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Archive through January 27, 2006

The TVClubHouse: Movies/Library ARCHIVES: Movies & Library 2006: The Smoking Gun debunks A Million Little Pieces: Archive through January 27, 2006 users admin

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Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, January 14, 2006 - 9:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I haven't read the book, but I am imagining that the beginning of the book implies somewhere that this is someone's true story.

I read Memoirs of a Geisha, with the impression that it was this one woman's memoirs. The twist at the end, shocked me. I can honestly say that I would NOT have read the book with the same perspective or interest, had I had known the true circumstances of how the book was written.

So I am skeptical to think that your friend read the book because it was truly a good read. I would think the stories themselves, being about a fellow addict, and his real life experiences, were a major factor in your friend's interest in the book.

If the book was written as fiction, I do not think your friend would have felt that connection to the narrator. I'm sure there would be an element of "here's a book where someone THINKS they know what I am going through, but they really don't know until they've been there."

The fact that many of the things in the book did not really happen, takes away from the "authority" a reader would give to the writer, to write on the topic. Even people who did read the book, said they felt there were parts that just seemed over-the-top, under the ruse of non-fiction. How would a true addict perceive this book, and its over-the-top anecdotes, had it been written as FICTION? I can guarantee it would not have been the same.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Saturday, January 14, 2006 - 11:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Again, I lay a lot of the blame at the publisher's feet for not listening to the author's original pitch to market this as fiction rather than non-fiction.

It should have been labeled "fiction based on true-life experience" or some such, just as historical novels are -- they still impart a lot of true-life experience, but are embellished liberally with fictional events and characters to make the story more interesting to read.

A fictional work written by a former addict in which the central storyline involves the experiences of an addict would surely still be worthy of consideration as a work that has value for many people going through similar life struggles. Unfortunately, the publisher did not give readers the credit for understanding that and seem to have insisted that the book be presented as non-fiction. Mr. Frey is therefore left to try and "defend his life," so to speak through the act of defending his writing.

As has been pointed out, sales have been spurred by this controversy, so I guess both Mr. Frey and the publisher win in the end, although I imagine the publisher is smiling about it a bit more than Mr. Frey is since he's the one being called to task.

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Saturday, January 14, 2006 - 1:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
Max, I agree that much of the blame should be place on the publisher; after all, it's not like Frey is some professional writer, is he? He's just a guy who had something to say and submitted a manuscript.

Eeyore, I will ask my friend what he feels now, specifically, about this latest news.

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 5:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
Eeyore, I just spoke with my friend who recommended the book to me.
I asked if it would have made a difference if he knew that parts of the book were not true. Would he have still bought and read the book?

He paused and replied that he knew it was being promoted as non-fiction but did not give much thought to that part of it. What was important was that his friend said it could help him with his problems. He said it was good and he enjoyed it. He also added that there were some lines in the book that hit pay dirt with him.

Here are some of the things I asked him.
Would he have got the book if he knew it was fiction? Yes

Would he have got the book if it was displayed as non-fiction but posted to say it was a fake? No.

Your thoughts on it? It's not all real but I liked it. It gave me alot to think about. It gave me something to fight.

You thoughts on the people who want their money back? Those people have never had any kind of problem with drugs or booze. The ones who don't know @#$% are bringing it back.

What's the best part to you? HOLD ON no matter what just @#$% HOLD ON

He has been struggling for a long time and this book has given him just a bit more strength to fight his own personal battles. I doubt that he liked the book because it was a 'good read'. This guy does not read and has enough trouble getting through written material at his trade school.

I think there are some parts that you just can't know unless you have walked a mile in those shoes.
When you see in print the connections of another in the same shoes as you, and that person has succeeded, it gives you just a bit of hope that you can do it too.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 10:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
'Little Pieces' author returns to Oprah

Wednesday, January 25, 2006; Posted: 8:22 p.m. EST (01:22 GMT)

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- James Frey, the author of the disputed memoir "A Million Little Pieces," will appear Thursday on a live broadcast of Oprah Winfrey's television show to address the dustup surrounding his book, according to a spokeswoman for Winfrey's Harpo Productions.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 11:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Worth repeating.....

