View Full Version : A Million Little Pieces
brandonBOYDrox
28-10-2005, 05:07
A Million Little Pieces
by James Frey
I was watching Oprah yesterday and she had a man named James Frey on who had written a book yall might have heard about.. A million Little Pieces. Well I haven't read it but it's about his addiction to alcohol and drugs (not sure which ones but they did mention he overdosed on methamphetamines) and his recovery.
well...pretty much i was just wondering if any of you guys had read it and what you thought about it?
and i hear its great for ppl who are going through recovery so if anyone on here is...you should check it out.
the blue letter
28-10-2005, 06:49
I wouldnt trust any book recomended by Oprah to be anything more than a
biased work of some guy who went through AA and found jesus. It
might be worth a look but if your getting your drug education through
oprah or any other education for that matter its destined to be skewed
brandonBOYDrox
30-10-2005, 01:19
i'm sorry it's a MILLION little Pieces.
and no he didnt go through AA which is why i thought it would be good.
in fact, he's supposedly getting a lot of shit from ppl for saying that
AA wouldn't work for him.
ContnWantn
30-10-2005, 22:08
Im reading it right now, and Im about at the middle.... seems good, but waiting for something signifigant to happen...
judging by the oprah show and everyones opinions on there I thought it would be just amazing and hard to put down just like they all said but so far its slow going, and not much has happened..
mabye if you're total naive to the whole drugs world it might be great but if you have any experience or knowledge of things it seems so slow.
I think it will however help a lot of people, and his style of writing definately makes you feel like you're part of it...
unlike any other style I've ever read...
Compared to some of the people on this site for example he was someone that thought taking a drink and smoking 2 joints was hardcore!!! but I guess its all relative...
peace, read it, I think oprah is a great person by the way and I'm male...
brandonBOYDrox
03-11-2005, 08:59
yay another oprah fan! haha. i just ordered it off amazon im excited
but i'm glad u said that b/c i don't wanna be too disappointed when i
read it and it's not as good as i thought.
yeah i read it, its really really good, it really makes you think about drugs and stuff, but he started drinking when he was ten and smoked crack at 20 and now hes in rehab at 23. it just kinda like gives you insight about addiction, not necessarily drug use moderately. it really kind of puts you where he is. he is an excellent writer. and it does keep you reading. its moving.
radiometer
09-01-2006, 20:58
Check out the Smoking Gun (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html). James Frey (of "Oprah" fame) was full of shit. Big surprise, that one.
old hippie 56
10-01-2006, 18:17
He was on NBC Today show this morning, still saying he wrote the truth.
So Oprah's viewers have been had. What else is new? That's what you get from viewing such BS. Although I do not know the book and have not see the show, I do not see a problem with him selling BS in a show that does not reflect reality.
radiometer
10-01-2006, 19:39
Read the link, Alfa, it's an interesting story. The book is about all the horrible things he supposedly did while he was a druggie. The most famous claim of his is that he had a root canal done with no anaesthesia.
Yeah, I read the first page. But still; Oprah is a lot about drama. This is not the first BS story about drug addiction in Oprah. Therefore I do not give any value to anything in that show. And as the smoking gun story describes, the succes of the book is owed to Oprah.
for fucks sake who watches oprah?imean really
IHrtHalucingens
10-01-2006, 20:44
That is a very informative article, it seems like TSG did a very thorough job discrediting Frey. I can't see how he can refute any of their evidence, actual court and arrest records kept by a police department is alot more credible than what some self-admitted drug addict and "bad-ass" Criminal says happened. Rediculous, anyone who bought his book should demand their money back, he doesnt deserve a penny of it.
Pinkavvy
11-01-2006, 01:30
a friend who owns a local bookstore has moved the book to the fiction section. lol
rideburton56
25-01-2006, 06:31
I have to come to Frey's defense on this one... the disputed facts in the book first of all are not nearly as pivotal as the smoking gun makes them out to be, if you put all those facts together its no more than 3 pages of the book, actually not even one. Whats most important about these books is the story of a drug addcit, and how he dragged himself through the recovery process. Theres absolutely no question that he ws very much addicted to drugs. I will say it was silly of him to say it was a memior... but then again when im fucked up i dont remember things perfect as well. before you go judging this book pick it up and read it, even if you do have to tell yourself ok its fiction. i for one think that the vast majority is true, and whats way more important than how many days in jail he served is the story that is told in the pages.
carousel
29-01-2006, 02:39
If Oprah has never been down that road, than what business does she have in a part of it?
