The Man Who Conned Oprah - Is James Frey ("A Million Little Pieces") A Fake?

[movieking]

The Smoking Gun has a very long and detailed story questioning a number of things in his book.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html

With Oprah turning her legion of viewers on to him, it will be interesting what happens. My mother just picked up the book yesterday, so I am thinking of reading it after her.

[funkydjmcescher]

I, for one feel vindicated.
As a bookseller (and after reading the ARC) I have always had a sinking suspicion that parts of the book were fabricated for dramatic effect.
When people would ask my opinon I would usually take what he's saying with a grain of salt ( like the other über tell all bio god MR. Pelzer).
So, I'll add this to my list of pop culture authors based on events today:

Frey (poser wanna-be)
J.T. Leroy ( out & out fraud )


The Smoking Gun has a very long and detailed story questioning a number of things in his book.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html

With Oprah turning her legion of viewers on to him, it will be interesting what happens. My mother just picked up the book yesterday, so I am thinking of reading it after her.

[krazydawg005]

A bunch of girls I work with have all been going nuts over this book. Personally, I never really saw the interest. I mean a story about a guy with a bad life that turned it around, sounds great. A book with pages full of description about vomit and so on, seems a bit far fetched to me.

Of course what do you expect? If Oprah plugs it, then millions of women in this country will go nuts over it.

[DonnachaOne]

No problem here. He made a ton of cash by spinning a story. Good writers do that!

[TimeandTide]

No problem here. He made a ton of cash by spinning a story. Good writers do that!

But he's not a good writer. The dude doesn't even know the difference between a common and proper noun.

Anyway, thanks OP for the Smoking Gun link. Interesting stuff. Wonder how Oprah is going to spin THIS PR nightmare.

[krazydawg005]

this thing will never hit the mainstream media....they are in love with Oprah

Its a shame too..this asshole is going to get away with this, and be rich just because the world worships Oprah.

[AGuyNamedMike]

You should see the crapstorm on his messageboards at www.bigjimindustries.com (wait, he isn't full of himself, is he?) quick before he deletes the posts he doesn't like.

[Groucho]

this thing will never hit the mainstream media....they are in love with OprahOh no? Maybe it's time to get rid of that tinfoil hat. (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-01-09-frey_x.htm)

[funkydjmcescher]

It'll be interesting for me when I return to work today. HOPEFULLY I'll see a spike in sales ( the title was going at a steady clip in Dec. with a few book groups chosing it as a selection).
I don't know what the fall out will be, but if memory serves the last time you had a fraud on this large of a scale ( Clifford Irving ) you had jail time. I HIGHLY doubt that will happen ( considering now how he NEVER spent any real time in lock up); but the calssy thing would to fess up , donate part of the profits of the book to the Hazelden Foundation & try to put an end to it ASAP.
It strange, yesterday when I got wind of this via PW - all I could think of was Milli Vanilli.

Literati Vanilli if you will.

[Mordred]

I'm just wondering what the plans will be for the movie that's currently in the works. They'll probably just change the wording in the trailer to "Inspired by the life of James Frey."

[FantasticVSDoom]

I havent read the book, but to me it just sounds like he embellished his stories for dramatic effect. I think most people do that in their autobiographies. The fact is its not exciting to say I was high and got sick. So they go into a little more details, that may have not happened exactly like that, but you get the point. I mean, people want to hear a grand story, and the exact truth is usually a little boring. Hell, guys have been doing this shit for years.

[AGuyNamedMike]

The book itself is not what most people have issue with I believe, it's the fact that he repeatedly represented it as completely factual on Oprah and in various print interviews. It is known that the first time he shopped it around to publishers as fiction he was passed over, so he rethought the whole marketing angle and came up with this "my real true factual life as a drug addict scumbag" thing.

[TimeandTide]

I havent read the book, but to me it just sounds like he embellished his stories for dramatic effect. I think most people do that in their autobiographies. The fact is its not exciting to say I was high and got sick. So they go into a little more details, that may have not happened exactly like that, but you get the point. I mean, people want to hear a grand story, and the exact truth is usually a little boring. Hell, guys have been doing this shit for years.

That's what I thought at first until I read the Smoking Gun piece. Definitely not a case of just embellishing some otherwise bland stories...the dude flat out makes some of the most important details up.

The interviews in TSG with the people Frey came in contact with are hilarious, particularly the cops' take on events in the book.

