There have been suspicions and allegations that A Million Little Pieces includes fabrications and embellishments since day one. Frey originally shopped the book as a novel based on a true story and then reworked it (ostensibly getting rid of the not true parts) before getting published as a memoir - according to a Joe Hagan piece published in the New York Observer (not available online.).

I've read the book and found it extremely interesting. I researched online after I finished it to see if I could find anymore written evidence of rehab and most of what he said seemed pretty legitimate. It does, however, sort of take away of what I believed to be his true experience knowing that it might not all be true. It changes my perception of him as a person and a writer.

But I figure the book wouldn't have been as interesting if he didn't fabricate a little. Most people who come through rehab and survive it and stay sober probably don't have as good of stories about their addictions as the ones who sadly don't make it. His book really shed light onto how horrible hitting rock bottom and fighting your way back can be, but it did inspire me in my own personal trials.

As a book, memoir or fiction, it's a fantastic read, and reads easy considering how it's written in fragments and stream of consciousness. The one thing that stuck with me, and probably will for a while, was his recounting of dental surgery sans anesthesia.

Frey Guy writes BAD fiction and passes it off as fact. I smelled a rat not one chapter into a Million Little...
I guess I could understand if you haven't grown up around people who have been messed up on drugs, but I have unfortunately and his book smelled like bs throughout. If you were inclined to believe it was true but later found out it was in fact fiction, I fail to see how you wouldn't be angry and disenchanted. For people who would appreciate the story and the author even if it was revealed to be a sham, there is no hope. They probably think there are WMD in Iraq as well.

His father is now a professor at my University. I'll have to stop in during his office hours and ask a few questions.

The beginning, being on a plane when you and your clothes are covered in blood seems highly unlikely to me. How would you even be allowed to board?

Not to mention the whole perverted priest story..

I read A Million Little Pieces and found it to be a captivating read. However, the boook is written with such painstaking detail--some of which seems deliberately crafted for artistic effect (such as his daily effort to look into his own eyes)--that I questioned Frey's ability to recount everything so clearly in prose. In many ways I thought the book was the literary version of the "documentary" Touching the Void, that featured detailed re-enactments of "actual" events. I don't believe that recreating or reworking events for artistic effect is outright obscene; but I do believe it is obscene to label such reworkings as non-fiction.

I read both of his books, A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. Since I approached both of them as if they were fiction (which is pretty much always my approach with memoirs—how can I ever confirm their veracity?) it doesn't bother me to know that they might be.

The problem is most people don't approach memoirs as fiction and they many feel like they've been lied to.

Time and memory do make things less exact, but there is a difference between
that and making things up.

Though if they had been published as fiction, people would be asking which parts were real.

I wouldn't call it one of the best books I've ever read but he does have a unique writing style that I recommended to most people based on that alone.

The book did, for me - seem so detailed that I thought how could anyone as fucked up as he claimed to be, remember all of this in explicit detail. Creative license I assumed.

Seems like silly differences in semantics to argue over "how true is really true" or "how much can be falsity/truth draws the line between fiction/non-fiction."

The conversational writing style lends itself to embellishment. People edit spoken conversation to make for better stories; likewise when writing. It's pretty easy to deduce he's probably making some things up for dramatic effect.

oops, meant: "how much can be false/true before drawing the line between fiction/nonfiction"

It really reminded me of Lee Stringer's Grand Central Winter. While A Million Little Pieces was an interesting read, it wasn't mind blowing, nor did it really come across as 100% accurate. The story arcs and characters all fit together a bit too well.

On the other hand, his descriptive ability and plot development is excellent.

So worth reading, but I'm not surprised it's "enhanced", much like this JT leroy unravelling going on.

I did read a Million Little Pieces. As I was reading it I couldn't put it down, but the whole time I was reading it I kept asking "If he was so out of it on drugs and alcohol how could he remember every little detail with such clarity? I enjoyed it as I was reading it, but the more that I thought about it afterwards, the more that I felt that a lot of it was embellished or falsified.

An odd little factoid...

Just the day before I saw this info on TSG, I did a mini rant on my blog that included the word "Oprah". Didn't mean much by it, but I said it. The next day I read this and shook my head. It was like prophecy.

Anyway, I dropped a note on the Oprah's Book Club board, bringing this issue into the conversation so all those who are reading the book can at least make up their own minds.

Of course, the post was removed in a very short time.

Doesn't anyone want to even pretend to be open minded anymore?

As a reader I don't care whether or not the work is fiction or fact-- it reads the same. As a consumer I dislike the idea that the guy passed it off as fact. Such dishonesty doesn't warrant my financial support. An artist can be a horrible person and still gain my respect for his art, but that doesn't mean I will give them money.

I'm so glad this is coming out! I read the book and felt like every other chapter I was saying to myself "there is just no way that could have happened."

Especially in relation to the goings-on at Hazelden (and I am assuming that Hazelden is the rehab he is in). It seemed absurd that such a distinguished and long-established facility would allow Frey and his friends to break rules as they saw fit.

Also, I agree with Mark above...what airline is going to take the liability of having a bloody, unconcious, drug/alchohol addict alone on a flight? I've seen them turn away people who simply had one too many cocktails at the airport lounge!

It's a shame that so many people are buying into his story.

My mother, brother and I all read the book a couple of weeks ago, while my brother was in alcohol rehab (for the third time). I'm with a couple of other people on this: it didn't really matter to me whether or not the book was 100% "true". I've heard enough about drug/alcohol/rehab experiences to know that truth is often stranger than fiction when it comes to people and their addictions, so the veracity of specific details was irrelevant to me in terms of the overall theme and impact of the story.

My brother was suspicious of certain elements of the story - but was deeply struck by how on target Frey was in relating other aspects, one example being how he described what his brain did during detox. My brother told me that the one-word, continual repetition of, "Need. Want. Oh God." etc. was exactly what it's like for him every time he's binged and is then trying to sober up.

So, in summary, yeah, I think it's a little shitty (or rather maybe just too clearly in service of higher-sales PR) to represent your work as complete truth, when it's perhaps just influenced by the "truth" but...he's certainly not the first (and assuredly will not be the last) author (or artist of any form, for that matter) who has done this, and it hasn't kept us (as a species) from appreciating their works. God forbid that the day comes (and perhaps I'm being a little optimistic as unfortunately I believe it's already here) that we turn into absolute literalists, incapable of abstracting our own personal meanings from others' realities, whatever they may be.

I haven't read the book, mostly because the entire premise seemed like such a total load of crap. I've known a good number of drug addicts in my day, and been very close to a few.

Fact: complete recoveries of hard drug addicts are about as rare as $100M lottery winners.

Fact: Hardcore drug addicts aren't likely to remember minute details about the day-to-day lifestyle they lead. The whole point of doing drugs is to take your mind away from a coherent state.

After reading about the outing of the factlessness of this book, I'm glad I resisted the minimal urge I had to read this book. As a memoir, it would have had a little appeal to me, but as a novel it has none.

Unfortunately have only read half of it till now and have a feeling I'm never going to get through the next half. Personally I think theres quite a bit of truth in it and probably a fair bit of fiction too. Even if it is fiction, he has done a pretty good job of describing the experience to someone who has had no experience with drugs. I just felt it was a bit repetitive and has started to drag. Might finish it eventually.

I saw parts of the Oprah episode. The troubling part is watching him hug and advise other drug addicts. And making millions of dollars from it. Also having his parents sitting watching him talk about these false stories was creepy. I guess he coached them.

Actually, I'm a little bummed about all of this. I devoured the book and related to a lot of it (I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict), but took issue with some it. While reading it I did grant a lot of leeway for creative license so I'm not too surprised by the allegations. But even if he did create or embellish certain portions of his book, he still helped me understand myself and my addictions a little better. On the other hand, it's just plain wrong to call something true when it's not.

Perhaps James Frey should have been as upfront as Ruth Reichl, who in her memoirs admits to sometimes reworking her memories of the past for a better story.

I felt it was such a powerful book when I read it, and I must admit that's been diluted by finding out that parts of the book may have been fabricated.

I'm no fan of Oprah's book club, right off the bat. I think it does appalling things in the literary sphere and, rather than encouraging people to read, encourages people to read one book at a time as endorsed by a woman who keeps bringing Tom Cruise on her show and is richer than God.

My roommate was watching the James Frey episode, and as soon as I started listening to him, I was in serious doubt about his veracity and integrity. His face has all sorts of poker lying tells when he relates his experiences, and -- if all his stories are true -- seems to be exploiting a lot of horror he created in others' lives to end up on the best seller lists. Although that's nothing new.

Like others here, I know addicts and have heard their stories of walking some very, very harsh roads to recovery. Several of them did it without any 12-step program. Their experiences don't ring true to his at all.

I think James Frey saw a good genre opportunity and went for it, wholesale.

I hope he's uncovered as a fraud and that all the people he has "helped" realize that they had the strength and presence of spirit to do it without him or his faux memoir.