Tishala wrote:

The cynic in me wonders whether Oprah has optioned the film rights to the book.


Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 11:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
On the last page of The Smoking Gun article, it says, "He [Frey] has written the screenplay for "A Million Little Pieces" and has said that the film is being co-produced by Brad Pitt and directed by Mark Romanek."

Of course, whether you BELIEVE what he says or not. . .

IMDB.com lists it as a project "in development" and shows Laurence Dunmore as the director. :-)

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 1:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
i don't know of any 'non-fiction' book that is entirely true. hell, you have to embelish to make something interesting. the only thing i won't embellish is my weight LOL
does anyone believe hilary knew nothing of bill's philandering until one of his aides informed her of the lewinski mess?
there are all kinds of poetic licenses out there. 'based on truth' can cover a lot of embellishments.
the fact that the author wanted to present this as 'fiction' says a lot about it to me. it's not "total truth" and his agent or publisher decided to make it "non-fiction" to sell more books.
the contraversy has probably helped the sales more than any labeling! i honestly never heard of the book until this issue came up!!

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:35 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
Gosh darnit! Do all the stations have to have Bush's conference on tv???!!!

Watched the first part of Oprah's interview with Frey and she is NOT happy. She said she "regretted" her comments on Larry King Live.

She also said she feels duped by Frey, too.

Frey looked absolutely terrified.

I'm with Oprah, why lie about such facts?

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 1:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
I honestly don't understand this "controversy." The classic American autobiography, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin [or Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, depending upon which source you think is authoritative], is loaded with fictional elements--beginning with the device that he's writing it to his son, the first two words of the Autobiography proper. And, it goes without saying, Franklin's Autobiography was written as instruction and as a mythological model for fellow Americans, as I understand Frey's book to be [although I have not read it].

Autobiographies and memoirs are, as literature people used to say, "always-already" enmeshed in fictional narratives and adhere to those conventions even, or especially, when the narrative itself doesn't support it.

Laralyn
Member

08-04-2005

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Laralyn a private message Print Post    
I read this book several months ago. At the time I thought there was a lot of "poetic license" used and a lot of masochism that did not ring true. I did not believe the jail time, nor the non use of novocaine by the dentist among other things.

Having started up a detox center and developed a treatment center, I did not believe that he could break the rules as he did and not be kicked out. The rules are there for a purpose and shenanigans are not tolerated. This is probably the most upsetting to me and upset me at the time because it can cause problems with some people in their recovery process. Having lived around practicing and recovering alcoholics for the better part of my life I am positive that there are some out there that will now try to skip the steps toward recovery. He did imply that he was at Hazelton (the first and one of the best treatment centers) and I know they would not tolerate him. The one thing that I did take from the book, Shadoe, was like your friend......


!!!!!!!!!JUST HOLD ON!!!!!!!!

and...one day at a time

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Amen, Laralyn. Those things didn't ring true for me, either. Neither did the sudden dismissal of supposed charges (which we now know didn't exist) because a judge and a reputed mobster made a few phone calls (which was implied in the book).

I also just didn't buy that he remembered everything so clearly. If he had been in as much of a drug haze as he describes, there's no way that level of detail would be spot-on accurate -- records from the institution or not.

Mameblanche
Member

04-13-2005

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
1) I hadn't heard of this book until the dust-up here.

2) I have no interest in this type of book anyways regardless of the hype.

3) Yup, I might watch the movie, if its not too gritty.

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 11:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
There is controversy because it was an Oprah book club selection. From that stand point, I get why there's controversy surrounding the Frey and the book (as well as his other book.)

I don't think anyone would take issue with Frey and his book if he had stuck to the small changes authors make in memoirs and autobiographies. Changes such as those to protect the names of real life people or to condense situations that make the same point. (And we expect the authors to make note of that; something Frey and his publishers neglected to do.)

