Truman Capote's nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, was a breakthrough in literacy as it was credited as the first nonfiction novel. There was much controversy when the book was first published due to the unbelievability of the work. This was to be expected at the time, because people were not yet familiar with the concept of a non-fiction novel, but this is where the beauty of this style of writing lies, the recreation of the truth. It would have been impossible for Capote to fully document what happened, because he had only read about the murder after it had happened and, after all, that was not what he wanted to do. Capote received a lot of criticism for the book, due to his distorting the truth, inserting scenes that never happened, and his way of gathering information, but people still saw the talent that went into creating the non-fiction novel. Truman Capote will forever be recognized for this novel and the contributions he made to literacy. In this essay we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of In Cold Blood when providing facts and the credibility of the work. We will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the novel when Capote bends reality and inserts some parts of fiction. Capote never intended In Cold Blood to be a documentary about the multiple murders that occurred in the small town of Holcomb. When Capote published his novel, people were not familiar with nonfiction novels. People knew about the murders that had taken place and began criticizing the book for not being truthful about what really happened. This novel cannot be considered journalism, which is often the mistake people have made and still make today. Although there are many facts within the novel, the story that is told is not always believable. Capote was also criticized for his method of gathering information, because he did not take notes or record his interviews. Capote said that he had tested himself and that he had a memory of 95%, but this was not always considered reliable by critics. Capote had made a mistake by telling the public that every word of the novel was true, this simply opened him up to the possibilities. critics and journalists to dispute his bold statement. A big problem with In Cold Blood is also the ethical aspect of the novel. Capote was not always truthful with Dick and Perry and blatantly lied to them to get more information for his book.