"if you couldn't live it, you couldn't feel it, so kill a skillet"
old hippie 56
30-01-2006, 18:45
Oprah had to tell her fans that she was duped by a storyteller. Seen it on network news. It was quite amusing.
pharmapsyche
30-01-2006, 20:49
Check out the Smoking Gun (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html). James Frey (of "Oprah" fame) was full of shit. Big surprise, that one.
James Frey is one great author! I don't understand how anyone could just decide they don't like this work now, after all of this? The point of the book, "a million little pieces", is about going to drug rehab and getting better! It spoke on Larry King Live and on Oprah and was honest about his lies that he wrote in the book. But, did any of you notice that everything that he lied a little bit about, had nothing to do with the point of the book!? Come on now, give the guy a break! James Frey is become my favorite author after i read A million Little Peices. I've never been so intrested in a book in my life, i even when right out the next day to buy the sequal, My Friend Lenoard. Why is everyone seem at disquest with James Frey, he wrote a book that is helping people over-come drug and alcohol addiction, i find that quite amazing!
Pinkavvy
30-01-2006, 21:29
The answer is very simple. As i've stated many times in the past, people here dont look kindly upon lies that demoninze and dehumanize drug use. the lies in his book help demonize drug use in his book, which is aboslutely wrong. If you buy into the concept that it's ok to lie as long as the end results are good, then you are surely mistaken. The Ends do not justify the means. It is not ok to tell lies that demonize drugs, just becuase in the end it may help a few shallow-willed individuals. That's the same thing as saying it's ok for the DEA and federal government to lie to our kids and say marijuana kills brain cells and leads to heroin and HIV, becuase it may prevent some addiction in the long run. Fuck that. Lies and propoganda are never right, even if it may help somebody somehwere for a second.
pharmapsyche
30-01-2006, 21:57
First of all, The exaderations that James Frey made within his book can not be compared to the DEA and/or Federal government to lieing to the human race about marijuana or and drugs, that would be a much bigger problem and would be wrong. James isn't lieing to make him look 'cool' and he wasn't lieing to help anyone over come drug or alcohol addiction, he was exaderating to make the book a good book, as well it is, consdiering it was a New York Bestseller and people loved it until the Smoking Gun decided to ruin it because they have nothing better to do than rip on people for a living. Who cares if he didn't actually hit a cop, within the book. Who cares if he had alcohol in his car and not cocaine? It's not like he wasn't in rehab for cocaine. He wasn't lieing about an addiction he had. As he stated on Larry King Live, He wouldn't of been able to write such a good book, if he never had those experiences. Everyone is too critical, my god! Let the man live. It's because people who critizce him that people will never get to read a book like that by him again, and i find that sad. The man is only human, give it a break. It's a book, not a poster stating facts. Have any of you ever read any books by Hunter S. Thompson? Have you ever read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?! Do you really think he took 100 hits of acid and drove to Las Vegas with his friend in a nice red car, while drinking and tripping and not die or get caught? I don't think so. Both are awesome books and should be treated as nothing less!
polloloco001
30-01-2006, 23:03
james freys lies were not small exaggerations to prove a point. he made up a whole fake life for himself. the guy was a frat boy who smoked a little weed. he first tried to sell the book as fiction but nobody would buy it cuz its such fucking trash. since reading the smoking gun article a week or two ago (hadnt noticed this thread about it until today) i have been telling everybody i see reading that book that it is full of shit and they shouldnt read it. if you walk down the street in an area where people are reading a lot of books (yuppie spots with cofee shops and whatever) half the people you see are reading this piece of shit book. the guy isnt trying to help drug addicts, hes trying to make money, and succeeding. so fuck him and fuck oprah for making this massive lie written in incomplete sentences one of the most popular books in america.
pharmapsyche
31-01-2006, 00:18
That was the most pathetic post I've read and I totally disagree with it! You are acting as if James Frey is trying to scam people for there money! Yeah Right! I'm sure he spent all that time writing the book "A million little pieces" and the following book "My Friend Lenord", just to scam the human race of there money. Good Lord, the man is an author and writer...he writes because he loves it. He never thought it would be a New York Bestseller, it wasn't even his intention! This is the best book I have personally ever read and I am offened when you say, I quote, "Piece of shit book". Thats just wrong. The Smoking Gun is an example of pathetic, do they have nothing better to do than rip on people and try there best to destroy them?! I understand it's there job, but what kinda of sick life is that anyways!? This book is not full of lies, the main topic is that he went to Drug and Alcohol rehab and got better by not following the rules they wanted him too. The basic point of this book is that he got well by himself and without little help from other. He repeats himself on how he didn't follow 'The Tweleve Steps', because the tweleve steps are just something some guy made up, which is true. Also, I notice your quote "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" by the author Hunter S. Thompson. I'm also a big fan of Hunter S. Thompson, but here you are talking so bad about the lies that James Frey made, have you never read Hunter's writings?! Do you really think he took hundreds of blotters of LSD-25 and drank all the way up to Las Vegas without dieing or getting caught? No way, it's a alittle bit of an exaggeration!
