Controversy is not a word that is used to describe a book unless it has evoked strong emotion. James Frey’s first work, �A Million Little Pieces� has caused some waves in the literary world due to accusations of exaggerations and falsities in his memoir of drug and alcohol abuse.
In an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the book was promoted as part of Oprah’s Book Club.
Following this interview, �The Smoking Gun� Web site published an article outlining the many discrepancies between his memoir and police and court documentation. This article can be viewed on
�The Smoking Gun� Web site. Frey continued to stand by his story for some time following the initial allegations. However, he eventually admitted to embellishing facts, not only in order to help the story, but also to make him appear �tougher and more daring.� He reappeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to set the story straight and apologize. Further printings of the book will include notes from the publisher and the author. Both may be viewed on the Random House Web site.
The story begins on a plane to Chicago; 23-year- old James, with no memory of the past two weeks is missing his front teeth, has a hole in his cheek and a broken nose. Soon after, he checks himself into a rehabilitation center where he engages in war with addiction both in mind and body where the price of failure is death before age 24.
By Athena Singer,
Contributor
Controversy is not a word that is used to describe a book unless it has evoked strong emotion. James Frey’s first work, �A Million Little Pieces� has caused some waves in the literary world due to accusations of exaggerations and falsities in his memoir of drug and alcohol abuse.
In an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the book was promoted as part of Oprah’s Book Club.
Following this interview, �The Smoking Gun� Web site published an article outlining the many discrepancies between his memoir and police and court documentation. This article can be viewed on
�The Smoking Gun� Web site. Frey continued to stand by his story for some time following the initial allegations. However, he eventually admitted to embellishing facts, not only in order to help the story, but also to make him appear �tougher and more daring.� He reappeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to set the story straight and apologize. Further printings of the book will include notes from the publisher and the author. Both may be viewed on the Random House Web site.
The story begins on a plane to Chicago; 23-year- old James, with no memory of the past two weeks is missing his front teeth, has a hole in his cheek and a broken nose. Soon after, he checks himself into a rehabilitation center where he engages in war with addiction both in mind and body where the price of failure is death before age 24.
The atypical method in which the sentences are put together portray an inner monologue where thoughts are incomplete, repeated and follow an illogical sequence. This method of staggering thought process pulls the reader head first into the pulp of the addiction where nothing is definite.
Addiction is portrayed truthfully and without the glamour often assigned to it by rock stars. However, the recovery issues were not as believable and seemed to be glossed over after the intense discription of need.
The legalities of the embellishments notwithstanding, the story was an addicting read.
�A Million Little Pieces� will suck you down into a place most cannot even imagine.
There was good reason for Frey’s vomit-caked tale to live on the top of The New York Times nonfiction paperback best-seller list for 15 weeks. It is worth experiencing.
To view all articles by this writer Click here.