Yolanda-
I would be curious what you found in "Touching The Void" (movie) to be untrue? Joe Simpson wrote the book and advised on the movie, and although I read the book many many years ago, the movie seemed a rather literal interpretation. Now, I agree that dramatization can be really lame, eg Discovery Channel story of being captured in Cambodia complete with shaky camera etc.

I think what is being discussed here is making stuff up. I don't think Touching The Void is in that category, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I think the question of whether memoirs in general should be factually true in their entirety is a more interesting question that has been raised by this. If that is how someone actually chooses to recount their life, as it has been filtered by them over time, can people really be so shocked and appalled? There is no such thing as a true, factual memory from any one person -- we all filter and adjust and rework our memories over time.

If people want to be upset that Frey is is then going on to console and advise other addicts, that makes more sense to me, but I myself have to wonder how many memoirs out there are not the product of the author's reinterpretation over time. That is what most authors do, in general -- put a style and an interpretation to people and events to make them intriguing or more desirable to read. Gretchen's comment above hits on this point. I don't think many have levied such criticisms against Hunter S. Thompson, for example. His excesses were so great that few probably ever questioned his exploits with such detail, but it is entirely possible that his recollection (or re-interpretation) of events in his life were also subject to some extensive fictional license.

The TSG piece is an irritating piece of smug, jealous finger-pointing. Never mind that they're probably correct in their refutations; the tone of smug self-satisfaction is embarrassing, as are the childish snipes at Frey's personal habits. I found the book riveting, Frey's prose tics and posturing notwithstanding; it is unlikely that anyone at The Smoking Gun is capable of writing a book like it, which no doubt plays in to their motivations. A good journalist wouldn't let snide obviously-merely-editorial asides creep into her work that way. (Maybe I'm idealistic about journalists.)

That said, they've done good work, it looks like, and it'll be interesting to see Frey respond (same goes for Oprah - though her spat with Franzen made her look bad too). There's a certain pathetic pleasure to be taken in seeing a tremendous ego taken down a notch, but if even a tenth of what Frey claims to have been through actually happened, you have to admit: he's a bit justified in puffing out the chest, you know?

To some of the commenters here: the book has not been outed as 'factless'. Frey has been shown (to my satisfaction and that of many others, anyhow) to have made up some stuff. The essence of the story (the recovery from drug addiction) is not challenged by TGS's article; it may be later, but for now, there's a great deal of value to be found in the book. Your umbrage at being 'cheated', etc., doesn't amount to a critical appraisal of Frey as a writer.

It's a memoir, which I generally consider a novelized remembrance. It's a story, just like fairy tales and PowerPoint presentations and documentary films and blog posts are.

For a relatively factual account of someone's life, I think you need a third-party author. When I read the book I treated it as a fictionalized account of a generally accurate story arc. The ultimate message, that Frey went through recovery and has been clean since the early '90s without using the traditional 12-step process, seems to be true.

Even aside from that, reading the book helped me understand those among my family and friends with addictions and mentall illness much better. I've been to recovery facilities, and I've seen what they've gone through there, and while Frey may have fabricated many details to tell his story, it is a story that worked for me, and helps me improve some of my relationships. It's good in that alone.

Mea culpa!

"Factlessness" was a harsh term. I should have said "fabricated portions", but I guess I felt that sounded too much like what fast food restaurants add to their chicken nuggets.

I think if he'd admitted to any sort of novelization, that would have been a step in the right direction. But he counsels addicts, he claims truth, he wants to be raw and real. Instead, I see someone who wanted to be the "best fucking writer who wrote the best fucking book" going to whatever lengths he has to in order to capture the zeitgeist.

Embellishment is part of the creative process. A memoir or autobiography automatically comes with that unwritten caveat.

However, I can't help but feel that there is a big difference between embellishment a-la Henry Miller or Kerouac and the type of fabrication that Frey seems to be guilty of. I think it is the fact that the success of the book/author hinges on the veracity of the book. If Frey wasn't the addict that he claimed to be, the book certainly loses some weight because he has claimed publicly that the events in the book are "true".

If he hadn't claimed it such, the book might not have seen the light of day, but it would have been more "true", if you get my meaning.

It's not the he fabricated parts of the book. Non-fiction memoir, is, by the very writing of it, transformed into a type of fiction. The thing here-- as TSG points out-- the creepy, sick part-- is that he consistently lied about it again and again, insisting it was the dead-honest truth.

And what about that bizarre fictionalization of the train-death accident? Frey isn't just fudging a few details about his "criminal" and addict past, he's involving himself in a tragic accident he had no part of, just for histrionics. Working something that happened near you or to someone you know into a greater narrative is a common process... that fiction writers use. I mean, geez, if it walks like a duck...

The difference between "fabricated" and "did the best to recall" is pretty simple. If you rewrote to make it better, if readily available primary source material is discounted, if you, for instanced, typed a couple of drafts and then made a choice, then you fabricated. And of course, outright fabrication such as Craig describes is beyond the pale.

While it is true that memory is faulty - isn't the point of an honest memoir to be thoughtful and reflective? Perhaps even comment on how and why your memory might be editing life?

I think most others here have been more eloquent about the basic issues about James Frey lying, looking at his bio it all makes sense. He has Hollywood dreams and fantasy expectatons. This book is a logical product of a frustrated screenwriter who has also had some insight into marketing and what people want.

And when all is said and done, what personally offends me about this whole incident is how it is yet another example of a fake reality being embraced and being fed to people... And people not caring too much.

There's a common criticism of the sometimes called "hipster world" in which everyone involved in that world is on a constant quest for authenticity. Sort of a retro nostalgia with a desire to "be real" mixed in. Paul Ford of FTrain fame has been quite vocal about it. And Paul Ford is quite right. James Frey is a shining example of a hipster quest for authenticity that's cloaked in pretense.

James Frey is marketing himself like a pro. And now he's busted. His story of substance abuse is perfectly crafted to the hipster minions. And let's face it, mainly women who curl up with his story, read it and feel as if they now own a little piece of a wounded soul that they want to nuture and protect. He pushed their buttons perfectly.

And he pushed Oprah's buttons perfectly as well. He's the wounded young son that most parent or older person can relate to in some way. The poor substance abuse addled kid who everyone wonders about and some want to rescue.

The guy is a skilled con artist. And he pulled a fast one on the reading public. While some say that it doesn't matter if the stories are real or fake, I call bullshit on that. There are tons of real people with real stories and real pain whose stories are ignored because they are not "sexy" enough to be marketed right. This dumbass gets a book deal. Gets the fame. And gets the accolades. And all based on a lie.

If the whole concept of substance abuse is someone is trying to numb pain and the whole concept of recovery is remove the substance and get to the pain... The truth... The reality... Then this book is bullshit. I would never recommend anyone who has real issues with drugs or substance abuse read this fake. It will only teach them that being dramatic and eloquent and non-truthful is more important than being themselves.

This guy doesn't desrve anything he's gotten. But I will give the book jacket designer props for a compelling cover.

Go Jack go. I agree.

And no one's mentioned the part where he lies about the circumstances of a girl's death so that he can have a better story.

I think Frey's a fraud.

The train accident thing is the most repellent aspect of the story. But he fashions himself a badass in the vein of Kerouac or Hunter S. He forgets, however, that they could actually write.

And as to his bold realism? Breaking down your life into biological functions doesn't make for engaging prose. It makes for medical charts.

I lived in the same town and went to the same high school (a few years later)
as James Frey mentioned being so traumatized by on his Oprah visit. James Frey was pretty much just known as a local soccer player. I am surprised no one has fished out the wholesome year book pictures. He was part of a group of over privileged, self-absorbed kids that had nothing better to do than try and shock their oblivious parents. He obviously has not changed. I think the guy is full of it.

I believe he's a good writer who wanted to be famous and a big shot. His personal story was probably too banal for public consumption, so he gussied it up a bit.

However, the literary establishment isn't interesting in publishing fictional drug stories-- they feel, rightly or wrongly, that it's all been done before and usually better.

So Frey knew what he had to do, and he did it. Gussy it up, and 'truth' it up at the same time. And he's a good enough writer, and had the right people behind him, so it worked.

Funny, because I was just re-reading Notes from Underground, and there's a passage where Dostyevski talks about how memoirists invariably lie.

T There was some criticism Touching the Void getting an Oscar nomination for best documentary. But it did make clear that most of the film consisted of recreations (and unlike most on tv or in docs, they were done well).

Paul Ford did a commentary about JR Leroy on NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5139565

AMd Susie Bright's post about "JT LeRoy" is worth reading

http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/2006/01/my_name_is_susi.html

Based on Eric's post, I realize that my previous comment may not have been articulated well or my comparison was just poor. I wasn't trying to suggest that Touching the Void was untrue. Just that there is a difference between documentary and re-enactment. When we read memior we expect that the author is presenting truth, albeit from their limited, narrow perspective. What we do not expect is that they are purposely creating story arcs, including events for dramatic effect, or outright lying. I believe that the book is probably a better read as a result of his purposeful construction, but I would have preferred (if indeed these allegations are true), that the book had been presented as it really is: a work of fiction inspired by actual events.