But it's something else entirely to fabricate sections of a non-fiction book and pass them off as fact. It's also really stupid to do it when such facts can be checked.

Frankly, what bad choices Frey has made, as well as his publishers. To not only lie, but to continue to promote the lies for two and a half years.

From dream come true to nightmare in a matter of months. I have empathy for Frey; I'm sure this scrutiny is excrutiating. But he made his bed and now he's got to lay in it.

Some other things I hear; Larry King talked to him after the Oprah show today and apparently he sounded quite devastated. His new book contracts are now being reviewed by his new publishers.

While he may sell some books right now due to the curiosity factor, I can't see how his writing career will recover from this; at least for the forseable future.

Oh, and just to add. I think Frey would be doing a lot better today if he had been more open and forthright during the interview. To me, he came off as hemming and hawing and still lying.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 3:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
I'm watching the show right now and not only did he fail to come clean when Oprah asked direct questions about specific parts of the book that now are clearly not true.

Also before she had him on her show and endorsed the book, someone from Hazelden contacted her producers and told them that some parts of the book could not have happened and Oprah's producer called the PUBLISHER who insisted that it was checked out and true and that the Hazeldon rep was mistaken and Oprah took the good name of the publisher and ignored the other information (Oprah said this).

Nan Talese, who was responsible for the book as a rep of the publisher says she believed it and others did (critic is on now telling her publishers simply can't continue to operate like this; they must fact check books that they plan to promote as non-fiction. As he said, spend some money, do what the Smoking Gun did.

Even today, Frey is telling Oprah that in his memory he still thinks he had two root canals (in the book he says without novacaine)..

well my observation there is that all he has to do is get some dental xrays and they will be able to tell if he had a root canal, or two.. or none. That is verifiable.

I own the book, and will probably return it. There are any number of truthful memoirs that are true stories of people who have overcome extremely traumatic life situations. Some are bey people I actualy know. Personally I think this just spits in the eye of those who wrote carefully, truthfully and documented their memories.

I get that many people just don't care... but it saddens and suprises me, I guess.

Oh and one factor in why he lied to Oprah on the first show, he says, was that he's already had interviews and said these things were true.

"Remember the truth. That's all that matters".
- James Frey

As for poor Richard, he's got TWO books published and on the shelves now, another printing is being held off so that a disclaimer/explanation can be included.

Another point being made is that once you find reason to doubt one memoir, you start questioning the truth of memoirs in general.. and the speaker brought up what I'd thought of, especially witn "Night" being Oprah's next book, think of how people liked to doubt all the Holocaust memories/memoirs.

I don't think Frey looks terrified. He is quite unrepentant and is trying to avoid answering Oprah's direct questions but she's not buying that. She isn't beating him up and says she hopes this can be the beginning of another kind of truth for him.

He says this hasn't been a great day for him, or couple of weeks, but thinks it will be a good thing for him. It will make him a better person and he'll learn from his mistakes and be a better person.



I'm glad Oprah came to her senses. I was watching Larry King's interview with Frey when Oprah called and was quite dismayed that she reacted like she did, but she says she just believed so strongly because she got so much email supporting Frey, after The Smoking Gun report came out.

"I believe that the truth matters"

Oprah

================

Ah, Anderson Cooper covered this tonight and Larry King was part of that show and I've missed the last showing of Larry King, where I assume he also appeared.

He has Mic Hunter, Psychologist from Hazelden, who says the book is highly inaccurate as it describes treatment there and would discourage people from seeking treatment.

"I wouldn't read anything the guy wrote again"
--Anderson Cooper

Larry thinks the root canal story was well written .. Larry thinks he's a good writer, Anderson wasn't so impressed by the actual writing. Larry is all intrigued .. how did he invent that, the root canal story (LOL.. he needs to interview Stephen King).

I have to go to sleep.. will keep recording Anderson.. he's talking about "The Oprah Effect" on books..

