I am amazed that repeatedly authors are getting away writing fiction as fact.  It does concern me because we look to books for a bit of truth.  People use books for research and guidance.  There is still an air that reading is better then watching TV.

I cannot accept the publisher's claim that she thought it was all true.  Something is a bit fishy about that.

Still, th book should have been published as fiction.  If the author wanted so badly to make a difference with her writing, then she should have not lied.  Her tale sounds like a modern day "Outsiders", a work of fiction that has had a profound effect on many.

In the end, though, it sounds to me like a lot of people are angry because they feel duped.  I have to lean towards agreeing with dp on this. 

Now that they have been caught, they should just change the cover to say fiction and keep it on the shelves.  Heck, it might be a socially important book, despite its shady origins.