rideburton56
31-01-2006, 00:28
since reading the smoking gun article a week or two ago (hadnt noticed this thread about it until today) i have been telling everybody i see reading that book that it is full of shit and they shouldnt read it. if you walk down the street in an area where people are reading a lot of books (yuppie spots with cofee shops and whatever) half the people you see are reading this piece of shit book. .
So basically what your saying is the smoking gun, 1 source (and although i enjoy some stories on the site, its not exactly the best news source on the planet) is going to fully form your opinion on a book you never read? on top of that, your going to run around and tell everyone reading the book that it sucks?? what your doing is no better than a politician who never smoked a joint telling society that its wrong. read the fucking book, then form an opinion.
pharmapsyche
31-01-2006, 00:44
Thank you rideburton56, that needed to be said!
carousel
31-01-2006, 02:04
spending a little time writting a book is worth all the money.
like 99.9% of the people in america, hes after money. he saw and oppurtunity and took it. who can blame him?
oprah is a ditz and doesnt know any better. understood?
pharmapsyche
31-01-2006, 02:35
No, I still disagree! He could of as easily made it a fiction novel and got the same amount of money he did by making it a non-ficton! What do you people not understand? I'm pretty damn sure he didn't write the book to plan on it happening like this, why would anyone?! I use to like Oprah, until after this while, i now think she is quite ridiculous espically after saying she still approved of the book while calling in on Larry King Live, then changing her mind and bringing James Frey on her show and ripping on it. It sounds like no-one is going to understand my conspet on this issue, but i'm still willing to get my point across!
carousel
31-01-2006, 02:56
If he made it a fiction novel, the book would have been boring and dull. He had to spice thins up to make them interesting. Nobody would have been interested if he wouldnt have lied. It would have been more exciting to go to an AA meeting.
I see where your coming from though. The point is, his book is utter bullshit and you can't argue with that. The facts are there.
pharmapsyche
31-01-2006, 03:42
I'm not writing back anymore, you are all not very understanding and most of you probably haven't even read the book. I'm not here to change your mind about a book, so think what you will...
circsee1
31-01-2006, 05:00
The book has some good points; he pointed out that the 12 step program is not the only solution to drug/alcohol addiction. Also, the novel depicted, fairly accurately, some of the terriblly demanding things that addicts must go through in order to recover. The book was intersting, an easy read, but definitely should have been marketed as fiction. Like others are saying it probably wouldnt have been spread around so much and definitely would not be on a top seller list. I think it was worth reading; he does have some good ideas on recovery even if his stroy is bullshit.
I'm not writing back anymore, you are all not very understanding and most of you probably haven't even read the book. I'm not here to change your mind about a book, so think what you will...
So, if I understand you correctly, it really doesn't matter that this guy exploited drugs and drug users by presenting a stereotypical image for no other reason than to do the media circuit and line his pocket.
It makes no difference that responsible users should get tarnished from this as the media celebrates yet another work of fiction that furthers the notion of the drug user as "the eternal Junkie"?
PooSniper
31-01-2006, 09:10
Wait ok, are you guys saying he planned on having his book be proven a lie so he could get publicity? If so that just stupid, I mean yea that’s bullshit that his book made more money when it was alleged to be made up but, he never planned that extra publicity. There is no way in hell that selling a made up story as fiction would increase the profit of that book by very much (In fact most of the most famous and profitable books are fiction). The only way he made extra money was because these people called him on it.
Why do you think the book would have been any less interesting or fun to read if he said it was fiction? Don't you think Oprah would read the book anyway and have him on the show? I'm tired of ever single piece of media that makes drugs look bad being accused of "demonizing the drug culture" Don’t you think Fear and loathing in Las Vegas demonized the drug culture? After all it portrayed hippies that took LSD as crazy horrible people, I mean try and point out one responsible drug use in that movie, you just wont be able to do it and yet it's many a drug users favorite movie.
Face it if somebody wrote a book or screenplay about an average responsible drug user it would probably bomb out. Unless the movie was some kind of anti-anti drug propaganda and pro drug criminalisation documentary (sort of like a Michael Moore movie with fewer lies). Then it would probably get lot of publicity for its controversial topic. What I don't approve of is the news and government lying or over hyping about drugs, because those institutions are the ones who shouldn't be lying and cause the biggest impact when they do.