[DJLinus]

I havent read the book, but to me it just sounds like he embellished his stories for dramatic effect. I think most people do that in their autobiographies. The fact is its not exciting to say I was high and got sick. So they go into a little more details, that may have not happened exactly like that, but you get the point. I mean, people want to hear a grand story, and the exact truth is usually a little boring. Hell, guys have been doing this shit for years.

ELAINE: Oh, what didn't you like about the first chapter?
PETERMAN: Well, it started out nicely: "I'm returning some pants." A very identifiable problem..."I set of down a train tunnel."...But that's where the story takes a most unappealing turn.
ELAINE: Oh, no, no! That's where it gets interesting! Don't you see? The - the train is bearing down on you, you - you dive into a side tunnel - and you run into a whole band of underground tunnel dwellers!
PETERMAN: It just seems so cliched, and obvious. It's not interesting writing.
ELAINE: Yeah.. yeah. I know. Um...how about if, instead of...diving from the train, you...uh, you, I don't know, you slip and, and fall in some mud, and...ruin your pants?
PETERMAN: The very pants I was returning. That's perfect irony! Elaine, that is interesting writing!

[Shack]

You should see the crapstorm on his messageboards at www.bigjimindustries.com (wait, he isn't full of himself, is he?) quick before he deletes the posts he doesn't like.
His site's been down most of the day. What a surprise.

There's a difference between the normal "embellishing" that some authors do in their memoirs and what Frey did. Among other things, he made up a months-long stay in prison and wrote himself into a car crash tragedy that took two lives. He made those events fairly central to the telling of his story, he didn't just mention them in passing.

As others have said, it will be interesting to see what Oprah makes of all this. She'll probably stick to (intentional) fiction in the future.

[The Bus]

I assume all autobiographies are fictionalized and embellished. So, this doesn't change anything.

[TimeandTide]

I assume all autobiographies are fictionalized and embellished. So, this doesn't change anything.

You're kidding. (Right?)

[Mordred]

James Frey will be on Larry King Live Wednesday the 11th. Hopefully King doesn't take it easy with him.

[AGuyNamedMike]

Well, he has ripped out his entire message board and replaced it with some dinky java based chat app. I guess the comments were just too much for him to leave up, heheheh.

[The Bus]

You're kidding. (Right?)

No, I'm not. I assume that people will try to make themselves look as good as possible. It's certainly not journalism. I do take offense if they lie about others -- I guess lying about yourself involves others, so it's very similar.

But honestly what does this guy have to fear? Can he get sued? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he's already a millionaire. He's a lot better off than before he conned Oprah.

Oprah just needs to move on and get Dave Chapelle on her show.

[movieking]

Chappelle on Oprah? Don't you know she is why that he is not on TV anymore? ;)

http://www.chappelletheory.com

[Fielding Mellish]

Ron & Fez had this guy on at length the other day, and from the interview it seemd as though he was a semi-regular guest. Curious what their take on this is.

[WillieTheShakes]

Random House has just released a statement that they will refund the purchase price for customers who bought the book directly from them (normally such purchases are non-refundable), and advising others -- if they are so inclined -- to return it to their retailer.

[zebop]

Ahh man, that refund deal makes me feel sick. Tell me this isn't a damned shame. But I've got to say, I saw the original showing of Frey on Oprah and again last week--and something didn't add up. I don't know, couldn't put my finger on it....

[Ovid]

The real problem as I see it, is that Frey used the publicity to routinely deny AA and the twelve step program as a recovery tool. If you research addiction or talk to a doctor who specializes in it, 95% say that some sort of 12 step program or treatment is, in the vast majority of cases, the only way to recovery.

So, this guy, who may not actually be an addict, certainly not to the extent he claimed, is "inspiring" other addicts to forego the advice of experts...and just "hold on". Even if you disagree with aspects of current addict theory (I've see the Penn and Teller Bullshit! episode too), this is a pretty damn serious thing and is certinaly a much greater moral violation than just imbelishing his biography.

[joeydaninja]

I never even heard of this book till this controversy. which means only one thing, more sales :lol:

[JasonF]

Oprah backs author over 'faked' drug memoir
By Sam Knight and agencies

Oprah Winfrey, America's most powerful television host, last night stepped into the row surrounding a bestselling drugs memoir that she promoted on her show, but which has now been shown to have been at least partly fabricated.

