Author’s Dilemma

As you may have noticed, the last four entries (Page One, Two, Three, Four) are all excerpts from the book, Blank Pages.  During the process, I have changed the names of our main characters to protect their identity.  You most likely have also seen my disclaimer regarding parts of the story being “fictionalized.”

Such is my dilemma as the author of this book.  Joe’s story is one of the most interesting stories that I have ever heard told.  There are several books that have been written by people who have undergone ECT and suffered memory loss (Shock, by Kitty Dukakis; On the Sea of Memory, by Jonathan Cott, Doctors of Deception, by Linda Andre), however nothing as severe as Joe experienced.  My blogs will continue to divulge just how severe Joe’s memory loss was–and of course, Blank Pages, will tell the whole story.

But it’s not only Joe’s unfortunate memory loss that makes his life noteworthy.  Discovering who Joe was and what his life was prior to his shock treatments is also an amazing story.  In interviewing friends and family for this book, it has been difficult to piece together Joe’s life.  Everyone has had a different recollection of the past 50+ years.  There are some facts that can be substantiated or documented; others are assumptions by those involved.  For example, Joe’s sister really did suffer a tragic accident when she fell off of a grain elevator.  However, looking for apples on the tree was Christa’s (the mother) assumption as to why the children were on the elevator–an assumption that cannot be documented because his sister did not survive the accident, and Joe’s memory cannot be trusted to remember it correctly.

Moving forward, I will document at the end of each blog presumed facts based on interviews with Joe, his family and his friends.  I do not want the reader to wonder which parts of the story have been “made up” and which are real, because if you had to guess, you would probably be wrong.  Joe’s story is incredibly interesting and unusual, so I want the reader to know for sure what actually happened versus what I have sensationalized to not only enhance the story, but to make up for missing facts and discrepancies in people’s memories.

I appreciate everyone’s support and wonderful feedback.  Keep reading and pass on the blog to others to enjoy!