The act of lying is bad enough on its own, but when lying is coupled with sympathy-seeking and money-making, then we've got a BIG problem. Oprah's Book Club 2005 chose A Million Little Pieces as one of four books of the year. Oprah raved non-stop about this book and James Frey. She publicly admitted that she cried when she read parts of the story and feels both sympathy and triumph for James Frey. When she debuted the book on her talkshow in 2005, she stated that, she "couldn't put [it] down...a gut-wrenching memoir that is raw and it's so real...After turning the last page...You want to meet the man who lived to tell this tale." Little did she know that James Frey would be uncovered as a liar only a short year later.
In my opinion, Frey's justification in fabricating his life story to sell books is because:
1) he knew it would make him money
2) he was looking for his "15 minutes of fame" by gaining the sympathy of a nation
After the truth of his book was publicly stated, James Frey was scrutinized as being a liar. Frey performed an unethical act when he allowed this book to be published as a true story and knew it was fake. I still stand by the recommendation to read this book because it can be used as a teaching tool for non-alcoholic-non-drug-user-non-criminals. I read this book because I wanted to learn something, and you should do the same. Enter a world of misery and count your blessings at the end of this book and forget about James Frey...in the end, he's just a liar with a lot of money.
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