Winfrey was a surprise caller on Larry King Live, the CNN talkshow, which last night devoted an hour to an interview with James Frey, the author of A Million Little Pieces, which sold nearly two million copies in America last year and was chosen as the autumn selection for Winfrey's influential book club.



On Sunday, The Smoking Gun, an investigative website, published a 13,000 word article, and several accompanying police records, which claimed that Frey had exaggerated key events which underpin the book, a stark, profanity-filled account of Frey's criminal and drug addicted past.

In his first interview since the article was published, Frey told CNN last night that his book was an "imperfect animal", when Winfrey called the programme to make plain her own view of the allegations.

Calling the controversy "much ado about nothing", Winfrey said the book "still resonates with me".

"Everyone has been asking me to release a statement, and I first wanted to hear what James had to say and I didn’t want that coloured by any personal conversation that I’ve had," said Winfrey, who makes her spring book selection on Monday.

"He’s said he’s had many conversations with my producers who do fully support him and obviously we support the book because we recognise that there have been thousands and hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been changed by this book."

The Smoking Gun article contradicted crucial passages of A Million Little Pieces, in which Frey claimed to have been investigated by the FBI, imprisoned for three months for running over a policeman and starting a riot and to have lost his only high school friend in a train crash.

Although they did not question Frey's addictions to drugs and alcohol, the allegations were uncomfortable for Winfrey, who made the book her first ever non-fiction selection last September, telling her audience that she had chosen the book because it was "so raw, and so real".

Frey appeared on Oprah for a special interview in October and accompanied a 37-year-old alcoholic and painkiller addict into a treatment centre. A section of the Oprah's Book Club website is entitled: "Did this book save your life?"

Last night Winfrey said the factual basis for the book did not detract from its message. "Whether or not... he hit the police officer or didn’t hit the police officer is irrelevant to me," she said.

"What is relevant is that he was a drug addict, spent years in turmoil, from the time he was 10 years old and tormenting himself and his parents, and out of that history to be the man that he is today and to take that message to other people and allow them to save themselves."

In his appearance, Frey refused to address specific questions about passages in the book, but told King: "I hope the emotional truth of the book resonates with (readers)... I couldn’t have written it if I hadn’t been through a lot of the things I talk about."

"It’s a memoir," he added. "It’s an imperfect animal. ...I don’t think it should be held up and scrutinised the way a perfect nonfiction documentary would be or a newspaper article."

Last night Random House, the publishers of A Million Little Pieces, denied that it was offering disappointed readers a refund for the book. Callers to a customer service line were offered their money back if they had bought the book directly from the publishers, but Random House said such refunds were standard policy.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1981860,00.html

Good news! It's "emotionally true," and that's all that really matters.

[Hospitaller]

what a joke. if the guy really did exaggerate his drinking/drug use and then turns around and tells people AA isnt the answer then yes he needs to get his leash yanked. Its basically the same thing as Tom Cruise telling people not to see psychiatrists or take their medications.

ive never liked crap like the Oprah Book Club. she snaps her fingers and boom a book is a best-seller. Its the MTV/TRL of the literary world, deciding what people want to read based on the whims of a single person or cabal.

[Joeboo835]

< sarcasm >Does oprah get paid to pick a certain book?< /sarcasm >

Anyone who watched Larry King last night can see this guy is a complete fraud. My wife made me watch it (she read the book), and it was pretty obvious to me. I mean, he admits himself that he made up a bunch of it, but says that the time in treatment is all true. Well, how are we suppose to believe that. So everything outside of treatment is crap, but everything inside is true, but no one can actually prove that. Right, right.

[mikehunt]

I don't know much about this, but I don't get the outrage I've heard some people claim to have, and people wanting a refund even though originally they liked the book
just think of it as fiction and move the f*** on

[krazydawg005]

I agree about Oprah's bookclub. It doesn't matter what book it is, if she mentions it, then her millions of followers read it. Now we have millions of women who think William Faulkner is the greatest thing ever, when before Oprah mentioned his work, i bet half those people didn't know he existed.

I guess I should be happy people are reading something, but it still irritates me.

[dvd182]

I don't know much about this, but I don't get the outrage I've heard some people claim to have, and people wanting a refund even though originally they liked the book
just think of it as fiction and move the f*** on

I think the issue is that he made such a big deal out of it being true and that Oprah played it up as her first non-fiction pick. That and the guy comes off as self-absorbed to begin with.