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 3:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Max, Oprah mentioned that he had told her producers that he had kept extensive journals and notes to help him remember, but now he admits the embellishments and insists on calling the people in the book "characters".

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 4:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
I am really getting sick of all this issue.
Let's balance out the bashing on others who contributed along with the author.

It's not like he's a pro author is he?
So very many people have been helped in a variety of ways by reading this book haven't they?
I liked the book and his writing style flowed nicely for me so I would buy another book of his if I was interested in the story line.
People are just being pouty that they thought one thing and it has been shown to be otherwise.

I hardly believe that people who were or may be considering entering treatment centers would turn away now that they have read the book. Each person has their own inner issues and burdens; when they are ready for repair, a book is not going to hold them back. A book such as this may well support them in their decision to reach the positive ending.
Nothing of value comes easy. Success tastes sweeter when one has to work and struggle to reach the goal.
Come on, how many other books could be shown to be the same? Are we to start picking apart every good read and then bash the author out of existence?

What can possibly be wrong with a book having a subject that just may get people who normally don't read or who have similar problems to actually read the book and get some benefits?

Embarrassed at being duped? Tough. Why not just compound your looking foolish by demanding money back for a book you have read. Buyer beware. Let's start taking back every book we read that we don't like and demanding our money back.
Next time, you should just research every book before you buy. Don't forget a background check on every single author too!

Truth or embellishments or 100% lies - the book has values and all persons can benefit in some way by the message in those pages, as presented.

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 6:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maris a private message Print Post    
I am with you Shadoe. I feel sorry for this guy, it is like everyone smells his blood and like a bunch of jackals all want a piece of his flesh. How would Oprah, Larry, Anderson et al feel if this guy swallows a bottle of pills because he cant handle this drawn out execution??? will it be worth it?

The guy wrote a book, a lot of it fiction, well written book that everyone loved. Did the fact that it wasnt completely true change the fact that it was apparently well written enough to get notable mention.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 7:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
It's not like he's a pro author is he?

Shadoe, pro-author? Does a person need to be a pro-author to know the know the meaning of "fiction" and "non-fiction"? Therefore "truth" and "lie". I think readers know.

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 7:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The person whose actions I find the hardest to understand in this situation is Oprah. Her turn around from the Larry King show to her current position smells very strongly of going with the pack and protecting her back.

With respect to the author, while I do feel a bit sorry for the situation and the way that people are weighing in against him, I don’t think that you can completely fabricate stories and call it non-fiction. You may not remember everything precisely but you can’t completely make things up. It would be like John Kerry writing his memoirs and saying that he was President of the United States!

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 8:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maris a private message Print Post    
I have to say I bought Memoirs of a geisha, thinking it was non-fiction. I didnt find out till after I started the book that it was fiction. It didnt change how I felt about the book as I read it.

Marysafan
Member

08-07-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 8:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Marysafan a private message Print Post    
The difference is this. It's one thing to "think" a book of fiction is non-fiction. That's your mistake, based on your own perception. It's another to be told that a book is non-fiction when it's fiction. There's a thing called "truth in advertising". It's about intentionally deceiving the public in order to reap a greater monetary reward.

And I read a book of non-fiction and a book of fiction with a totally different mindset.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Woo HOo! Just watched my tape of the Larry King Show and was pleased and surprised to hear Carole Radziwill give a shout-out to our local independent bookseller, Powell's Books. Powell's is a highlight of the Portland area, with the main store taking a full city block, another large store devoted to technical books, andseveral satellite stores, including one specializing in travel books and another specializing in cookbooks. They carry new as well as used books and are a GREAT place to spend an afternoon browsing. :-)

Sorry, just had to crow a bit about that part. :-)

Coco
Member

07-13-2000

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Coco a private message Print Post    
I've recently read a book of fiction, knowing that it was indeed fiction. However, so much of what it said to me personally, read as non-fiction.

I wasn't interested in reading this author's book due to lack of interest in the subject matter, but now in support of him, I'll go out and buy it.


Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Legalboxer a private message Print Post    
seamonkey - you are right on