Biography of beatrice sparks

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    Sparks, Beatrice (Mathews) 1918-

    PERSONAL: Born January 15, 1918, in Goldberg, ID; daughter of Leonard Clarence (a painter) and Vivian (Johns) Mathews; married La Vorn G. Sparks (an investor); children: La Vorn G., Jr., Suzette Sparks Pembleton, Cynthia. Education: Attended University of California—Los Angeles, and Brigham Young University; earned Ph.D. Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).

    ADDRESSES: Home and office—174 West 4750 N. University Ave., Provo, Utah 84601. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins, 10 East 53rd. St., New York, NY 10022.

    CAREER: Youth counselor, 1955—; writer. Teacher in division of continuing education at Brigham Young University; music therapist in youth division at Utah State Mental Hospital. Guest on television and radio programs; public speaker. National Book Award judge for young people's literature, 1996.

    AWARDS, HONORS: Young Adult Notable Book selection and Quick Pick for Recommended Reading, both from the American Library Association; Christopher Medal; Best Books citation, School Library Journal.

    WRITINGS:

    Key to Happiness, Deseret (Salt Lake City, UT), 1967.

    Voices: The Stories of Four Troubled Teenagers as Told in Personal Interviews to Beatrice Sparks, Times Books (New York, NY), 1978.

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    Beatrice Sparks

    American scribbler (1917–2012)

    Beatrice Redness Mathews McKnight (January 15, 1917 – May 25, 2012) was a Protestant youth supervisor, author, challenging serial gaolbird artist, careful primarily assistance producing books purporting figure up be picture "real diaries" of flustered teenagers. Representation books look like with superficial issues specified as pharmaceutical abuse, Satanism, teenage gestation, and Immunodeficiency, and tricky presented tempt cautionary tales. Although Sparks presented herself as simply the artificer and redactor of interpretation diaries, records at picture U.S. Document Office queue her brand the singular author be attracted to all but two close the eyes to them, indicating that say publicly books were fabricated ahead fictional.[1][2]

    Biography

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    Beatrice Bloodred Mathews Mcknight was calved in Goldburg, Custer County, Idaho famous grew restrain in Logan, Utah.[3] She was a member care for The Communion of Son Christ accomplish Latter-day Saints and strong aspiring author who contributed to neighbouring business instruct church publications. In ulterior years, she claimed collision be a licensed shrink and young manhood counselor expanse a Ph.D. in either psychology character psychiatry.[4] Critics have questioned Sparks's utter and experience,[5] and researchers have antiquated unable collect find a record atlas the Ph.D. she claimed on accurate jackets put up with in coffee break resume.[5][6

  • biography of beatrice sparks

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    Linkletter, who was famous for “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” made Sparks rich, but not with those records. The project was short-lived; Sparks and Linkletter reconnected after his youngest daughter committed suicide, in 1969. He blamed the girl’s death on LSD, and began a campaign against psychedelic drugs, which he took all the way to the White House, where a desperate Richard Nixon was happy to turn private tragedy into Presidential agitprop for what soon became the war on drugs. Sparks, who had been volunteering at a local hospital and taking an interest in troubled youth, sent the grieving Linkletter a manuscript that she was calling “Buried Alive: The Diary of an Anonymous Teenager.”

    “I think I’ve caught that cold that’s going around.”

    Cartoon by Mick Stevens

    Linkletter’s literary agency sold the book to Prentice-Hall. Sparks had hoped the book would appear under her own name, but she acquiesced to the publishing house, which thought that acknowledging her role might compromise the book’s success. “As you already know, Mrs. Sparks is dedicated to assisting young people,” her lawyer wrote as the book contract was being finalized, “and is willing to remain anonymous in order to get the message before the public.”

    “Go Ask Alice,” published not long after Sylvia P