[WillieTheShakes]

Now we have millions of women who think William Faulkner is the greatest thing ever, when before Oprah mentioned his work, i bet half those people didn't know he existed.


Yes, that really is a terrible, terrible thing.

[FantasticVSDoom]

I don't know much about this, but I don't get the outrage I've heard some people claim to have, and people wanting a refund even though originally they liked the book
just think of it as fiction and move the f*** on
:up: Exactly...All this hub-ub is just increasing book sales more. Sounds like the guy may know a thing or two about marketing.

[darkside]

If you get your book ideas from oprah then this is what you have to expect from time to time. She is no book expert and is not going to be able to fact check every book she recommends. I don't really see all the reason for outrage either. Do people really think that just because some jackass wrote it down its the 100% truth?

[Josh-da-man]

Getting a little rowdy here in the Book Talk forum, aren't we? :lol:

The refund thing is for the birds.

If you let Oprah pick out books for you to read, you deserve to get stuck with your purchase.

[Josh-da-man]

J.T. Leroy ( out & out fraud )

I can't help but feel extremely amused by the whole J. T. Leroy affair.

The people who pulled it off gave Hollywood and the literary establishment something that they badly wanted to believe in, and they swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. The perfect "outsider" for them to glom on to -- transgendered, abused, child prostitute, HIV+, who became a great author during therapy sessions with a psychiatrist.

Christ, it's bloody brilliant, isn't it? They create this character imbued with qualities that push every one of the Hollywood establishment's sympathy buttons, and he's partying with Winona Ryder and Courtney Love.

It's fucking hilarious.

I'm actually thinking about reading his books now.

[david12]

It seems like there are a lot of people who are just bitching without actually paying attention to anything after the innitial 'James Frey is a fraud' accusations. If you watched Larry King, he said that before writing his book he organized large amounts of documents (journals required by the treatment facility, his own journal, therapy documentation, etc...) to help him through the process of remembering. Yes, some of his story might have had some flavor added to it, but I don't blame the guy for wanting to write something with substance. Like he said (a million times over) on Larry King "The disputed information consists of 18 or so of the 400+ pages of the book" Roughly 5%, all of which occurs outside of the treatment facility...i.e. not the bones of the story. I'm surprised that people are out and out calling him a fraud, saying he was never a user, saying his story is complete bullshit because of such a small percentage.

I don't understand why people can be so harsh to a guy, movie, show, or a book as though it affects your life in any way. Why spend the time just bashing something? How does that improve you or make you feel fulfilled?

To me, it just feels like someone is trying to bring down Oprah's credibility. Wanting to hate her for another reason. I went though that a few years ago, pissed because she was so rich and was 'all that.' But then I realized that she is a pretty great lady, doing a lot of great things for a lot of people who need help. And God forbid she tries to promote reading.

As for the book. It was recommended to me by a coworker who let me borrow it when she was finish. It is pretty incredible stuff. Gut wrenching, sad, edgy. I am throughly engrossed so far...which is maybe why I am backing Frey up. So fucking read it and make up your mind afterwards.

[TimeandTide]

It seems like there are a lot of people who are just bitching without actually paying attention to anything after the innitial 'James Frey is a fraud' accusations. If you watched Larry King, he said that before writing his book he organized large amounts of documents (journals required by the treatment facility, his own journal, therapy documentation, etc...) to help him through the process of remembering. Yes, some of his story might have had some flavor added to it, but I don't blame the guy for wanting to write something with substance. Like he said (a million times over) on Larry King "The disputed information consists of 18 or so of the 400+ pages of the book" Roughly 5%, all of which occurs outside of the treatment facility...i.e. not the bones of the story. I'm surprised that people are out and out calling him a fraud, saying he was never a user, saying his story is complete bullshit because of such a small percentage.

I'm guessing you didn't read the Smoking Gun piece, or read/see the many ensuing exposes on the sham Frey is propogating.

I don't understand why people can be so harsh to a guy, movie, show, or a book as though it affects your life in any way. Why spend the time just bashing something? How does that improve you or make you feel fulfilled?

So fucking read it and make up your mind afterwards.

You might want to re-read your second paragraph. Does bashing critics of Frey's book "improve you or make you fulfilled"? Seems the book, and this discussion, affected you in a way.

