Blog Post 6

I think a book must be 100% true to be considered nonfiction. If it is 95% true, you won’t help wondering what is the 5% that aren’t true; and will doubt a lot of stuff that occurred in the book. A book can be fiction, but can be based on true facts; just because it has some true aspects does not mean it should be nonfiction. Half-truths are not ok if it’s a good story and it isn’t right that Frey and Mortensen bent the truth to tell their stories, but sadly it is inevitable. In a memoir, you learn to trust the author; and when he/she lies you feel backstabbed, because in a memoir you are more vulnerable to become attached to the story, and think with the mentality that “this happened to someone, it could happen to me.” Although sometimes people become too attached to the book, people should also learn to take a step back and see that it is a book after all. The authors are probably thinking if I make this part a little bit interesting, then the book would be better.

When confronted about if the authors “stretched the truth” they should not lie, and own up to how it was a detail, that they thought wouldn’t change how people look at the book. That is the part that I don’t like, when the author lies; just so they can make more money. We should label fiction or nonfiction, because if it is labeled fiction, we can assume that it isn’t true; and if its’ labeled nonfiction we assume that it is true.