PooSniper
31-01-2006, 09:18
sorry ment to say pro drug Legalization, I must not be registered.
Pinkavvy
31-01-2006, 10:49
So, if I understand you correctly, it really doesn't matter that this guy exploited drugs and drug users by presenting a stereotypical image for no other reason than to do the media circuit and line his pocket.
It makes no difference that responsible users should get tarnished from this as the media celebrates yet another work of fiction that furthers the notion of the drug user as "the eternal Junkie"?
That was my point exactly, Woodman. And pharma, are you the president of his fan club or something. I have read the book, before it become popular, and at the time of reading my opinion was still the same that it's sad that this is the image the media has forced americans to understand about drug use, and cause it to be a published book gaining popularity. When swim found out about it being a fake, my opinion was then that it's a shame that he knew faking these stories about how horrible drugs were on his life would grab the attention of the public because they want to believe that's what drugs do... and it's funny he got caught. Most respectable, privately owned, bookstores on the west coast have been putting his book in the fiction section, which is where it belongs.
rideburton56
31-01-2006, 11:42
Is there any question in anybodys mind that constant use of crack is bad for you???? Are you saying that this book puts a bad face on a drug like crack cocaine, and thats not fair? Sorry, but even as a recreational user of drugs, i for one think that aspect of his book is completely fair first of all. Second of all, Its also very true that when certain people are using drugs including alcohol they fuck up their lives, especially on a more than daily basis. Finally, the conclusion to this book is james is out of rehab and hasnt used drugs since, so where is this "eternal user" bullshit coming from. Like i said before, it sucks that certain things were embellished, but the vast majority of the book is true to life, its not a work of fiction its the same as every movie in hollywood that says this was based on true events, and its even more true to life than most of those shit shows. This book shouldnt have been labelled a memoir, but it still belongs in the non fiction section. Read the book, and have the smoking gun article right next to you on the screen, and you will understand what im talking about.
and remember kids
crack is bad
radiometer
31-01-2006, 19:14
Two complaints in Manhattan courts Monday took aim at James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces.
In a federal class-action lawsuit, readers said the book was a waste of time and they should be reimbursed for the cost of the book and the time they spent reading it. The plaintiffs, Jimmy Floyd and Susan Gardiner accused publishers Random House and Nan Talese of gross negligence for failing to fact-check Frey's supposedly "brutally honest" account of addiction.
Another suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by social worker Jennifer Cohn said that as a "health care professional" she recommended the book to people with substance abuse and legal problems because of its "redemptive theme." Cohn is seeking $10 million on behalf of consumers she claims were injured by Frey's lies.
Similar lawsuits have been filed by readers in Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
pharmapsyche
31-01-2006, 19:25
"Cohn is seeking $10 million on behalf of consumers she claims were injured by Frey's lies."
...talk about just trying to get money. Sounds more like they are rather than James Frey. How would he have injured anyone by his lies, that's silly.
carousel
01-02-2006, 00:46
...talk about just trying to get money. Sounds more like they are rather than James Frey. How would he have injured anyone by his lies, that's silly.
Agreed.
SWIM would like to see more detail of the claims of these people. It's probably just them rambling on and on about how sorry they feel for themselves. Just like everyone else. It's a shame.
polloloco001
01-02-2006, 02:34
i guess what it comes down to here is not the demonization of drug use, i personally think some drugs really fuck up peoples lives and arent a good option for anybody. what it comes down to is i hate fake people. not liars per se, i lie when i must, sometimes i tell extravagant lies to strangers to amuse myself, but people who try to build an image for themself and it is not who they really are, those people are the worst kind of people. james frey is one of them. i dont think in writing this book he only wanted money, i think he also wanted some kind of childish respect for being "bad ass." the guy is a frat boy with a tattoo saying ftbsitttd (fuck the bull shit its time to throw down). he wrote a book full of lies about being a drug addict and how hard core he is. all of you are drug users (except maybe a few cops, hello officer, nice day eh?) how can you defend this man. he is the king jackass.
asphyxiate
01-02-2006, 03:06
It sounds as if some are arguing that the end justifies the means. Whether or not his "message" (if that's what you would call it) helped a few people, it doesn't change the fact that he lied. Besides, if you talk to the majority of those that have suffered through a serious addiction, many consider Frey's words useless bullshit. He claimed that those who can't break an addiction are simply weak. I seriously doubt this man had much of a problem to begin with. Besides, we don't need any more misinformation or negative publicity in regards to drug use.
enquirewithin
27-06-2006, 04:51
Didn't Oprah denounce him a fraud later?
rxbandit
27-06-2006, 04:55
swim had to read this book when he was in rehab and he absolutely loved the first half of it but the second half was kind of a turn off as fucked up as that might sound. theres definetly alot to be learned from the book and i do not understand why oprah went ape shit on him... okay an addict lied and made an inspiring story meant to help people. so he made some of it up that doesnt make him a horrible person...
