Some Claims in ‘Primates of Park Avenue’ Reportedly Inaccurate
Questions raised about details in sensational book.
— -- The new book “Primates of Park Avenue” raised eyebrows with its sensational claims about the secret lives of the super-rich housewives of New York City’s exclusive Upper East Side.
Some of the claims in Wednesday Martin’s memoir included that some of the so-called glamorous stay-at-home moms, or Glam SAHM, received performance-based wife bonuses from their husbands, but the New York Post reported it found several inaccuracies in Martin’s book.
Among them, the Post's report says, records show Martin lived on the Upper East Side for three years and had one child at the time. In the book, which was released June 2, Martin said she had two children when she lived in the neighborhood for six years, the Post reported.
The newspaper also reported that Martin claimed to have shopped at businesses that weren’t open at the time and said Martin mentioned app-based car service Uber at a time when it hadn’t yet debuted in the city.
In a statement to ABC News, Martin said the book described her personal experiences on the Upper East Side both while she lived there and when her children were in programs there over a period of six years.
“Potentially identifying details were altered, including some timeframes left unspecified and chronologies adjusted, in order to protect the identities of others and to explore issues by topic,” she continued, adding that publisher Simon & Schuster will add a clarifying note to the ebook and subsequent print editions about the “common writing technique.
“Motherhood and wealth have always been hot button topics in New York City and around the world and I'm glad to have started a robust conversation about that,” her statement added.
As for the potential fallout, Andy Lewis, book editor for The Hollywood Reporter, said, “I think there will be a lot more debate about whether this is true or not. One review pointed out that what she calls a 'wife bonus' other people call presents under the Christmas tree."
Martin isn’t the first author to have come under fire for alleged untruths. In 2006, James Frey was exposed for fabricating entire sections of his memoir “A Million Little Pieces.” The book had been endorsed by media mogul Oprah Winfrey on her hit talk show.
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