaching them off so he went to the newspapers.
actually, the engineer was originally approached by someone claiming (falsely) to be Beah’s father. So his initial approach to the publisher was due to his hope that he might have good news, but he met with a very hostile response and couldn’t understand why. So he did not call in the media in the hope of exposing inaccuracies, but in the hope of reuniting Beah with surviving family.
Thanks for the correction. Can’t even trust NPR to get the story straight.
I am amazed that Beah is still travelling the world with this tale of his time as a child soldier. I am amazed that the UN has not terminated his sponsorship as a spokesman for child soldiers. His book has been so completely discredited that anyone buying it should know that it is a piece of ”historical fiction” not fact. It really gets to me that this guy is still being warmly embrased by groups he talks to. Suppose its just a matter of time before the fraud is exposed to all.
People are discredited all the time. I don’t believe everything I hear. I’m not sure if you have read the book but it doesn’t seem possible that those events could be false. However, they could be. But as long as he WAS a boy soldier and he DID go through a lot of the things he wrote about, who CARES about the length of time it actually took? Honestly, he went through a lot and I bet that’s more than most people can take credit for. Read the book. It’s fantastic. I also recommend A Million Little Pieces. People tell stories all the time, you just have to trust them to be telling the truth.
(in response to Benedict, above ^^^)