A Million Little Pieces
Typically, I find myself avoiding books that Oprah recommended through her book club. However, I did break down and read A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, primarily because of the controversy surrounding its classification as a memoir. I must admit, initially the book was difficult to get into. It is incredibly graphic; so much so that I found myself cringing as I read and wondering what those around me thought of my silent reaction. Typically, I find reading to be an enjoyable activity and I think I put off reading this book for so long because I’d seen others reading it, making the same cringing reaction. I wonder, do others find themselves turning to reading to provide enjoyment and shying from books that make them hurt or afraid? (I must admit, I’m a pretty big wuss when it comes to horror films too; there might be some kind of a connection here.)
However, I stuck with the book and eventually found myself quite immersed and rooting for James’ recovery. (He is checked into a drug and alcohol rehab center and told that he has abused his body to the point at which if he drinks or does drugs ever again it will kill him. The book focuses on his time in rehab; the friends he makes and their struggles and his dismissal of the AA’s 12 steps program.) As James began to recover the descriptions became less graphic, but the book did keep a very somber tone, in line with the belief that only 15% of the people treated at the center he was at would survive without relapsing. The book focused less on bleeding gashes and root canals without painkillers as it continued, and then discussed implications of betrayal and the effects of alcoholism on spouses, children, parents and friends. Reading the book was a definite eye opener.
Still, I must admit I do feel cheated a bit now that it’s common knowledge that James Frey embellished some of the truth in the writing of A Million Little Pieces. Throughout the book I found myself wondering what was truth and what was fiction. I asked a friend and her belief was that Frey embellished the graphic details of his condition when he was checked into the clinic that made the reader cringe. After some research online, I found that it was his criminal records and run-ins with the law that were embellished. Regardless, it makes me wonder what the intended effect was of stretching the truth. To some extent, I think all writers must do this in their writing, even if there is only a glimmer of truth in the finished piece because I believe we all write about what we know. Why do you think Frey (or authors in general) choose to exaggerate? Does it sell better? Essentially, the problem was that Frey claimed his book to be completely nonfiction when in fact, it was not. Do memoirs sell better than novels? Should there be a degree to which an author can claim artistic licensure?
3 comments:
I think you pose an interesting question here. In books, it is hard to separate fact from fiction, despite the genre. I do think there is artistic license, because I agree that one writes what one knows. However, there is a grey area to this. Many fiction books are based on real stories, but the author has taken out or added details as they see fit. I think most do this consciously, to make a more compelling story out of the situation or issue they base the work on. Whether this is because they don't want it to come off as a true story because of the people in it, there are still factual elements to the book. However, since it is marketed as fiction, one rarely wonders which events may have impacted the author. In the case of A Million Little Pieces, the main issue was the way it was marketed as a memoir, when it clearly wasn’t. I don’t understand why this was done either, as it may have done just as well labeled a fiction piece. However, one reason that comes to mind is that Frey wanted to be associated with these events, as it made his accomplishment seem larger, and could have caused it to be more in the spotlight. If he had marketed the book as fiction, I don’t know if it would have received the same reaction, though it may still have done well. In my opinion, it depends on the subject matter. Some memoirs are never heard about, while others end up at the top of the bestseller list. Many factors contribute to this, so it’s hard to say whether memoirs sell better. Despite his misrepresentation, I do think artistic license occurs, and I don’t have a problem with it as long as individuals don’t misrepresent the work as complete fact.
-Drea
Reading from Oprah’s Book Club is like asking for controversy, even though my favorite book, East of Eden happened to be on her list. I think one of the problems with Frey’s A million Little Pieces is that his book was popular. Scandals like this seem to be popping up everywhere, and I do not believe this just includes memoirs. Take The Da Vinci Code for example. The producer of this work is being sued for plagiarism and you must question weather or not this has to do with its spot on the NYT book list.
What this reader finds most interesting about the debate is that as a country or reading public we are all “up in arms” about honesty and deception. This does not just go for what we see happening in the world of fiction but also the political realm, can one say Weapons of Mass Destructions?
I would just like to point out the irony that many of our most beloved authors (publicly viewed) for example Shakespeare spent much of their life work discussing the idea of deception. How funny we are still debating it today, but the debate is not within the actually writing of an author but between the author and the general public.
I'm not so interested in A Million Little Pieces...I feel like i couldnt possibly add anything new to a controversy that has already been so played out. However, i am curious about Oprah's affect on literature. This seems to be an especially prevalent issue since Oprah just recently selected Cormace McCarthy's "The Road" as her newest book club pick.
Here's an article about it if you didn't know:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070328/ap_en_ot/books_winfrey
Oprah seems to have a tremendous influence on literature(especially if she can get McCarthy on stage and on TV). How did this happen???
Oprah usually annoys me, but if she can make McCarthy's literary masterpieces appeal to the public, then props to her.
What is she doing for the writing community as a whole? Good or bad? I dont know. But i sure will be watching her show when Cormac comes on.
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