The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is a collection of ten interconnected short stories published in 2001 under the pen name JT LeRoy. The book follows Jeremiah, a four-year-old boy who is removed from his foster family and returned to his biological mother Sarah. Sarah takes Jeremiah on a chaotic journey across America, exposing him to a series of unstable relationships and dangerous situations. The narrative chronicles their tumultuous relationship as Sarah struggles with her own trauma while forcing her son to assume different identities and roles. The story moves between various settings - truck stops, religious households, and urban streets - as Jeremiah navigates childhood and adolescence under his mother's unpredictable care. His experiences with different caretakers and authority figures shape his understanding of family, identity, and survival. The book examines themes of trauma, identity formation, and the complex bonds between parent and child, presenting a raw portrait of survival in the margins of society. Its title, drawn from the Book of Jeremiah, serves as a reflection on the deceptive nature of human relationships and the heart's capacity for both love and destruction.

Readers describe this book as brutal, disturbing, and emotionally raw. Many reviews note the unflinching depiction of abuse and trauma, with several readers saying they had to take breaks while reading. Readers praised: - Raw, visceral writing style - Authentic portrayal of poverty and addiction - Vivid character development - Unforgettable imagery Common criticisms: - Too graphic and violent - Gratuitous abuse scenes - Difficult to follow narrative structure - Questions about authenticity after author revelation Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (120+ ratings) Sample reader quotes: "Like watching a car crash in slow motion" - Goodreads "Beautiful writing about ugly things" - Amazon "Had to put it down several times to recover" - LibraryThing "The prose hits like a punch to the gut" - Goodreads "Felt exploitative after learning the truth about LeRoy" - Amazon

Push by Sapphire Chronicles a young girl's survival through abuse and poverty in Harlem, depicting raw experiences of trauma and resilience through a similar unflinching lens.

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Documents a boy's life with his mentally unstable mother and his placement in an eccentric household, mirroring themes of unstable parenting and childhood displacement.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch Follows a daughter through foster care after her mother's imprisonment, exploring parent-child dynamics and survival across shifting environments.

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson Presents interconnected stories about displacement and survival through a protagonist navigating America's underbelly and substance abuse culture.

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer Details a child's survival of extreme parental abuse and the foster care system, sharing themes of childhood trauma and institutional involvement.

★ JT LeRoy was later revealed to be a literary hoax - the books were actually written by Laura Albert, who created the persona of a teenage male author with a troubled past as her alter ego. ★ The book's title comes from the Bible's Book of Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" ★ The story collection was adapted into a 2004 film titled "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," directed by and starring Asia Argento, with Jimmy Bennett playing young Jeremiah. ★ The JT LeRoy phenomenon attracted numerous celebrity supporters including Winona Ryder, Courtney Love, and Billy Corgan, who believed they were corresponding with and mentoring a troubled young writer. ★ The unmasking of JT LeRoy in 2005 led to multiple documentaries, including "Author: The JT LeRoy Story" (2016) and "The Cult of JT LeRoy" (2014), exploring the complex layers of identity and deception behind the literary scandal.