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Clif Hostetler's Reviews > The Pale-Faced Lie
The Pale-Faced Lie
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This memoir is about a dysfunctional family and a cruel sinister father. It contains descriptions of excessive corporal punishment, but I found the father's encouragement and praise of cruel and destructive behavior on the part of his four children as particularly reprehensible. The author as oldest son was repeatedly utilized as an accomplice in criminal action and once an apparent murder. There's no indication that the author's father was ever charged for the crimes described in the book.
The father is a self described Cherokee who learned how to kill as a veteran of World War II. By the end of the book these claims are shown to be untrue. Was he the killer he claimed to be? His father talked about the need to kill their mother and later their step mother, but all he managed to do was ask for the assistance from his children. If he was such a murder, why did he need their help?
When their father wanted to leave his wife he coached his children in ways to act that would drive their mother into inappropriate behavior that could be used against her in a custody hearing. Then they moved to a new location when their mother was gone and didn't tell her where they moved to.
With the father living so many lies I began to doubt the veracity of some of the other stories in this book. All the siblings in this family seem to have come through this family background surprisingly well, which makes me wonder about the truth of the book's description of lack of support. How could the author afford to join a college fraternity while supporting his own way through college?
I wondered on several occasions whether the author was proud of the nasty tricks he administered to parked cars and on another occasion the rolling a big tire into traffic. I would have preferred for the author to indicate a bit of remorse for all the misery he had caused to others.
As with most dystopian memoirs the reader knows the author survived because he was able two write the book. As one can expect there was a resolution of sorts when his father was near death. But I didn't feel much comfort from this ending.
Reading the descriptions of bad parenting and child misbehavior in this book was a painful experience. I know there are families like this, and I'm also aware that vandalism is a real thing. Perhaps it's good for me to learn a bit of the lives of the people behind this behavior.
The father is a self described Cherokee who learned how to kill as a veteran of World War II. By the end of the book these claims are shown to be untrue. Was he the killer he claimed to be? His father talked about the need to kill their mother and later their step mother, but all he managed to do was ask for the assistance from his children. If he was such a murder, why did he need their help?
When their father wanted to leave his wife he coached his children in ways to act that would drive their mother into inappropriate behavior that could be used against her in a custody hearing. Then they moved to a new location when their mother was gone and didn't tell her where they moved to.
With the father living so many lies I began to doubt the veracity of some of the other stories in this book. All the siblings in this family seem to have come through this family background surprisingly well, which makes me wonder about the truth of the book's description of lack of support. How could the author afford to join a college fraternity while supporting his own way through college?
I wondered on several occasions whether the author was proud of the nasty tricks he administered to parked cars and on another occasion the rolling a big tire into traffic. I would have preferred for the author to indicate a bit of remorse for all the misery he had caused to others.
As with most dystopian memoirs the reader knows the author survived because he was able two write the book. As one can expect there was a resolution of sorts when his father was near death. But I didn't feel much comfort from this ending.
Reading the descriptions of bad parenting and child misbehavior in this book was a painful experience. I know there are families like this, and I'm also aware that vandalism is a real thing. Perhaps it's good for me to learn a bit of the lives of the people behind this behavior.
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Reading Progress
October 23, 2021
– Shelved
October 24, 2021
–
Started Reading
October 28, 2021
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Finished Reading
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Rebecca
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Aug 15, 2022 03:28PM
You need to put a spoiler alert on this review
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I also question this Hollywood “style” story! Fraternities/sororities are not cheap. The fact that i felt he had no remorse either just made me angry, and unlike you, I have no desire to learn about the lives of this type of behavior. Solid review.
J wrote: "I also question this Hollywood “style” story! Fraternities/sororities are not cheap. The fact that i felt he had no remorse either just made me angry, and unlike you, I have no desire to learn abou..."Thanks for you comment.
Interesting review. I was up until 5am this morning reading this book. Had to go to bed with about fifty pages left to read. Amazing story and I believe it. I can think of a couple ways he could have joined the fraternity without having much money. And It's clear that he would have survived whether or not he wrote the book. From reading about things he has done since working in government, I'm impressed. He's a good man. The statement that he had no remorse is not true. After Mr. Kontz tells David that his dad is a liar and that David has to go back to college, there is a scene where David stops at a bar. Chapter 46. Read it again. Easily in my top ten reads of all time. Maybe top five. Thanks for stirring me up. That almost never happens. But I guess the moment was right.
