I had heard about this book when it
hit the Oprah’s Book Club list…. then I heard about it again when the “truth”
was “revealed”…. that it wasn’t actually a memoir, as touted, but a work of
fiction… ooh! the CONTROVERSY!!!!
I picked it up at a book sale or in
a bargain bin about a year ago, having always been curious about it. Yes, I
knew it was a work of fiction, or at least more fiction than truth… but I was
still interested in the actual story.
I’m glad I finally started reading it–it was REALLY intense and very interesting. Regardless of whether or not it’s a true story, it was very, VERY good! I was immediately sucked into James’ story. I’m incredibly curious about the Road to Recovery for addicts, and this, to me, was a clear picture of how difficult and harrowing it can be. There were a lot of things I’m sure happen to some people, in reality, and they were naked and scary and ugly and painful. I appreciated that candor. I also appreciated, by way of reading this story, how lucky I am to have missed these problems. It became clear to me, once again, that addiction can hit anyone at any time, regardless of class, race, upbringing, values, etc.
I’m glad I finally started reading it–it was REALLY intense and very interesting. Regardless of whether or not it’s a true story, it was very, VERY good! I was immediately sucked into James’ story. I’m incredibly curious about the Road to Recovery for addicts, and this, to me, was a clear picture of how difficult and harrowing it can be. There were a lot of things I’m sure happen to some people, in reality, and they were naked and scary and ugly and painful. I appreciated that candor. I also appreciated, by way of reading this story, how lucky I am to have missed these problems. It became clear to me, once again, that addiction can hit anyone at any time, regardless of class, race, upbringing, values, etc.
I think everyone should read this!
**I will note, there were things about the way this book was written that just
drove me nuts! The author capitalizes just the WRONG words, seemingly
willy-nilly. It’s bothersome to me… if you’re uptight about grammar, the way I
am. But I opted to overlook it, since the story was so good.
[If
you enjoy this, you may also wish to try High
on Arrival, by Mackenzie Phillips, or Last
Night I Sang to the Monster, by Benjamin Alire Saenz.]
[
Wikipedia entry for A
Million Little Pieces ] | [ official James Frey web
site ]
Have you read this one? What
did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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