Customer Reviews

A Million Little Pieces (Oprah's Book Club)

5 star:		(205)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

Read this book and you may understand why. James Frey's wonderful, dark, and truthful portrait of addiction and the infinitely small possibility of recovery is one of the most honest portrayals of drug addiction that I have ever read. It's not a pretty story as no true story of addiction can be. Frey writes about the gritty reality of life on drugs and never once attempts to glorify any of it. His story is sad, honest, frustrating. Vomit and snot and rage. Victims, brutality, and very little in the way of hope. Frey is a Substance Abuse Counselor's nightmare - he refuses to play by the rules, he won't attempt to "go along and get along", he often bites the hand that feeds him. His addiction is a living thing residing in his head like a monster with huge bloodied teeth. I loved this book. Read it, feel it, learn from it.

This is an absorbing gritty novel that I found very hard to put down, but also found myself wondering about. The author lays the awful truth of drug addiction on the line, along with hard truth that the addict must face when going through detox, but there does not seem to be any conclusion beyond "this is what happened." I would like to know more about why, at least why the author thinks this happened to him. The book deserves the praise it is getting, it is well written, but it is kind of like watching a car wreck. You want to look away but can't, and then there are no answers.

In light of what has happened regarding Mr. Frey's two books, I feel the responsibility for fact checking is the responsibility of Doubleday and also of Oprah's staff. I feel that Mr. Frey got caught up in all that there is with having a best selling book. Yes, he should not have lied but his books needed to be classified in another category and again the responsibility of the publisher. This is not the first time that this has happened with publishing corporations. Mr. Frey was used as a scapgoat and publicly humiliated. I read Million Little Pieces and bought copies for several people and have just purchased My Friend Leonard. I will continue to read all the books that Mr. Frey writes, still, I can't imagine why people haven't figured out "what's going on" in the publishing world and places such as Hollywood. A good example is McCrae's book "katzenjammer" which tells exactly this sort of thing-what someone has to go through to get their book published and then what "they" do to it to sell it. Or the book "The Man who invented Rock Hudson" is another which shows the inside workings of the corporations and their lack of ethics, etc. I would recommend the following books to see how people really got where they are: "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson" and McCrae's "Katzenjammer." And I would still recommmend AMLP whether or not you believe everything in it. Still a good book.

This outstanding memoir by James Frey's articulating his struggles to put his pathetic , addicted, broken life back together is written with such realness that most addicts can relate to it. One gets awed from the beginning by the author's writing skills as well as the gripping nature of the story. Not only has it so many lessons in it, I also find it inspirational. Like SMASHED, or The Oaf in the book USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES easily brings tears, sighs, laughter and phew in different turns.

I was extremely dissapointed in Oprah for her shameful treatment of the author. All authors make embelishments. She felt the need to embarass this man in front of the world, in order to distance herself from (silly) publicity. I think Oprah made herself look like Jerk. This took away from all the good that she does. She should have let it go. I read a review that said this book did what it was exactly supposed to do - give the reader a quiet afternoon with a page turner. !

There is something about "A Million Little Pieces" that makes you have to keep reading no matter how much it churns your stomach. It's that phenomenon like watching a car wreck. We have to watch. This guy destroyed his life with his addictions. You squirm when you read it. Think "Requiem for a Dream" or "My Fractured Life". It is EXTREMELY graphic. It is EXTREMELY vivid. AND it is EXTREMELY good.

This outstanding memoir by James Frey's articulating his struggles to put his pathetic , addicted, broken life back together is written with such realness that most addicts can relate to it. One gets awed from the beginning by the author's writing skills as well as the gripping nature of the story. Not only has it so many lessons in it, I also find it inspirational. Like The The Grandmothers by Janvier Chando, Smashed by Koren Zailckas, and other interesting stories out there, A Million Little Pieces easily brings tears, sighs, laughter and phew in different turns.

Hi style and tale is really amazing. The controversy was a joke, it's a must read for anyone who likes real stories and stories of addiction.

Amazing! I loved this book, I could not put it down! One cool thing about the book is this; James tends to repeat the same word over and over, while reading the book I didn't really like it. However, after reading it It's those repeated words that play in your head! Chilling, I totally got why he did it after!

One day I would like to write my own book and I might steal that idea!

Must read! If you always wondered why addicts do what they do and why here's your chance to get in their head!

Melissa Stiles

Extremely courages book that details a less than perfect life. I can see why it is a pick of Oprah's.
also read: Nightmares Echo, Running With Scissors