The NY Times is now covering the story

I have read the comments listed and weeks ago commented to my wife the same as written herein. How could the detail be so explicit in his condition. I have had a few rough mornings in my life and had trouble reciting my shower rituals.
However, the accounting of his story and the life he claims to have protrayed is a lesson of hope regardless of fiction or non fiction. I guess we will have to guess which is which.

I read the book and will read it again. It is a great read whether it be non-fiction or fiction. What so many are forgetting is what the book is about. Addiction. If this book helped one person it was worth him putting his name on this book, however it has helped several to just hold on. Many people can now say they are sober because of this book. Is that not enough! Why do people search and search to find wrong in the world. When someone publishes a book like this and it brings goodness, why condemn. For the person from smoking gun that brought this out remember this advice, it is so much easier to bring goodness into the world, think how long it took you to bring out this story. With bringing out this story you are giving those that decided to become sober an excuse to go back to the addiction. If one person hears of this and goes back, can you live with that. James Frey will be able to live his life knowing he did help people change their life. He did bring goodness.

Cindy, the thing is, Frey's book isn't the only book that can help bring solace and enlightenment to addicts. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of such books.

What's disturbing is that Frey is positioning his story as 100 percent true. Paulo Coehlo wrote a wonderful book called "The Alchemist" which, while not dealing with drug addiction, has provided solace and enlightenment to more people than Frey's book will ever touch. Yet, Coehlo saw no reason to disguise his parable as a true story.

The question I have is: If Frey's tale proves to be more fiction than fact, how can recovering addicts accept that his words of "comfort" are meaningful. If it is proven that he made up much of his tale, including the depths of his dependency and thus the miraculous recovery, how can one assume one can do the same? If he's a liar, how can one be certain he didn't lie about everything and maybe no one can really attain a persistant recovery.

That is the danger of marketing a fiction book as a non-fiction book. Recovery is a fragile state. This sort of lie is exactly the sort of impetus that can drive a recovering addict back to drugs.

If Frey wanted to write a book of half-truths, he should have told his publisher it was a novel. As it is, he may turn out to be a fraud, and his reckless stab at fame and fortune may doom many addicts to a relapse.

Way to go, dude!

Overworm, I am not saying Frey's book is the only book, I am just saying it is a book to bring hope to addicts. Why discourage hope?

i dont care if the book is fiction, it was a wonderful read.

all i really want to know is if leonard was real. if so, where can i find a freid like him?

In the scheme of things, even if 50% of "A Million Little Pieces" is embellished, what impact, really, does it have on your life? Personally, I found the book to be a refreshing change from the same old clichés found in many novels....it was entertaining....that's the bottomline. Afterall, isn't that the purpose of literature? In fact, the definition of Literature is "written works that are regarded as having artistic merit".

To the editor of thesmokinggun.com:

I am absolutely shocked at your article on James Frey and his recent memoir " A Million Little Pieces". Not because of your article's contents - but because of the obvious malicious and greedy intent behind it.

First of all, I am a 40 year old recovered addict (22 years), and a child and sister of recovering alcoholics and addicts. And all I can say is that when a book comes along that can impact so many people's lives in a positive way - whether totally truthful or not, it is a remarkable thing. My brother, previously a successful salesman earning nearly six figures a year, was nearly dead from crack cocaine and heroin by June of 2005, and since he read this book which was recommended to him from another recovered addict (thanks in-part to the book), he has been completely transformed, and sober, and leading many recovery groups into sobriety as well. It was then passed onto my parents who have had a remarkable recovery journey from it as well, and then I read it and was impacted deeply. Obviously you don't see the message behind the book, nor do you care.

Who cares about the fabrications? All writings are embellished for dramatic purposes - you know that better than anyone else - after all - isn't that what tabloid writing is all about!!! All I see from your article and really poorly designed web site is a crappy tabloid company that is obviously trying to reap more needed money by preying on actual success stories. You should be ashamed of yourselves, and know that everyone who has read this book either was impacted by the story, or actually received some inspiration and/or therapy from THE MESSAGE - NOT THE DETAILS. You have really proven to be quite disgusting - and everyone I've talked to feels the same way.

If you are such an "investigative" site, then I'm sure you're aware of the drug problem in the United States today. I'm sure that you're aware of how many people relapse over and over. There are addicts everywhere. And I'm sure some on your staff. And yet, you choose to sabotage a means of their recovery just for your own financial benefit. You are pieces of shit, and deserve to fail yourselves. You are, and probably have employed, nothing more than vicious tabloid writers & editors, and stalking slime-paparazzi who are defined more evil and less integrituous than any other employed citizens in American society today.

No one who has reaped, or will reap any benefit from James Frey's book will give a flying rat's ass about your article, other than disgust toward you and your so-called company.

Grow up and get a real job. And start caring about others besides yourselves.

Sherry Diamond-Dalton
Orlando, FL

Whether all of the facts are true or not, I felt that both books really rang true to alot of my feelings of dealing w/ addiction. I too have a very vivid memory of going through rehab and maybe some of the things I remember, someone else close to me may remember differently. What kind of world do we live in that every success story needs to disected. Of course there were things that were added in to make things seem more interesting. Could any really be expected to acount for every conversation, word for word that they've ever had? Is there really a memoir out there that is 100% fact? Those books inspired me(someone dealing w/ addiction), as I'm sure they've inspired many others. They gave family members and loved ones some insight to what goes on in an addict' s head, fiction or not!

Go Sherry! Go Sherry! Go Sherry! I especially agree with your statement that it's "THE MESSAGE - NOT THE DETAILS" that really matters!

Nobody would have paid attention to the message of this book if it wasn't for the "details" (in this case "details" being large parts of the story).

I'm glad TSG had the chops to dig for the truth, which Frey claims to hold in such high regard. It does matter if this is a work of fiction being passed off as actual experiences. If he's asking people to be vulnerable and give their emotions over to him, then there must be an expectation of trust. He's a con and nobody can say they don't mind be conned.

There's an intereview with James Frey from 2003 at the following website that should give some insight into all of this......here's the link:

http://www.zulkey.com/diary_archive_041103.html

And here are two of the questions that I thought truly illisutrated Frey's point of view.....

QUESTION: Are you hoping to avoid being any kind of poster boy, such as "inspiration to alcoholics/drug addicts/criminals everywhere," "The New Dave Eggers," or "The Lesson of the Tao for the New Millenium"?

ANSWER: I don't want to be a poster boy, the new anyone or anything, or any sort of teacher. I am a writer. I wrote a book. Nothing more.

QUESTION: You say that you don't want A Million Little Pieces to be known as a recovery memoir, and you're hoping that publishing the book with Nan Talese and Co. will help eschew that generalization. What about Ms. Talese and
Co. will help achieve that, do you think, and what (other than 'recovery memoir') are you hoping the book will be known as?

ANSWER: Nan is the premiere literary editor in our country. She works with some of the best writers in the world: Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Pat Conroy, Jennifer Egan. She doesn't publish crap, and she doesn't publish sappy, bullshit memoirs. Having her name on my book gives it instant legitimacy.

If it were my choice, it would be listed as literature. It doesn't really matter though. What matters is how many people read it and how it affects them.

I just recently finished reading the book. I thought it was pretty well written with an interesting style but there were many things that didn't ring true. I didn't know any biographical information about James Frey at the time I read it. I then discovered some key facts about James that made my initial instincts stink of an opportunist and possibly a fraud.

The fact that he is a screenwriter made a lot of sense. AMLP is written in a stripped down minimally descriptive style - which is the standard way screenplays are written. I hope people don't think this is a groundbreaking innovative style that he invented. He also cites Bret Easton Ellis as his mentor - who happens to write in a very similar minimalist cinematic haiku form of prose. He also has made a career writing about the depraved moral vacuum of the lives of rich kids in America - the same world Frey comes from and knows plenty about.

Given this info, it becomes very obvious that Frey's intention all along was to eventually have this made into a film. And he succeeded in doing so, and I will definitely give him credit for that - writing a bestseller that affects millions of people is a remarkable accomplishment regardless if they were made under somewhat false pretenses.

It seems that going bar hopping with Brad Pitt in LA seems more aligned with his ambitions that having to sit and talk on Oprah with
a bunch of degenerate loser drug addicts who feel he has touched his life. And Frey did what most writers would do if Oprah invited them to be a part of her book club - its a winning a lottery ticket - he showed up, smiled, shook her hands and lauged all the way to the bank. And I 'm sure in Frey's mind - pretending to give a shit about random people across the country is a reasonable price of doing business.

This may all sound cynical but its the truth. For a book whose fundamental message is that the only thing that matters is the truth -
well, this is really what is going on behinid all the smoke and mirrors.