I merged threads on this subject.
IHrtHalucingens
27-06-2006, 05:25
swim had to read this book when he was in rehab and he absolutely loved the first half of it but the second half was kind of a turn off as fucked up as that might sound. theres definetly alot to be learned from the book and i do not understand why oprah went ape shit on him... okay an addict lied and made an inspiring story meant to help people. so he made some of it up that doesnt make him a horrible person...
Maybe not a horrible person but it does make him a fraud. He promoted his book as his true life struggle and how he changed his life. The true story part was a big appeal to many who looked to it for inspiration. I just cant see the book in the same light when its fluffed up as much as it is, and i think that many who purchased the book feel ripped off. Sure he might have helped some people, thats great, but he also made a load of money lying.
The man should become a politician. He will probably get elected.
~lostgurl~
20-10-2007, 11:12
New novel by James Frey
13 September 2007
TVNZ
HarperCollins is to publish a new novel by James Frey, the author who admitted fabricating key parts of his best-selling drug and alcohol memoir A Million Little Pieces.
HarperCollins, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., said it would publish Frey's Bright Shiny Morning in summer 2008. It gave no further details about the novel.
"James Frey is an immensely talented writer who has written a truly extraordinary and original novel, one of great breadth and ambition," Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins senior vice president and publisher, said in a statement.
Frey admitted in January last year that he had made up key parts of A Million Little Pieces, which was the biggest selling nonfiction book in the United States in 2005, with more than 1.7 million copies sold in paperback edition.
The book had been chosen by talk show host Oprah Winfrey for her reading club - a move that often transforms books into best sellers. After Frey's admission, Winfrey apologised to her viewers, saying she felt "duped".
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1347023
chillinwill
17-11-2008, 05:10
I think the book was fairly good for a work of fiction but for James Frey to claim this was his memoir (this was all before ppl found out this was false) and try to sell book that way really just pisses me off especially when regarding to the use of drugs and some of the exaggerations he puts in there. Maybe his real life wasn't so exciting so he had to exaggerate facts and make up stories in order to sell something. It does show the struggle that an addict has to go through (for the most part) in order to get clean and any addict that does get and stay clean from whatever the substance may be is highly regarded
~lostgurl~
20-11-2008, 04:42
I really enjoyed this book and I'm not bothered at all over James Frey making up "key parts" In my opinion the book's power and success come from it's ability to give the reader an honest look into addiction, detox, rehab and recovery. The emotions and thought processes that go through ones mind during this turbulent time. The side stories that were added for excitement purposes were insignificant for me. I was also extrememly impressed with James Frey's writing style, his words blended in the same fashion as thoughts rather than proper structured literature, and this certainly added to the powerfulness of the story. 10/10
The answer is very simple. As i've stated many times in the past, people here dont look kindly upon lies that demoninze and dehumanize drug use. the lies in his book help demonize drug use in his book, which is aboslutely wrong. If you buy into the concept that it's ok to lie as long as the end results are good, then you are surely mistaken. The Ends do not justify the means. It is not ok to tell lies that demonize drugs, just becuase in the end it may help a few shallow-willed individuals. That's the same thing as saying it's ok for the DEA and federal government to lie to our kids and say marijuana kills brain cells and leads to heroin and HIV, becuase it may prevent some addiction in the long run. Fuck that. Lies and propoganda are never right, even if it may help somebody somehwere for a second.
swim knows this post is older than dammit, but she can't resist chiming in on the irony here. sober people saying the means (lying) justify the ends (getting clean), while the drug users are advocating authenticity--even if that means *gasp* choosing to use for whatever their personal reasons may be. frey's bs is just one of any number of examples of why people lie to themselves then rationalize it to make themselves feel better about having lied. swim personally finds it much less time- and energy-intensive to just be honest with herself first and foremost, then everyone else falls into place. simple. not always pretty. but simple and effective.
*ahem* and aside from the inevitable spelling errors, swim wanted to add that if someone gets something out of it, great. her rant was more about knowing the truth about the information being thrown out there is essential to placing it in the proper perspective, or 'taking it with a grain of salt' so to speak. there's usually something constructive to be gotten out of any situation. this sub-rant is swim's attempt to form a balanced opinion and she apologizes if it's circuitous or just downright senseless at times :)