Book Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me by Lee Israel (2008)

Synopsis: After finding herself living in poverty after one of her books was a failure, author Lee Israel found a second and lucrative career selling signed letters from Dorothy Parker, Louise Brooks and other celebrities. There was just one problem, most of those letters were forgeries. This autobiography tells Israel's story from her first sale to her arrest and conviction.

Review: I was looking for another book in my library's online catalog when I came across Can You Ever Forgive Me? I will confess, I had no idea who Lee Israel was, nor had I heard about what she did. However, the book seemed interesting enough to give it a try. Overall, it ended up being a good read.

I will confess, I had some doubts about an autobiography written by a convicted forger, mostly because I figured it would either just be an attempt to prove their innocence (or at least try to justify their crime) or would be nothing more than a way to profit off their crime. After reading it, the book felt a bit like a combination of the two, but in a way that still made it more interesting than expected.

As someone who is a cat dad, I did find I could relate to the author when she said the only reason she first got into selling autographs, first stolen and later forged, was because she couldn't afford the vet bill for her own feline. I probably wouldn't have committed a federal crime if in the same position but at least can understand her mindset (assuming the story is true).

I think the thing that interested me most though was just how easy it was for her. I would have thought dealers would have been more diligent, especially with letters that were known to be in a library, museum, etc. and, at minimum, would have asked a lot more questions about just how Israel was obtaining the letters in such a large quantity. Were the dealers naive, or did they have suspicions and just not care?

I thought the book's ending left a little to be desired. While the author did mention the things she regretted, like the loss of friends, it was hard to tell just how sincere she was, bringing me back to the whole "trying to profit off her crime" concern I had when I first started reading the book.

Final Opinion: It's a bit of a mixed one. I was left with some doubts about the author's motivations and honesty. However, I also didn't regret taking the time to read it.

My Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________

Here are some reviews of other autobiographies:

Book Review: Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda (2006)

Book Review: Officer Clemmons by Dr. Francois S. Clemmons (2020)

Book Review: The LeRoy Butler Story by LeRoy Butler and James J. Keller (2003)

Book Review: Job Man by Chris Multerer with Larry Widen (2019)