The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir

I read this book in one sitting, in the middle of the night. I was tired but couldn't put it down - I just had to know what was really going on with the all the father's outrageous but enticing stories. I loved the art in this story - it was pretty simple, but somehow straightforward. I was struck how the father was always dressed exactly the same, no matter how much time passed, and never really visibly changed, and how that contrasted with the maturation of how the author herself was drawn. It was like everyone else, even her mother, changed, but with the same stubbornness shown in her father's inability to admit his falsehoods, so too did his outward appearance remain constant.

This graphic novel was a truly wonderful read, full of insights and pathos. Sandell's willingness to lay bare her family secrets in an effort to better understand the reasons behind her sometimes self-destructive behavior is so raw and honest that I hurt for her. Her story is a touching one that outlines the challenges that those living with mental illness in the family must endure, and the terrible effect that an untreated condition can have on family members. I found myself enraged on Sandell's behalf when her mother and sisters acted as enablers, but came to realize they too were coping in the ways they thought best. Though this is my first graphic novel, its quality has convinced me it will not be my last. Highly recommended!

“Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped.”

Bill Sandell was an adventurous, larger than life, father. An ex-Green Beret, war hero, with a law degree and a P.H.D. He was both revered and feared by his children, especially Laurie, his oldest child. When Laurie was in her early twenties, she applied for her first credit card and was declined because of a bad credit record. It turns out several cards were already issued in her name and all of them were maxed out and unpaid. She follows the trail to her father and everything she ever knew about her beloved padre begins to unravel. Lies upon lies are revealed. Is her father just a fraud, an imposter, living the “big con”?
This illustrated memoir, told by Laurie is a show more joy. The writing is smart and the drawings are perfect. I much preferred this one over Are You My Mother, which I read a few months ago. I hope to spread the word on this one. Seek it out! show less

The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir is a graphic memoir chronicling the author’s journey out of the maze of her family’s myths. The family’s main mythmaker is Sandell’s dad, a larger-than-life man who claims, among other things, to have written position papers for Kissinger, to be a friend of the pope and to have been awarded a Purple Heart in Vietnam. I don’t have much experience reading graphic novels or memoirs, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. One of the blurbs on the back of the book warns: “Don’t pick up The Impostor’s Daughter if you have an urgent looming deadline. You’ll start reading and then keep reading till you reach the last page . . .” Of course, I didn’t listen to A.J. Jacobs: I show more peeked at the book the day I received it and was instantly hooked. When I finished it several hours later, I realized that most of the afternoon had gone by—luckily, I didn’t have any urgent deadlines! I started reading it again that evening, savouring it more slowly over the next couple of days and paying more attention, on my second read, to Sandell’s delightful art. Despite her unorthodox childhood, her “unsavory experiences” (her words) in her twenties and her glamorous job interviewing Hollywood celebrities, Sandell comes across as very down-to-earth—someone I could relate to. By turns funny and heartbreaking, her memoir is both engrossing and inspiring. I loved the fact that she incorporated several drawings she had done as a child into the narrative and also included a “group photo” of all the Hollywood stars she’d interviewed. I highly recommend this wonderful memoir.

A slightly different version of this review can be found on my blog, she reads and reads. show less

This is the first time that I ever read a graphic novel and I had been wondering if I would like it. But, I was hooked from the first sentence. "Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped." The story was engrossing. She grew up with her father as her hero because of all of his tales of how wonderful he was. He picked her out of the family, not his wife and two other daughters to concentrate charming her. I wonder if this is key to her later writing this book.

Everything started to change for the worse when he lost his job. This change started her on a book long search to find out who her dad really was.
I read a few of the reviews and noticed that the negative ones objected that the author,Laurie Sandell told her show more family secrets. They viewed her as a betrayer.
But I think that Laurie Sandell had a very unusual father and why can't she speak out about him? Maybe her speaking out can make others feel not so alone.

I loved the illustrations and read most of it less than a day but I enjoyed the way the book was presented and think that what she had to say was important for her to say it. show less

Confession - this was my first graphic novel. Given their popularity these days, I find it rather shocking, but there it is. Whether it was due to the graphics themselves or the actual story, I found myself quickly drawn into Ms. Sandell's story. In fact, I started it around 10:30 PM Sunday night and finished it two very short hours later. I was compelled to keep reading to find out whether Ms. Sandell was able to overcome her demons. The fact that I was loathe to put down the book well past my bedtime is a testament to the power of the story.

Unfortunately, I was left feeling rather dissatisfied. I can imagine that rehab is not something about which it is easy to write and reflect, and yet I felt that Ms. Sandell either glossed over show more some of the details of her stay or "prettified" it. This is in direct opposition to the very blunt and honest observations she makes about herself elsewhere throughout the book. As a result, the two sections were rather disjointed and disruptive to the overall flow to the book.

In addition, I couldn't help but feel let down by the ending. Ms. Sandell obviously had a tremendously rocky relationship with her father, deservedly so to some extent. The entire book is filled with such anger at her father, such despair at her relationship with her parents in general, that I expected more resolution to the overall story. I realize that true life rarely ever gives us a pat, satisfactory ending to our own personal stories, however I did expect one while reading The Imposter's Daughter.

Upon reflection, I believe that my expectations where more a result of the fact that the graphics made it more story-like than memoir-like. I found the pictures distracting and began to ignore them after a time. I am not 100 percent sold on the graphic novel. It was easy reading, but as I am not one to linger on the pictures, I began to resent them ever so slightly by the end of the novel. I believe that the format of the book detracted from the overall story.

In general, I did enjoy reading this book. I really did want to find out how it all ended. Ms. Sandell presents her very personal, poignant struggle with both humor and self-deprecation that I definitely appreciated and enjoyed. I also appreciate the strength it took to write such a novel, baring all secrets and demons to the world as she did (complete with illustrations!). I can't help but wonder if it would have been even more powerful had this been a normal novel rather than a graphic one.

Thank you to Anna Balasi and Hachette Books for the opportunity to review this book! show less

My first thought upon receiving this book was that the title was mispelled. However, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary "impostor" can be spelled as it appears in the title, and it can also be spelled "imposter" (which was the spelling that I knew).

Having satisfied my inner spelling geek, I was able to crack this book open and settle in for a fascinating read. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a graphic memoir. The drawings are easy to comprehend and remind me a little bit of the art of Marjane Satrapi who wrote Persepolis (except that Persepolis was in black and white).

The Impostor's Daughter pulled me in from the very first line:

"Whenever my father went out of town he had the mail stopped. It didn't matter if show more he was gone for one, two, or ten days - if my father wasn't home, the mail didn't come." Page 2

Isn't that a great way to start the book? After reading just a few pages I was rivetted, wanting to know exactly what her father was hiding and who he was hiding it from.

Laurie Sandell lays out the details of her life completely for the world to see, including the both the good and the bad. One thing I will say is that this is not a book for kids. There are depictions of drug use, drinking, sex and drawings of naked people. While I think that the book could have been just as effective without the naked pictures, I do appreciate her candor and bravery in telling the world about her past.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good memoir, as long as you don't mind the issues I mentioned in the previous paragraph. show less