AMLP was not written by some blue collar recovering drug addict who works in a steel mill who happened to write a NY Times bestseller. It was written by a wealthy, priviliged, ambitious and media savvy young writer with his eyes on the brass ring of Hollywood.

The reality is most alcoholic/drug addicts are way too fucked up to haven the ambition or drive to execute what James has done.
The biggest question mark here is whether James was really an addict in the first place. In AMLP he makes light of addiction to a certain degree by saying that it is not a disease but rather a choice.
Sure he abused alcohol and drugs from a young age - But turning your life around after hitting rock bottom in your early twenties, after having your parents pay for your very expensive private rehabilitation - is moderately admirable - but hardly deserving to be made the poster boy for strength and overcoming extreme adversity.

That being said, there is a lot of value that can be taken from AMLP as a work of art. I have no interest in trying to take that away from people. I think he just fucked himself by repeatedly saying that it was all entirely true. I just believe that a book that purports to be non-fiction and whose ultimate message is that the only thing in this life that really matters is the truth - then let the truth be known.

I think his book was filled with ego inflating stories. I am an addict and in recovery myself, and unlike what Amanda says above, MANY people who make it through recovery have gruesome stories. I do. But the one thing that is necessary for recovery is an ego-deflating process that starts with admitting we are addicted (powerless) and need help and must continue receiving help ( God/Higher Power) from outside ourselves to remain sober and sane. Hearing Frey's response of "I won't dignify this bullshit" only shows he is still not free of his anger and running the show on his own. I challenge anyone out there to find someone in rehab or recovery who is forced to have that extent of dental work without anesthesia. Did anyone check out the truth in that? Why would anyone try to get clean if they had to go through that? Not even to mention that he replaced one addiction for another (the codependant relationship with the girl), and that buying a $40.00 glass of booze to sniff away at it to "challenge" his determination is shakey at best. And so what. Just because you can smell booze doesn't mean you are living sanely. Addicts have more self will than most people....it's staying sane that we have to work on. The saddest thing about his story is if he is trying to appeal to the struggling addicts out there, he gives the impression that an individual can recover on self-will alone. That is the exact opposite of what the 12 step program employs as a method of recovery, and very effectively for the last 70 years. Why would anyone want to send a defferent message out there? That his defiant, abrasive attitude is something to be admired and sought after as a means of recovery? And to all you out there who say it's a book of hope and carries a message of possibility. Remember, it's ATTRACTION, NOT PROMOTION that has been the fcornerstone of the most successful recovery program for people who suffer from alcoholism, addiction, gambling, codependancy, food addiction, etc. etc. Let's not think we have to reinvent the wheel with publications to carry a message of hope. The hope is out there in open meetings. One in four people in this country are affected by alcoholism/addiction. The options for recovery are well known. The only thing that prevents it, is a big fat ego that won't accept help. Frey will hurt more people by carrying the message that you can balk at 12 step programs and be successful. Have him take a poll on how many have done it his way, and publish those results. Then you'll see what kind of hope he carries.

I understand that some people think this is a great book even if it is mostly fabricated, but the reader has a right to know this in advance. I bought and read this book under the impression that is was non-fiction. I had a feeling as I was reading it that there was a lot of "truth stretching" going on, but now there isn't a doubt in my mind. It does matter to me, I do feel cheated, and I never would have read the book if I had known the truth ahead of time. If Frey would have put some kind of disclaimer in the book, nobody would be upset but his sales probably would have also been much lower than they were. I will not read anything else by him.

I walk to the garbage can. I throw the book in. I laugh. The book is in the garbage. The book is in the garbage.
I laugh.
I laugh.
I laugh.

I think a lot of you have too much time on your hands. I loved the book. It touched me and that to me is all that matters. It might be embellished, or not. I still think the message is the same. If it can help one person, than it is worth it. I don't know anyone who is perfect and it really doesn't bother me if Frey makes tons of money- Good for him. It is sad that the world is still focused on bringing someone down who succeeds instead of saying- Good for you . Do I know if he embellished-no. Do I personally really care-no.
Let it Go
Let it Go
Let it Go
Let it Go.

Sherry, it's not just about the message... it IS about the details. It's about integrity. You can take license with the truth if you admit to taking license. He didn't do that until he got caught.

And the message I am getting from all the Frey apologists, quite frankly, was that it's okay to lie if someone likes your lie and if that lie makes them feel better.

Which is -- irony of ironies -- kind of like taking a drug because the drug makes you feel better. What could possibly be wrong with this drug? It makes me FEEL BETTER. I like HOW IT FEELS.

Too bad it's garbage.

It's quite simple what this book is. Fiction, a story highly embellished, based on real life events. He mis-represented it to sell it. I can say I know he embellished it. I graduated with him and was there when the girls died. He was NEVER mentioned in regards to the tragedy. Everyone blamed Dean and rightfully so for driving drunk and trying to beat the train.

And if preppy rich kid now equals bad boy"keep your kid away from Jimmy" outcast, then maybe we should rethink... IF I were to choose and outcast from our graduating class it would NOT be James Frey. He was just a quirky rich kid. (Jimmy is what his high school classmates called him)

These discreptions lead me to believe that the rest of this story is also highly embellished. Selling the book as fiction would have been no harm done, but what he did IS wrong.

I have read many many books greater than this one. This book does not even fall into the mediocre category in my opinion. I bought it after I bought into the hype and I'm regretting not buying it used and saving myself some money. The book seems unbelieveable most of the time, it is self-pitying page after page, line after line, grammatical error after grammatical error, and it seems like an attempt to write a book just to get famous. I love recommending books to friends and coworkers but this is one book that I will not recommend. I have no doubt that Mr.Frey was/is an addict but this is an obvious blatant attempt to raise his bank balance. I knew after the first few chapters that this book should have been found on the fiction shelf. Mr. Frey lied throughout the entire book. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that he said that it took 41 stitches to close a huge wound on his face that went right through his cheek...where is the scar? I look at his picture and I see nothing. He is a manipulator. There is no other word for it. And he did this with forthought knowing that it would boost his sales which is even more pathetic. He should be ashamed to stand before all the people that he has lied to and look them in the eye. I did not enjoy this book before the chit hit the fan and this just solidifies the feeling. He should have stated the truth right from the beginning instead of putting himself on a pedestal for all to revere -- which is what the audience and critics were doing. Be careful, Mr. Frey, that's a shaky pedestal that you're standing on. I can't believe how many people were deceived by this book of fabrication and nonsense. This book was misrepresented.
I want my money back, Mr.Frey.
You lied and deceived.
Lied.
Deceived.
Liar.

I read through every post hear today, and in light of all of the things that have been said good or bad about this book, I have but one thing to say-- I read the book and I liked it. I take all accounts of history (fiction or documentary) as subjective. I was taught that at an early age by my parents. I also think about my own friends that did drugs and drank excessively in my early 20's and the accounts of the craziness and the criminal activity is at times not as I recall the same events. Even as I read this book, I did often wonder about his ability to recall things in such detail, but it never kept me from finishing or finding the book to be a good read. As far as it being marketed as "fiction" ...it would have--as someone points out--been torn apart as well. People love to tear others down and in the name of truth seeking. I find it curious that so many take issue with this book, and yet find nothing wrong with the fact that we are lied to on a daily basis by news organizations that call themselves "fair and balanced". Additction is a serious problem, but I didn't see this book for that... it's about personal accountaility and that by far is worth sharing, for so few people recognize that not blaming others is the true test of courage and I do not see Frey blaming anyone for his problems with addiction.

The fact that his stories may be fiction should have no indication on his writing ability. I have a very close family member who has served countless jail time due to drug abuse, breaking & entering, domestic disturbance - you name it. The alcoholism, drug abuse and anger are real in this story. I can attest that the things Frey describes can be real. The "character" is lucky to get his life in order. If you want to read something that is a quick read, and interesting - read this book. Who cares if Frey is a phony? He is a good writer. PERIOD.

I stayed up one night reading the first part of the book, ending when the author is confronted by Leonard before leaving the rehab. The book certainly does keep you up. I am a longterm recovering alcoholic/addict, and on a feeling level, the book does get down what the experience of addiction is. But, I was in a rehab for 6 months, and I could never imagine getting dental work without anasthesia, or a rehab putting you through this. Recently had two root canals, and the anasthesia was in no way mood-altering, just numbing medication for the mouth.

Also, I kept thinking if this person would just listen to what's being said in meetings, then he'd be able to stay clean and sober without so much bullshit. Too much stinking-thinking...

All of us in AA, however, know what self-promoters and fabulists addicts/alcoholics can be, and THAT certainly rings true.

