a million little fabrications
i heard about this 'a million little pieces' book on local radio. one of our deejays had really embraced the book, and so mentioned it on the air. i can appreciate a good book, especially dealing with that sort of raw subject matter, and it seemed like something i might want to go ahead and pick up to read. so i went to the site (while wasting time at work of course) to check it out, and got the 'excerpt' sent to me. i have to admit, it seemed a little too vivid to be entirely believable, but i didn't think too much about it. a couple days later, this recent bombshell from http://www.thesmokinggun.com dropped, stating that in their move to get a mug shot for their famous 'mug shot gallery', they instead found that almost all of James Frey's claims from 'a million little pieces' are just blatant lies.
the first point of defense was that the work is a memoir, and that all writers take creative license. ok, i can see that. everybody has their own version of the truth. but that doesn't seem to be the case here. in my opinion, this guy is just another hack writer with no respect for anything but the almighty dollar. to create such giant fabrications based only in the most minute ways to any sort of actual fact, and then allow yourself to be some sort of rehab hero to people worldwide who are LIVING the horrors that you can only describe in a bid to get yourself some cash, is disgusting. it would have been entirely possible to let people know during the Oprah interviews, or maybe while roving rehab centers dispensing advice with a camera crew, or on the web site, or any number of ways that the book was not a true memoir. i don't see why the public should be led to believe this man went through these things, just to sell copies. if the book was well written, it would stand on its own as an inspirational story. to tack the label of 'truth' on it for public consumption, is a slap in the face. how many people, addicts and alcoholics, have embraced not just this book but the man who wrote it? how many families of addicts and alcoholics, or friends? this isn't something that was written as a catharsis. it wasn't written to help others who might have found themselves at rock bottom. it was written by yet another wannabe, eager to use the pain of other people by whatever means necessary. i've never been so happy in my life that i DIDN'T pick up a book, and line his pockets with another thin dime. there are so many real authors that have real stories to tell, that never get a chance to have a voice. what an embarassment to real writers james frey has turned out to be.
-public post-
the first point of defense was that the work is a memoir, and that all writers take creative license. ok, i can see that. everybody has their own version of the truth. but that doesn't seem to be the case here. in my opinion, this guy is just another hack writer with no respect for anything but the almighty dollar. to create such giant fabrications based only in the most minute ways to any sort of actual fact, and then allow yourself to be some sort of rehab hero to people worldwide who are LIVING the horrors that you can only describe in a bid to get yourself some cash, is disgusting. it would have been entirely possible to let people know during the Oprah interviews, or maybe while roving rehab centers dispensing advice with a camera crew, or on the web site, or any number of ways that the book was not a true memoir. i don't see why the public should be led to believe this man went through these things, just to sell copies. if the book was well written, it would stand on its own as an inspirational story. to tack the label of 'truth' on it for public consumption, is a slap in the face. how many people, addicts and alcoholics, have embraced not just this book but the man who wrote it? how many families of addicts and alcoholics, or friends? this isn't something that was written as a catharsis. it wasn't written to help others who might have found themselves at rock bottom. it was written by yet another wannabe, eager to use the pain of other people by whatever means necessary. i've never been so happy in my life that i DIDN'T pick up a book, and line his pockets with another thin dime. there are so many real authors that have real stories to tell, that never get a chance to have a voice. what an embarassment to real writers james frey has turned out to be.
-public post-