Jay's Journal
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Beatrice Sparks (editor) |
| Products | Diary-style book |
Jay's Journal is a diary-style book published in 1979, presented as the personal narrative of a troubled adolescent boy entangled with a Satanic cult. Edited by Beatrice Sparks, it partially draws from the life of Alden Barrett, a 16-year-old from Pleasant Grove, Utah, who died by suicide in 1971. Critics have accused Sparks of distorting Barrett's true experiences.
Plot
Set in the late 1970s, the story follows Jay, a religious yet despondent teenager who begins keeping a journal called Judas after encouragement from his Sunday School instructors. Through poetry, he vents his dissatisfaction with societal norms and explores his complicated relationships with his parents and friends Brad and Dell.
Jay develops feelings for Debbie Dale despite warnings from peers about her reputation. His attraction intensifies, leading to marijuana use during Debbie’s visit to Phoenix. On his fifteenth birthday, Jay’s father secures him employment at a pharmacy. Under Debbie’s influence, Jay steals amphetamines but attempts to conceal the theft by substituting capsules with powdered milk, battling guilt over his actions.
His remorse deepens upon learning about his Aunt Laurel’s suffering from cancer. Jay’s conflicted emotions toward Debbie grow until he is caught stealing drugs by his father, who then terminates his job and alerts authorities. Jay is placed in juvenile detention, where he reflects on his past mistakes and relationships. Eventually, Debbie ceases communication, ending their connection.
While incarcerated, Jay encounters Pete, who introduces him to occult subjects such as meditation, extrasensory perception, karma, and mysticism. Pete claims psychic powers and provides Jay with herbs that induce vivid dreams. After release, Jay struggles with family dynamics and abandons his faith to reconnect with Pete.
Pete establishes a group advocating occult beliefs; Jay enlists friends Brad and Dell but faces skepticism both at school and home. Despite efforts to maintain stability through a stationery store job, Jay becomes increasingly immersed in Pete’s cult activities.
Jay’s romantic focus shifts to Tina, who leads him deeper into Satanism involving drug use and orgiastic rites. They conduct a symbolic marriage ceremony in a graveyard that includes acts of animal cruelty. Jay’s conduct becomes more reckless as he engages in blood rituals and attacks on livestock; his journal entries grow unstable.
Suspicious that Tina played a role in an incident affecting a school play part, their relationship ends when an ex-boyfriend contacts her. Jay experiences visions of a demon named Raul and believes himself possessed. Following the accidental deaths of Brad and Dell linked to occult practices, Jay’s physical and mental health deteriorates.
Feeling estranged from himself, Jay seeks an exorcism by a Bishop and leaves instructions for his belongings to be given to Debbie as a wedding present. The narrative closes with a letter from Jay’s mother disclosing his suicide by firearm and expressing sorrow over his brief life.
Response
The authenticity of the account has been questioned by some critics who note that editor Beatrice Sparks has similarly shaped other "actual anonymous diaries" addressing issues like drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, and prostitution. Her best-known work in this category is Go Ask Alice, regarded as a cautionary narrative.
Alden Barrett—the teenager who died by suicide in 1971—is central to this story. According to Alden's brother Scott in A Place in the Sun: The Truth Behind Jay's Journal and interviews with family members, Sparks utilized only 21 out of 212 original journal entries from Alden. The remainder were fictionalized, reportedly inspired by case histories of other adolescents Sparks worked with and interviews of Alden's acquaintances.
In Pleasant Grove, Jay's Journal gave rise to numerous urban legends concerning locations mentioned in the book, impacts on Alden's family, and various rumors. A 2004 article in Salt Lake City’s City Weekly highlighted these inaccuracies and noted the ironic effect of the book inspiring readers to emulate acts associated with Satanic rituals.
Claims of ritual cattle mutilation described in Jay's Journal also attracted attention from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who were investigating similar events occurring in Alberta.
Adaptations
The Utah-based band Grain, fronted by Bryan Hall, staged a rock opera entitled A Place in the Sun during 1997 and 1998. Relatives of Alden Barrett regarded this production as a more faithful representation, highlighting Sparks' manipulation of his narrative.
From 2022 to 2023, Hall's ensemble Bay of Pigs created and performed another rock opera inspired by Alden Barrett’s life, named Pleasant Grove. Initially showcased as a work-in-progress at the Springville Rivoli theater in Utah, Bay of Pigs intends to continue refining and presenting this piece.
External links
- Blog post discussing the "Mormon Horror Fiction" genre exemplified by Jay's Journal
- Critique of Grain's A Place in the Sun rock opera
- Fact-checking by Snopes of the anti-drug narrative Go Ask Alice, also authored by Beatrice Sparks.