I stayed up one night reading the first part of the book, ending when the author is confronted by Leonard before leaving the rehab. The book certainly does keep you up. I am a longterm recovering alcoholic/addict, and on a feeling level, the book does get down what the experience of addiction is. But, I was in a rehab for 6 months, and I could never imagine getting dental work without anasthesia, or a rehab putting you through this. Recently had two root canals, and the anasthesia was in no way mood-altering, just numbing medication for the mouth.

Also, I kept thinking if this person would just listen to what's being said in meetings, then he'd be able to stay clean and sober without so much bullshit. Too much stinking-thinking...

All of us in AA, however, know what self-promoters and fabulists addicts/alcoholics can be, and THAT certainly rings true.

GO SHERRY....GO SHERRY....GO SHERRY. I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER. THE DAMN BOOK WAS THE BEST ONE I'VE EVER READ AND MY OPINION HAS NOT CHANGED ONE IOTA BECAUSE OF THESE STUPID COMMENTS. I HEARD THE TAILEND OF THIS BS ON THIS MORNING'S NEWS SO THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I GOT ON THIS WEBSITE.

LIKE SHERRY SAID ...GET A REAL JOB DUMBASSES

With fans like this, who needs truth?

I was disappointed to read about these allegations towards the novel. I found it very moving, and I believe that even if some instances in the novel were fabricated the book still has given people hope. I have just started to read "My Friend Leonard" because I liked the first novel so much. People are just trying to make a stink because they can.

"The fact that his stories may be fiction should have no indication on his writing ability."

Actually, he's a very skilled writer and con. Why is it such a "big deal"? Easy. It's a lie presented as truth. As a memoir it's compelling to an extent. But as fiction, it's predictable. Perhaps that distinction is lost on some, but he's not the first young, affluent, white, hetereosexual man to have experienced what he experienced. There are tons of other books that have inspired people. And tons of stories that don't get told.

The basic issue is this arrogant ass has acheieved a level of success most writers never achieve by presenting fiction as fact. He's manipulated his readers. And even Oprah fell for it.

As someone who has known--and worked with--pathological liars, all the red flags of a complete BS-artist shine through in James Frey's work. And in his defense of is work.

If James Frey truly wanted to "inspire" and "help" people he would have done what tons of addicts have done. Simply work with and help others who have experienced addiction. There are tons of faceless and nameless--as far as mass media is concerned--people out there who share their pain, honesty and experience to save others.

James Frey is simply a con artist who is personally benefiting and laughing all the way to the bank.

i have to say that many of the people that are on here slaming this book have not been to detox or rehab(or known anyone one who has) i have experience with both myself & with family members. james frey my have taken some of his experiences & streched them, but as a whole, i really feel he captured the horror & despiration of drug addiction. maybe he may have embelished some of his stories to make them more interesting but i feel the raw emotion is what truely brings you in & keeps you there. if his book rings true for one person or if it helps someone understand how horrible the road away from that life is then i say more power to him! i know how hard it is to crawl up from the bottom& to do it without a twelve step program, even harder. don't begrudge a person's success who has climbed the the crap to get there! all of the people out there upset should understand that in every fiction there is truth & in every truth there is a little fiction!

As I read through all the comments, I could not help but notice how up in arms people are with the fact that this is published as "Non- fiction" I agree with Sherry "The message - not the details" My ex-husband is a 43 year old meth addict, started using pot at age 8. He lived in a wonderful home on the west coast line. Both of my children are now putting themselves in these risky situations and I needed to find a way to understand the problem through the eyes of an addict. (they are in counseling) I stumbled on James Frey's book yesterday and I did not want to sleep I wanted to continue reading. And while maybe he used filler words to create the visions I see while reading it, I do not care. I have heard some of his words come out of my daughters mouth. I cry too often because I fear that my daughter may one day experience what her father has experienced (he has been beaten by dealers who he owes money to, he has been raped in jail, he has begged for money, squats, does not pay child support of course etc..). It does not matter your background, how rich or poor your parents, or whether or not you were abused, drugs do not have a name. If I were to write my memoirs of my childhood I would have to explain the actual event in many more words than I can remember and I too would probably embelish a little but it does not mean that the EVENTS did not happen. These are his memoirs and he may have felt that HE IS repsonsible for the deaths of his classmates, in his own minds eye. - (I will see when I get to that part thanks a lot!!) Oh by the way - when I talk to kids (in middle school)about drugs - they usually ask to speak with someone who has gone through the experience - so kudos to James for putting himself out there for other addicts.

http://www.amillionlittlelies.blogspot.com/

Post your feelings about the recent findings.

You don't need James Frey to get through this because he wasn't doing it for you. He was doing it for him. This is my point -- James Frey is not the patron saint of addicts everywhere. He's a guy who took a lot of drugs, wrote a book, and went on Oprah.

There IS a problem with lying, even for the right reasons. There IS a problem with misrepresentation. There IS a problem with coopting the pain of others. There IS a problem with what he did. It doesn't matter if you liked the book or if you're an addict or love an addict (and please stop assuming that those who are taking exception have no experience with these things).

This is not a bit of creative license -- of course we see things through our own filter. Anyone could take that gracefully. I'm a writer. I know what writers do with their experiences.

But this was fraud. I cannot wrap my mind around why being a good writer or an addict makes it okay to lie.

Yes Meg there is a problem with misrepresentation and lying lord knows we've seen/heard it in the government. But I am happy that James wrote his story and I really am not going to get wrapped around the axle about whether or not EVERY word or event is true. and I am happy to go home and finish reading the book. And if it sparks an interest for someone to read it, or helps an addict realize they are on the fast road to nowhere GREAT - hell it is just nice to here people still READ!

MMMM and where did the assuming that those who take exception have no experience comment come from, are you reading into words that do not even exsist?

This book never gets published if it's presented as fiction. Know why? Because the writing is derivative, obvious and beneath the level of professionalism editors expect from writers who claim to be serious.

Fact is I know the guy and went to school with him. He was a good guy with an apparent high I.Q. Seemingly, far surpassing many of those who have posted on this site.
In the book, he portrayed the people we commonly knew as they were, so I am inclined to believe he remained true to those he described post college. As for the stories they claim are "lies", I would imagine there is not a person among us who does not tell a story ("as we recall it") that does not have some form of exaggeration.
You need to remember where these accusations are coming from. L.A. is an exacerbated version of everywhere else in the World. Someone has success---hoards of people are there trying to tear them down.
Describe for me where in the TSG story they are proving he lied or falsified details regarding information in the book? The fact is he expunged his criminal records, with the exception of one arrest that was buried in the basement of Granville Police (who make all of 300 arrests per year, so they did not have "storage issues.") They are using that as evidence he lied throughout the book? All that doess is confirm at least one of his convictions. They attempt to say that specific arrest was supposed to be the one described in the book. Prove it.
If you knew him you would know (for a fact) he had severe problems with drugs and alcohol. He has recovered and his book is entertaining, and more importantly helpful to those recovering. Do not fall prey to the idiots in L.A.

CM, questionable defense of Frey. But need to inform you that The Smoking Gun is--and has always been--based in New York.

"Do not fall prey to the idiots in L.A."

Do not fall prey to the idiot named Frey.

Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being drug or alcohol addicted needs to read this book. Whether true or not, this is the truth in what an addict feels, thinks, and lives in their struggle to fight their addiction and themselves. James Frey has admitted if you look on the front cover of his book that names were changed, facts were changed, and certain incidents spoken of in the book may have been enhanced for a more dramatic effect, but the basic story of it is true. It is my opinion that everyone needs to lay off of this young man and let him live his newly found happy, healthy life. Are any of us really above story-telling and little white lies???? I think not!! Be happy for this man and rejoice in the fact that there is one more person out there who has managed to turn his life around and is fighting the good fight against addiction.

I thought the book was awesome and had a positive effect on so many people. Yea - to me some it had to of been fiction, however, the message was real and clear. It has made a positive difference in many people’s lives. Frey should be applauded for his work.

OVERWORM - Everyone has a right to their opinion - but to be taken seriously you might try reading the book.

I just wanted to say that I loved the book, whether the whole thing was true or not. Maybe he can't recall EVERY SINGLE DETAIL, but it's what he remembers to be true from his experience, whether it's built up a little or not, that's how he remembers it to be true. Just like when you're little, you remember things differently, but it's what you know to be true from what you remember. Anyways, I thought it was great reading. I used to have a drug problem when I was about 19 I was sent to rehab. Nothing like his, mine was more of an outpatient rehab and random drug testing, I never ever used the 12 steps because I thought they were a bunch of crap too although that's all we heard every day at rehab and I haven't used drugs for years (I'm now 26), and have completely lost the desire to. I still have dreams that I use, even a couple of days ago I dreamt it, but I don't want to and I know I never will again. The person I was when I used makes me sick and I don't want to be like that person any more. So I think that James can do it as well just with the will to not want to be that disgusting person anymore. I did it, and I'm sure more people out there can and have done it too. I wish people wouldn't read in to every single detail. If the carpet in the center was blue but he said it was green people would call him out on it and said he wasn't telling the whole truth. I loved your book James! I'm looking forward to reading My Friend Leonard and also hoping that A Million Little Pieces becomes a movie, fiction or non-fiction, I'm going to watch it.

