I remember the interest in this book when it originally came out but never read it then. I find the content so exploitative and disappointed that this book keeps being publicized.

This one made me think. Which isn’t a bad thing but I wasn’t expecting it. If you are looking for a self help book I think you may like this one

I originally saw the film that was based on this short story collection. I know think about those who may have believed that this was a true memoir and not a work of fiction.
I will say that this was beautifully written. I well-crafted collection of tales about human tragedy, child abuse, drug addiction, mental illness, and prostitution. I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, as there were some triggering issues about sexual abuse of a child, and further physical and verbal abuse of children.

Overall, a fascinating set of interconnected short stories about Jeremiah’s youth and young adulthood. Jeremiah is presumably the same Jeremiah in LeRoy’s novel Sarah. The first third I found particularly difficult to get through as graphic sexual and verbal abuse is so vile. I’m not sure what to make of these. Is it torture porn and exploitative or are the incidents realistically portrayed? It’s hard to mention LeRoy’s writing without referencing the hoax that Laura Albert pretended to be JT LeRoy writing semi-autobiographically. This was taken much further by Albert’s sister-in-law portrayed LeRoy at events and hobnobbed with Gen X celebrities. Albert has said she wrote as JT LeRoy as a way to distance herself from and process the abuse she faced as a child. Jeremiah, who is taken from his foster parents at a young age, reclaimed by his young, neglectful verbally and physically abusive mother. Reclaimed not because of her love for him, but to prove a point that no one else can take what’s hers. They travel a lot together, he grows up quickly, and has difficulty seeking out healthy relationships. Some of the stories are utterly heartbreaking. His emotions are rewired and associates love with the abusive attention he receives. Some of the stories seemed disjointed and the timeline skips, so it takes a few minutes to reacclimate to each new story. Some of the final stories are redemptive and even hopeful. These were my favorite stories. I listened to the audiobook version. It was an interesting choice to have a different narrator for each story. This didn’t always work for me as it took me out of Jeremiah’s life a little bit, but the narrators did a fantastic job on each story.

Thank you Blackstone Audiobooks and NetGalley for providing an audiobook ARC.

Had I known about the controversy surrounding J.T. LeRoy, I would not have decided to read The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. I'm glad I gave this book a chance, both for its reputation among literary circles and the full cast audiobook recording that I listened to. Overall, I was not able to separate the history of the book from the author and spent a long time trying to decide what rating I should give a book which was first presented as nonfiction but is now wholly advertised as a work of fiction. The steps this writer took to present LeRoy as a real transgender person, when the writer herself is a cis-gendered white woman, was wholly ridiculous. In addition, The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things is a series of stories which revels in gratuitous trauma. To write a series of stories about LGBT identities which are so focused on pain without knowing the authentic experiences which transgender people experience is a mistake. Don't get me wrong: these stories didn't need to be happy. The intersectional experiences shown in this short story collection was simply not the author's to tell.

I had heard nothing but praise for the quality of writing which surrounded The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, and had hoped that since the move had been liked well enough by general audiences, the book would especially shine. What I found was a story which felt as though the author honed in on perceptions and problems which surround poor and working class communities and weaponized them in order to create a story which would peak middle class interest. The collection of stories feel like a ceaseless cycle of child neglect and abuse. Setting aside the whole controversy behind the LeRoy persona, the constant focus on trauma and abuse borders dangerously into "torture porn" categories. The abuse feels artificial and only placed for reader shock factor, especially since there is no greater message or purpose tied to the repeated actions. The writing failed to grab at my attention at its slowest moments and horrified me at its most egregious. I found myself asking what the point of this story even was and why people would willingly read a story which festers from the darkest parts of humanity. Had this not been a book I had received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I would not have finished the novel.

I realized early on in the book that its shock factor and controversies is the very reason that this book is a part of literary circles at all--seeing as the only worthwhile discussion this book offers a general audience is what it means for a book to be defined as a fictional work. Unfortunately, this would not be a book club discussion question had LeRoy's identity never been released as falsified, meaning that the book on its own merit has very little to offer. What's left is a disturbing narrative which exploits marginalized people for the sake of a warped middle class audience.