What happeneded on OPRAH - with James Frey

moped wrote: PLEASE tell me!!!!!! I was away!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CosmetologyMommy replied: Did something bad happen???

mommycat2244 replied: He admitted to lying about most everything that he said in the book. He admitted that he "doesn't remember" about whether he had novacaine when he had his front teeth extracted, and that "Lily" in the book didn't kill herself by strangulation, but by slitting her wrists. But that's all I heard because I was in and out of the livingroom when I had the T.V. on.

luvmykids replied: I didn't see the whole thing but what I got is that some of his story wasn't quite factual, like the 3 month jail term and the dental work w/out novacaine. Now he says he can't "clearly" remember the incident. He said since it was a "memoir" and not an autobiography there's room for less than total truth, basically, and that he wrote with "emotional" truth, that he took on a persona to get through it all and thats who he wrote about.

luvmykids replied: BTW, Oprah shore tore into that boy!

C&K*s Mommie replied: who is James Frey, and what relation does he have to Oprah for her to tear into him??

luvmykids replied:
He wrote a book, A Million Little Pieces about his "story" as a drug addict/alcoholic. It's mostly about his time in rehab, and Oprah is kind of the one who launched it b/c she featured the book. It was really raw and tragic and gritty but she was so impressed with him for being so honest. Then it comes out that it isn't all true or is true with a twist, KWIM? She chewed him out good and told him he betrayed millions of people. (Like me fell for it hook, line and sinker)

C&K*s Mommie replied: was he remorseful for duping so many??

mommycat2244 replied:

Yeah. I was listening from the other room and was thinking,"Wow!" Then, when I walked back into the room, and saw his face, then I really thought, "Wow!!" And even though I never read the book, I think that if I were a person who had read the book and backed it so publicly (like Oprah did) and was dooped, I'd be a little perterbed too...so I thought it was awesome that she really gave it to him like she did.

luvmykids replied:
And not only did she back his book, but when it started to come out that he wasn't completely honest he was on Larry King Live and even then she called the show and stood up for him. So she really put herself out there for him.

His publisher even admitted they didn't do any fact checks and said it would've been too hard to verify parts of it and that it actually happens a lot. He has another book deal though!

TeagansMom609 replied: I bet all of the controversy has his book sales soaring through the roof! I NEVER even heard of this book until everyone started making a fuss. It makes me want to buy it to see what everyone is talking about. I never buy books either because I cant ever find the time to read them, so it says alot if I actually want to buy it.

luvmykids replied:
I'll send you mine if you really want to read it! It's a good book, and having other people in our family with the same problems I did feel like I got a little insight.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I didn't see it...but although I don't like dishonest people, the book has supposedly helped a lot of people seek recovery. I personally think there is some benefit to that. But he should have been honest from the start. Probably just a bad marketing plan on his publicists part...I'm sure they are both reaping the benefits ($$) from it regardless of what Oprah says.

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I think some of it is pretty stupid. OF course he can't remember the pain from having his teeth worked on w/o meds. it is the same as not really remembering teh pain of child birth. You can remember that it hurt a lot but not really recall the pain. The rest of it...don't know I have seen a few family members recover from fairly bad addictions and they seemed to act in the same way and it did give me more of an understanding of what they went through.

jem0622 replied: I have not read the book. I want to read it now. I cannot tell you how fed up I am with Oprah right now. Really. I never thought in my life I would say that about her. But I'm hot over her 'holier than thou/book burning' approach she took so that she could have personal vindication. She had to choose to put this on her reader list. She felt overwhelmed by his story.

What's really sad is that you have a man that suffered multiple addictions and he has really touched the lives of many who want to rehabilitate themselves. That speaks volumes to me!

Lilly commited suicide. That is a fact. She did. Does it matter if she slit her wrists or hung herself? She committed suicide!

He changed names and such to protect. Do you think this is the first book and the first author to do that? No way!

Oprah has put this man through h*&# and I am very disappointed in her. I really don't care that she apologized. She could make him an addict again. He didn't ask to be on her list or ever come on her show.

The fact that it was published as a memoir and not fiction is like 'potato/potatah' to me. And it is not his fault. It's the publishers fault for not doing their job. Anyone who edited this book should be fired! And if there is no editor, then the person responsible should be fired! He wrote a moving account of his life!

I do not see Mr. Frey as a bad man at all. I think he should not have embellished to be recognized for overcoming his deamons, but I do not think he is a bad man!

luvmykids replied: I don't think he's a bad man, but he shouldn't have sopped up the praise and pretended he'd been so honest the first time around. It's great that he has motivated so many people to get help but a slap in the face to those who've really been there and have stories horrible enough without embellishing them for the sake of dramatics. Dh is a recovering alcoholic/drug addict (has been clean/sober for 12 years! ) and is completely insulted that someone would exaggerate an experience like that.