I guess if you want badly enough to believe it, anything can become true. It's sad to see people put so much hope in anything but themselves. But I'll lay off now:).

I completely and 100% agree with what sherry and SR have said. This was a great book regardless of everything that's going on around him. This man was brave enough to write his story and put himself out there and this is the thanks he gets. Some of you people should be ashamed of yourselves for saying the things you've said about him.
He is an amazing writer and I really hope that he gets back on Oprah and sets the record straight for all the haters. Because i know i will listen with an open mind to his explanation and i hope everyone else does to.

It It would be difficult to write any memoir based solely on fact. We see the past from our point of view. Everyone’s perception of how something has happened is different BUT he should’ve used a disclaimer saying “these are the events as I saw them. Some things are fictionalized for emphasis.” When you say you have written true non-fiction then every single fact should be verified and your naïve to think someone won’t check it especially after you go on Oprah.

I have not read the book yet, but having over 28 years in recovery, and working in the addiction field for over 26 of those years, I can tell you that if an an addict wrote the book, it is the nature of the disease and the memory of the disease for distortion to be part of the story. I cannot imagine that anyone's memories do not have some distortion of reality, and if you talk to children in the same family, each one will have a different reality of what happened in that family. Even the same incident within a week of occurring can be related differently with everyone who was there. In fact, by that evening, by that afternoon, there can be different twists. And then he was under the influence for those occasions, so maybe he did the best he could to discribe what he could remember, and why write a book that does not offer entertainment or maintain someone's interest?

Anyway, it takes many more years of recovery than this man has; or may ever have, to truly understand his real story, as a therapist, I hear the stories everyday that change with time, as well as understanding my own life.

Another thing, I automatically ASSUME is that ANY memoir has distortions, so anyone who feels slighted that they read a book by a drug addict and feels scammed, you were very naive. And hopefully your money was well spent, if you learned anything about addiction. The other thing to understand about addiction and recovery, is that honesty and truth are very highly valued in recovery. Because it is so hard to attain as a human being. We are well defended, if this man values truth, his truth is only relative to his ability to see reality, if that makes sense. There is a saying in the recovery "rooms", that we can not stay sober today on yesterday's honesty. It is said for a reason, we change all the time, as does our ability to understand our selves and our lifes. I am glad the book has gotten the publicity it has gotten, addiction sucks, and this book has helped a lot of people. And for the person who says that recovery happens for "hard core" addicts as often as you hit the 100 million dollar lottery, well, you have been looking for those in recovery in the WRONG places, most people in recovery are not recognizable and do not going around bragging about it. But there are millions out there doing what they need to do to live a "normal" life.

It's a good read, whether or not it's true, and why does anyone really care if it is or not? He's not trying to change the world. I can't imagine anyone believing that it was entirely true and unembellished to begin with.

Seems like a dangerous game. Frey wanted to skip AA, so he writes a book as his own form of AA. If nothing else, AA is a bunch of war stories. Many stretched.

From what I've read, I think much of what he says about addiction is true. It's not a disease, it's not life-long, and praying to god/higher-power is irrelevant. It is interesting that his book became an internal therapy, a substitute for aa, the 'sharing our stories' part. The honesty part is gone and he may end up hurting his chance for keeping clean.

All through hubris. The best writer of a generation, the man to write truthfully about drugs as no one else has. Brutal honesty.

One of the reasons Frey stated for writing the book was to set the record straight about aa. Which is something important. It is as close to monopoly as there is. It is a religious group. It is strange that all drug treatment comes from psychedelics vision encountered by Bill Wilson taking belladonna. Powerful stuff.

He has put himself as a poster boy for a new form of sobriety, his fans view him as a savior. Sadly, any truth in his message will not be swept away as the messenger is suspect.

I kind of feel sorry for him and hope he stays out of trouble. His choices have made him a target. No one likes getting lied to.

Why did his highly suspect books strike such a nerve with the public? Why do we like all our addicts down and out beyond belief? Frat boy gets dui is not as compelling, eh? Who decided this was great writing? Makes me miss 'Less than Zero."

Fascinating story.

My instincts were correct 3 months ago when I first read AMLP. I am not an addict/alcoholic but the people I care the most about in my life are: Father(deceased), both brothers (one in recovery, one died from the disease) and my dear son ( in recovery). I know from personal experiernce the depths of despair.... I also know the heights of hope and recovery that my loved ones have found in the 12 step programs. James Frey is dead wrong for ALL of the reasons aforementioned in previous blogs and has done a disservice to the mulititudes dealing with the disease of addiction.

The only thing James Frey got right was the fact that addiction is truly a monster and the ego is it's food.

I'm not here to judge why he has done this, only to encourage anyone who might need help to search out a legitimate 12 step program.

To: everyone who is on the "12-step or nothing" program bandwagon
From: someone whose brother just went through his third stint in rehab, whose father is a recovering alcoholic, whose grandfather died from alcoholism, whose uncle is an alcoholic, whose two other uncles committed suicide because they couldn't deal with being alcoholics, whose four out of eight cousins are alcoholics...
Re: the "God" aspect of the 12-step programs

When I saw my brother over Christmas, during what was his third rehab experience, the majority of our conversations revolved around the fact that, since he doesn't believe in God, he felt that all avenues for "institutionalized" recovery were closed to him. While the "therapy" was wrapped in "God, or your Higher Power as you believe it to be" -- the message was always: if you don't believe in God you are not going to make it. This has been, and continues to be a huge problem for him. When the message being pounded into your brain is,"do the 12-step program or fail" and you don't believe in one of the prime tenets of said program, and no other options are presented as viable, it's not very promising.

James Frey, in all his untruthful glory, does present some alternative to that of having to believe in God in order to achieve sobriety.

My brother is working his way toward sobriety, and while people like my father persist in beating him down by saying, "Only Jesus Christ can save you" he refuses to acquiesce to a belief that would be yet another lie to him. Somebody, somewhere, needs to tell the story that whatever you believe, or how you get yourself to believe it, the ONLY thing that can truly save you is your ability to say NO.

If James Frey's book can help someone do that, then I don't see how it's much different than relying on, oh, that other book of way-after-the-fact reported stories, otherwise known as the Bible.

(I'm not a Bible hater, BTW, but let's not forget that all the stories therein were written by men several - hundreds of - years after each of the incidents purportedly took place...

who cares if the story is true or not ....it had heart ...it was a good read ....are people so into celebrity ?....he is an author not an actor....lets try not to make him into an icon(celebrity) ......and at least it's good that people are reading ......well via television ...but people are still reading ...that's good ....right?

You can't stay sober without outside help of some sort. So if you're claiming to be clean without AA or "real" friends....you are lying.

Member of AA and "working the 12 and 12" and sober for 2 years and living.

Penn Gillette, of Penn and Teller fame, has made the same claims about AA and the 12 steps as Frey. He's done it publicly too, but that's not the issue. The issue here is integrity. I believe Frey's opinions and experiences with substance abuse, his feelings about AA and recovery, but, let's be honest, that's not what sold the book to the agent, the publishers or the reading public. If it did, it would be on the first page, but it's not. What's on the first page is a young man on a plane, not knowing where he's going with a hole in his face and some teeth missing.

Frey needed a hook, a spectacle to sell this book and, more than likely, he didn't have it. So he made it up. Actually, more than likely, the whole thing was loosely based on himself and when he couldn't sell it as fiction, he changed it to memoir and couldn't resist cutting out the sections that were not true.

i think that people are just jealous of his success. it is sad really that people feel the need to bring down someone who is succeeding. It seems that society wants us to fail because success only brings more trouble. The book was excellent and i believe this is a ploy to bring down a man who has done something with his life. If the book was not as popular, these accusations would not exist. I think that if people would focus their talent on something more important then checking every little statement someone writes, there might actually be some productivity in this country. I find these accusations trivial and should let writers compose what they wish, for they are the ones who have the talent and stamina to actually write a novel or autobiography in the first place.

Excellent read...loved the style of writing. Hopefully you will put your stone in hand before you hurl it to hear his side of the story.

An aside, but I just realized something. Here and elsewhere people are tripping over themselves defend a person who is--for the most--part a stranger who has made wholesale lies and fabrications about his life.

Tangentally on the IMDB message board for Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' remake, people are tripping overthemselves arguing over the lack of 'realism' in a fake movie about a non-existant giant monkey.

I'm finding it hillarious that people want to defend lies about reality (James Frey) and are also demanding a level of reality out of fiction (King Kong) that simply does not exist.

Directly connected? Not at all. But when the general public demands that fiction to be real, and defend liars who present fiction as fact as being excusable you create a world of entertainment that's just a deception on all levels. The word 'ironic' is too weak to fully encompass the contradiction of what modern entertainment consumer demand for the world.

