A Million Little Pieces Controversy: James Frey in the Hot Seat

I'm sure all you devoted Oprah fans have already heard the news about James Frey's A Million Little Pieces as it has now been headlined throughout the country. Frey's memoir, as he calls it, was originally released in 2003 but then skyrocketed to become the top-selling book of 2005 after Oprah selected it for her book club in October 2005. If you have not heard anything about the controversy, here's a rundown. Speculation first arrived after the Smoking Gun uncovered some discrepancies in Frey's memoir. This prompted an interview on Larry King Live during which Frey responded to allegations made by the Smoking Gun by admitting that he had embellished parts of the book but that those "18 pages in question" were not central to the main storyline of his alcohol and drug addiction. Oprah then called in towards the end of the show and gave her statement that she still stood by her original recommendation of A Million Little Pieces. Just 15 days later, Oprah had Frey appear on her show where she drilled him on each controversial point from his account of undergoing a root canal without Novacain to his overexaggerated run-ins with the law. Frey admitted that he had lied about many facets of his memoir, and Oprah reversed her recommendation of the book.

I must say I am highly disappointed by this controversy and as a reader feel that I've been stabbed in the back. What makes it more difficult is that I am in the middle of reading the book amidst all the controversy. It is in fact a very intensely engaging book. Before the controversy was brought to light, I felt an emotional attachment to Frey...truly feeling for him. Now that I've learned that much of the book is "embellished" it is hard to feel much of anything for Frey or his experiences as they were detailed in the book. I will, however, finish reading the book but will take it in as a novel now as opposed to the memoir it claims itself to be.

James Frey was supposed to be speaking in Dallas this coming Friday, February 3rd at the Turtle Creek Manor Vision of Hope Awards Luncheon but has since cancelled. I would've actually loved to get my book autographed...not because I support Frey but because I feel it would've added that special something to my collection.