A Million Little Pieces

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MMMike

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Mar 21, 2005
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Anybody read this book? WOW! I usually go for non-fiction, but this book grabbed me and kept me up late reading it. Great book, really enjoyed it. It's an Oprah selection, and the author was on the show.

There has also been a lot of controversy the past few days over the book. It is marketed as the true story of a drug addict/alcoholic struggling through rehab. There are tales of legal troubles and all sorts of outrageous events that happened to him while f-ed up. Anyway, the smoking gun did a story on him, claiming that a lot of the story was made up. The author also was on Larry King live.

Great book nonetheless.
 
M

MMMike

Council Member
Mar 21, 2005
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Toronto
I'll check that out, thanks! With this whole James Frey thing, its not being said, but reading between the lines kinda suggests what happened. Originally he marketed the book as fiction to various publishers. One picked it up, suggested some changes and put it out as a true story. It looks like the author is now being hung out to dry.
 
Karlin

Karlin

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Jun 27, 2004
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MMMike, ya, I read it, and it IS good.

Now that the controversy is going on, the message is being lost. Actually, I don't think Oprah ever got it, she didn't say a word about the epiphany of James' that gave him the strength to overcome his addiction.

Page230, for eg., is all about discovering the truth, for James anyway, that there is no god, he finds his calm in nature[while waiting for Lilly in the woods].

And then, in therapy, they discover that James' FURY may have began from childhood ear infections - thats never mentioned, yet it is the key part of his overcoming his troubles, absolutely. EH??

James' relation with his parents is key too - that is the main thing that raises his FURY, when he sees his parents. Golly, that is an ephiphany that Oprah didn't ever ask James about, did she?

The FURY! The FURY! Ahhhhhh...

But one other oddity that points to the whole thing being made up ...... is this -
: None of the addicts in treatment were on OPIATES.
So? - opiates are very common drug for long term addicts, and the most difficult to withdraw from, due to sheer pain and agony, physical agony. There would be many in treatment...Not once were opiates mentioned, other than as a 'chaser' to his cocaine. They are often "the only" drug for many addicts, not a side drug.

PS -opiates are heroin, morphine, etc. Usually from prescription - is that why they were not mentioned?]

Ya there is a lot of fishy stuff, but he has a message about overcoming addiction that is being totally LOST. Oprah is missing the point...

-----------edit -
PS - a couple links - Hazelton Treatment centre, where Frey went -
http://www.hazelden.org/servlet/hazelden/go/admissions

The Smoking Gun [exposed Frey's lies, Oprah Interview, etc.]
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html
 
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