At one point in AMLP, Frey, talking to his counselor at Hazeldon, says that if she isn't shooting straight with him, then she IS the Enemy. What does that make Frey to the addicts/alcoholics who took him at his word and were 'inspired' to try it his way?

I have read both books and I pissed off that the whole thing was crap. If I knew I was reading a frat boy's fairy tale of being some tough guy, I never would have spent the money. The main appeal and the reason why I cut him slack on his horrible writing technique was the fact that I believed he truly was a person who had experienced such horror. I read the full report from TSG and its absurd that Oprah Winfrey, with the money and power she has did not do her research before glorifying Frey. I can't blame him for going for his, but I do feel slighted and am upset at the publisher and Oprah.

Here's why it matters that Frey is a liar:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2003/04/19/frey/print.html

"I don't give a fuck what Jonathan Safran whatever-his-name does or what David Foster Wallace does. I don't give a fuck what any of those people do. I don't hang out with them, I'm not friends with them, I'm not part of the literati." Don't even get him started on Dave Eggers. "A book that I thought was mediocre was being hailed as the best book written by the best writer of my generation. Fuck that. And fuck him and fuck anybody who says that. I don't give a fuck what they think about me. I'm going to try to write the best book of my generation and I'm going to try to be the best writer."
...

that his wife calls him a savage "because I eat with my hands. Because my best friends are my dogs. And I like pit bulls. And N.W.A. And I love boxing. Writers aren't like that anymore. They're all these guys who have fucking master's degrees and are so 'sophisticated' and 'educated' and ... well, I'm not a guy with a master's degree ... I can write big fat books, but I'm not an effete little guy."
...

"For most of the 20th century, when people like me grew up wanting to be writers, people like Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Norman Mailer -- none of these people got into writing and didn't take it fucking seriously. They got into it saying, 'I'm going to write books that change people's lives. I'm going to write the best book of my generation. I'm going to be remembered as someone who changed the way people think and write and live.' Well, I don't have a problem saying I want to be the fucking best."
...

in his Observer interview, he talks about "moving against the trend of irony" and being "a bullet in the heart of that bullshit.

I've met a lot of people who know Frey - he's an upper middle class guy through and through, and here he is posing like some working class hero because he only got a BA. His entire sales pitch and persona is based on not just on exaggerations but an entire false pose of populist, in your face, truth and massive ego. Along with making shit up beyond the point where it is okay to make shit up in a memior. Which, by Frey's own aggressive standards, is complete and utter bullshit and someone needs to call him on it, which they have. He chose to be evasive for expedience, not art, he could have presented this as fact based fiction and sold it any way.

These days such arrogant lying does matters. There's a whole bunch of folks who have abused power and reaped unearned rewards using false claims of populism. Frey might be a small fish who got exposed but I don't begrudge anyone the satisfaction of seeing a priveleged person who profits from deception get humilated over it. It's not like he has to give the money back - he's still has a career, but now his "realer than thou" attitude might be humbled a bit.

Who cares that not all of it is true. It could very well turn someone's life around. I'm going to buy it and READ it.

I read and LOVED both A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. As a recovering drug addict and alcoholic living with AIDS, I identified with the general story, some of it's harrowing details, and KNEW as i was reading it what was likely fact, and what was likely the GRANDIOSITY of the addict. Everyone I met in treatment was either the BEST addict or the WORST addict...we HATE to just be run-of-the-mill. That's what the 12 steps help with James...terminal uniqueness.

James Frey is irresponsible and has done nothing with his book except make money and potentially hurt people who really could recover with a 12 step program. James Frey is a hoax, a coward, and couldn't recover from a tic tac addiction without a 12 step program.
As a recovered addict/alcoholic myself, I can see only harm and self seeking in your irresponsible writing. Some people who don't know better might believe your bullshit, and they might die of their addictions as a result. I hope you show what a "tough guy" you are and retract what you said in your book and make it right.

Piss off

While we can clearly see he may have embellished his arrest record/time served in jail, there is no other evidence put forth to dispute any of his claims about drug addiction, his stay at rehab, or any other social interatctions written about in his book, with the exception of the train accident. While he does say he is partially blamed for her death, the main article on this page is inaccurate. Only one person in the accident, his friend, was killed, and she was also with a male, not a female, from what i was able to find. Now I am not telling people to believe this book as gospel, I believe people should make their own decisions, however, the posts following this article are horrifying. He may have embellished his time served, and what he was arrested for?? Well then I just knew everything he wrote about was fake, like everything that happened at rehab. Several posts by people who haven't even read the book use "facts" to discount it's validity.

"I haven't read the book, mostly because the entire premise seemed like such a total load of crap. I've known a good number of drug addicts in my day, and been very close to a few.

Fact: complete recoveries of hard drug addicts are about as rare as $100M lottery winners.

Fact: Hardcore drug addicts aren't likely to remember minute details about the day-to-day lifestyle they lead. The whole point of doing drugs is to take your mind away from a coherent state.

After reading about the outing of the factlessness[nice use of a double negative there] of this book, I'm glad I resisted the minimal urge I had to read this book. As a memoir, it would have had a little appeal to me, but as a novel it has none"

If you had bothered to read this "load of crap" you would have found that these facts are in the book, and are not disproven, but upheld. Infact nearly the entire premise is trying to explain addiction, such as doing it to take your mind away from what you feel. I myself have struggled with addiction, mostly abusing large amounts of prescription medication such as Morphine and anit-psychotics, along with alcohol, and doing a variety of other "drugs" on the side. I have also needed to be hospitalized, and had to recieve treatment. I must be $100 million lottery winner because I was able to over come my addiction. I also did it without 12 steps or a higher power, and know that if I had put my faith into something else I probably would have failed. I also know from my previous expierences that what Mr. Frey writes about addiction and overcoming it is true; and could have only come from a person who themselves dealt with severe addiction. Whether certain points like his arrests, or involvment in an accident may be indoubt, the general integrity and authenticity of this book is intact.

Given that the book was in the Fiction department, I was understanding when he took some detours. I agree that there is no way anyone could remember what they ATE every single day of rehab. I also agree that it is quite lucky that someone happens to be in rehab (and make best friends) with a Mafia kingpin and a Superior court judge at the same time. I have see addiction at it's worst and I do think that, while embelished, the tale sticks to the truth of the matter. It is a very good book. Shame that he felt that he had to perk it up. It probably loses it's credibility because of that.

I read the book. I will have to say that it was very riveting, but now I'm feel a little cheated that everything is not true, but I will have to say that there were a lot of things that I sincerely doubted from the beginning. As the above writer stated, I doubted the airplane incident. Also, the dental appointment, I have never heard that drug addicts cannot be given novacaine, this is not a narcotic, I don't think that this is all true. The facility seems to be a top notch rehab center, just listing to all of the food choices made me wonder. Where were the physicians and staff when he was doing all of the bleeding and vomiting of blood. Did anyone ever check a CBC to see how low his blood count was? If he was vomiting as much blood as he states and, having blood in his stools, he would have been anemic, and he would have gotten a transfusion. This was all suspicious to me. Also I would like for James to admit that he did receive help at this facility. The counselors helped him to realize where his problems stemmed from, but he doesn't give them any credit. He thinks that just "holding on" helped him to recover, not the steps that he DID work, even though he doesn't admit it. I hope that this book does help some of the addicts who draw inspiration from it. Therefore, I feel that my money was well spent. I have passed the book around to all of my friends, though, so they didn't have to fork out any dough to this guy. This does make me feel somewhat better.

When you sober up a drunken, lyin', horsethief, you still gotta deal with a lyin' horsethief. Why would anybody be suprised? An addict/alcoholic is lying??!! Embellishing??!! --
The hell you say.

Ninety-nine percent of the things coming out of the alcoholic/addict is bullshit. Hasn't ANYBODY ever know an alcoholic? An addict??

I've been clean and sober for almost nine years. I went to the dentist for a dual bone graft. It involved cutting open my gums--on both sides--down to the bone and and adding a synthetic bone paste to my natural jaw bone.

I did it with no gas or narcotics--it took 13 novacaine shots into the roof of my mouth--but it got done, the doc thought I was a little off until I explained why I couldn't take anything.

Getting a root canal without even novacaine? BULLSHIT. Either the doctor is an idiot or inept--as is his patient--either way the doctor shouldn't be practicing and the patient, well the patient should either quit lying or get himself committed.

This is only one of many examples. All of this being said and your anger aside....anything that draws attention to the difficulties we face from this disease can be considered a positive. I'm just suprised he got away with it for so long.

The current outcry is more likely from sympathetic readers that feel they've been duped. Try empathy...much easier on the emotions and the soul.

Oh Well! I am up to page 250 now and I am enjoying the story. When I heard about this report, my response was... If Frey's work can uplift someone, straighten someone out, educate someone... Then what the hell! What's done is done. His imagination did what it had to do for someone else and that's what reading a book is all about. I am not saying that what he did was correct. I am saying that it's not that serious.

I agree with everyone who says that nothing is more important than motivating those in trouble.

Four years ago, over Easter, we realized that my sister was drinking way too much, had been in trouble with her drinking for years, and so to "wake her up."

We told her that her 7-year old son had cancer and needed her. We shaved his head and starved him and everything. Boy was she inspired! Plus, maintaining the "fiction" really brought the family together. The best bonus though, was the mad cash from the "Save Sheldon" fund. Sometime we still see the donation jars at suburban Quickie Marts.

Who cares about honesty when even one person can have a better life?

To Kathleen -

Thank you for your comments here - they mirror my sentiments exactly - I would love to get his counselors and mentors versions of his story - much of what they say in his book filter through like good sense in his extreme effort at self-aggrandizement and belligerance.

Each copy of his book should have your paragraph as a warning

Much of the story seems contrived and after reading Smoking Guns account of his purported time in jail - or not - I have doubts about the accuracy of almost everything in this book - including the extremity of his addiction -

And just for the record - his literary style is hamhanded and trying

To Lynne: Recovery is a long arduous painful process. Total long term recover requires an individual look deep within and acknowledge basic character faults. This is not something people do easily, not even for those who are not addicted to mind-altering drugs.

It is often for this reason that many addicts never attempt to quit. It is for these reasons that many addicts who attempt to quit never succeed. It is for these reasons that many addicts who complete a program eventually relapse.

I stand by my assertion that successful lifetime recovery from deep addiction to hard drugs is a long shot. This is why it's very dangerous for people to experiment with hard drugs. Many people can be exposed to a drug and never try it again. Some can dally around and quit at any time. Many others become addicted, and once addicted, it is a crap shoot as to whether any random addict can recover fully.

Maybe these are facts no one wants to say out loud, but they are true. The above-mentioned reasons are why addicts who have lost everything, recovered and regained good ground, will once again stumble and risk hitting rock bottom again. That's why 12-step programs emphasize the importance of religiously attending meetings. IT IS DAMN HARD!

Most people don't handle "hard" things well. I would say that's even more true of most addicts who have a history of turning to drugs to avoid having to deal with the "hard" parts of life.

But, all of that is off the subject of Frey lying to promote his novel. None of it really matters. I don't want to burst anyone's feel-good bubble. If the book makes someone feel good, if someone doesn't mind being lied to, if someone thinks it's the greatest book ever written . . . well great. We all need something to believe in, and if it's not ourselves, any one thing is probably as good as any other.

Dm, good for you!

gwinn, there are some options for your loved ones, it just takes some looking. Look for SMART recovery, Dr. Albert Ellis or Dr. Stanton Peele. There may be a smart meeting in your area, if not the on-line groups are helpful. I had a 17 year heroin addiction and was determined to find an alternative as the 12 steps didn't work for me. It's been clean for five years and frankly I don't think of myself as a junkie anymore. If you quit smoking you don't have to call yourself a lifelong smoker in remission.

Pat, I'm happy that you are free of drugs for two years due to AA. It works for some, but not most. At best, %10, more likely %5 success rate. I've always found it very rude that AA types tell me I'm going to relapse as I'm not working the steps. It is insane that there not more options out there. It is a program based on redemption from sin. What would happen to a doctor who made patients beg for god's forgiveness to heal a broken leg?

Hazeldeen will tell you they have a %30 success rate. The methodology is based on respond ants after 6 months to a mailed survey. Anyone who doesn't respond isn't counted. And we all know addicts lie like a rug. It's B.S.

The treatment method with the highest success rate is for people who do it on their own. No Hazeldeen, no AA, no nutin'. (Per the "The Truth About Addiction" S. Peele) Many grow out of it. There are options out there.

This fracas doesn't surprise me as addiction is one of the most misunderstood and witchy fields around. The fact that a "See Dick run" drug memoir can offer so much help and strike such a nerve for so many is a reflection of the sorry state of addiction treatment. And of the great misunderstanding of addiction.

A good article to read about addiction and treatment is http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/cohen.addiction.html. Peter Cohen the author runs drug policy and treatment for Holland.

Whatever his mission through writing the book, completely true or not, for me personally -- it gave me some hope. My husband is a crack addict and alcoholic. Whether his words are all true -- he was certainly an addict and to be given a window into what is in the mind of someone I love who is his own personal hell was priceless to me. I applaud Frey for opening this window to me and to others. It's sad that our society brutally judges addicts -- now they are brutally judging a recovered one for sharing his story -- probably helping millions of victims like me.

After spending way too much time the past few days reading about this controversy and discussing it with friends and family members, I'm just tired and am thinking that it all somehow gets down to the difference between a beaver and a "fat otter with a flat, armored tail." Where one person sees a beaver, James Frey sees a "fat otter." His editor, apparently, doesn't insist, Hey James, that's a beaver. Or if the editor does, James says, Fuck you. So maybe the problem is with the editor/publisher for not demanding that James call a beaver a beaver. Or maybe James and the editor/publisher are both stupid and don't know the difference between a beaver and an otter. Or maybe they do but they don't care. Or maybe they're especially clever because they realize that you can tell readers that something is an otter when it's very clear that it's a beaver and the reader will keep reading anyway even in the face of such an embarrassing fact error. Or maybe it's not a fact error but creative license. Or maybe it's just the way he remembered it, so that's OK too. At this point, I'm going to give up on "Memoir" and go back and reread the "Chronicles of Narnia," where beavers are beavers and they all talk, so I can be clear from the get-go whether it's fiction or nonfiction and what I'm in for as I read.

Whether the book is good or bad, is not the point here. Obviously people have their own opions based on their own experiences. If it has helped people that's wonderful.

The fact is he did flat out lie in this book as it stands labeled NON-FICTION. I'm not saying that it is not a moving book, and I'm not saying there are not some truths to it.

I was there when the two girls died. It was a horrific event in the city of Saint Joseph. School practically stopped. Counselors were called in. Students were crying. Kids visited the vehicle they died in, I saw it. Kids, including me, went to the wake's and funerals of these two girls. It was an event no one who attended the high school that year would forget. James Frey had absolutely nothing to do with the accident. Everyone knew that the girls and Dean were out at a party before the accident. Dean was driving drunk. The girls were seniors, James, Dean, and I were all juniors.

His "memoir" regarding that part of history is 1 part truth (in that the girl died) and 1000 parts fabrication..fiction... What more can be said? He sold a book on his "memoirs" and it's great.

I understand creative lisence... but this story has gone beyond non-fiction. I personally feel very bad for both the girls family's. Knowing that this guy lied about what happened, called it truth, called it fiction, and made millions doing so.

If he had of made millions selling this book as fiction, I'd of said awesome job. As a writer I'd of twisted events I witnessed in a fictional tale.. but I dont' have the lack of conscience that it takes to call that truth.

I really have a hard time with this idea that it doesn't matter if he embellished, because he presented it as non-fiction. That is dishonest. Are we sure this man is recovered? I lived with an addict at the age of 21 and that is the kind of self indulgent crap he pulled with me and himself. As for the idea that he will be responsible for other addicts return to drugs , he must be laughing, 'cause all addicts know if someone is truer to you than himself that person is a fool.
Find your own way, it's scary but it's the only true way.

In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, O'Brien relates his Vietnam experiences with vivid detail- however, he claims at the outright that the experiences in the book are fictional based on memory. That is, the way you make memories true is by making them into stories. He even dedicates the book to the fictional characters, his fellow comrades. But surely the discerning reader knows that these men were based on real people.

A Million Little Pieces is brilliant; I'm an English teacher, and it has much of the senior class buzzing. However, anyone who reads a memoir should know that details are going to be interpreted and portrayed to the reader according to the author's poetic license. If you think every word in every memoir is true, I have some swampland in Florida that you might be interested in. Take it with a grain of salt, people. I stand by Frey. Should it be considered a memoir? Perhaps not. But it's his life. Leave him to it.

Never read it and gald I didn't, it sounds like a complete lie to me and how someone who read this bs and still defends it just won't admit they were conned out of there money.

Wether the book is fact or fiction it is an excellent book. James Frey is a great writer that kept all of us turning pages to see what happens next.

the book on the whole is a great story. i could care less if he fabricated, exaggerated, embellished, made up most of it--- laughed at us for believing it or any of it, i really dont care bc at the end of the day i put this book down and had nothing but praise for this author. there is enough element of truth in it to find most of it believable. all the rest of the jealous fukrs can go jump in a lake bc hats of for the dude for writing the story is all i can say!

i agree completely with melissa and amanda--- at the end of the day i stayed up until 4am reading this book and subsequently went out and bot my friend leanoar and read it with the same zest and interest. lies, fabrication, truth- i cld care less hes a great writer and i hope he rides out this success train as long as he can bc im sure this guy experienced enuf pain and exposure to come up with 2 terrific books. jealous fukrs is right.