[SMB-IL]

It seems like there are a lot of people who are just bitching without actually paying attention to anything after the innitial 'James Frey is a fraud' accusations. If you watched Larry King, he said that before writing his book he organized large amounts of documents (journals required by the treatment facility, his own journal, therapy documentation, etc...) to help him through the process of remembering. Yes, some of his story might have had some flavor added to it, but I don't blame the guy for wanting to write something with substance. Like he said (a million times over) on Larry King "The disputed information consists of 18 or so of the 400+ pages of the book" Roughly 5%, all of which occurs outside of the treatment facility...i.e. not the bones of the story. I'm surprised that people are out and out calling him a fraud, saying he was never a user, saying his story is complete bullshit because of such a small percentage.

I don't understand why people can be so harsh to a guy, movie, show, or a book as though it affects your life in any way. Why spend the time just bashing something? How does that improve you or make you feel fulfilled?

To me, it just feels like someone is trying to bring down Oprah's credibility. Wanting to hate her for another reason. I went though that a few years ago, pissed because she was so rich and was 'all that.' But then I realized that she is a pretty great lady, doing a lot of great things for a lot of people who need help. And God forbid she tries to promote reading.

As for the book. It was recommended to me by a coworker who let me borrow it when she was finish. It is pretty incredible stuff. Gut wrenching, sad, edgy. I am throughly engrossed so far...which is maybe why I am backing Frey up. So fucking read it and make up your mind afterwards.What you're thoroughly engrossed in is fiction -- NOT what Frey said over and over and over before The Smoking Gun exposed him. After The Smoking Gun story, THEN he starts back-pedalling -- before that it was an "honest, true account of a decade of alcohol and drug abuse and jail time".

I've never posted in the Book Forum although I'm a voracious reader. When I read a book claiming to be "Non-Fiction", I EXPECT it to be true -- 100% of it, not 99% or 95%. I'm a little surprised at some of the posts here saying that people are expecting and accepting of fabrications in a non-fiction work. If the story is interesting enough to write about and to be published, it shouldn't NEED fabrications. The only license I give a non-fiction author is the need to change names "to protect the innocent". Other than that, I expect truth.

THIS "work" has now been proven to have many lies and deceits throughout its pages. How is a reader, especially one who may be actually dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, supposed to figure out what is true and what is a added 'for flavor'? The fact that this Frey character is extolling the virtues of kicking drug and/or alcohol abuse WITHOUT the benefit of any 12 step program, but only because he "wanted to" or "felt it was time" is reprehensible. I can imagine an abuser turning back to alcohol or drugs when they find out that some of the book (who knows what?) that tells this "success story" is untrue ("it didn't really work for this guy, why would it work for me?").

Although it may not be affecting my life, this book does affect people's lives. My harsh criticism doesn't come from a place of hating Oprah or her book club -- in fact, I would agree that she is a great lady who affects people's lives for the better AND encourages reading. My harsh criticism comes from being offended that this jackass dare write and publish what he purports to be non-fiction and then goes on Oprah's show and countless others to proclaim that every word is true, only to later find out that "oh, maybe 5% is disputed information, but that's OK, the rest is true." This isn't a biography of a famous person where something like that is mostly harmless; this is a book that supposedly tells the story of someone who successfully beat a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and is meant to teach people how to do the same by themselves; a process which may be damaging to many, many people without the real help they need to recover.

[TimeandTide]

What you're thoroughly engrossed in is fiction -- NOT what Frey said over and over and over before The Smoking Gun exposed him. After The Smoking Gun story, THEN he starts back-pedalling -- before that it was an "honest, true account of a decade of alcohol and drug abuse and jail time".

I've never posted in the Book Forum although I'm a voracious reader. When I read a book claiming to be "Non-Fiction", I EXPECT it to be true -- 100% of it, not 99% or 95%. I'm a little surprised at some of the posts here saying that people are expecting and accepting of fabrications in a non-fiction work. If the story is interesting enough to write about and to be published, it shouldn't NEED fabrications. The only license I give a non-fiction author is the need to change names "to protect the innocent". Other than that, I expect truth.

THIS "work" has now been proven to have many lies and deceits throughout its pages. How is a reader, especially one who may be actually dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, supposed to figure out what is true and what is a added 'for flavor'? The fact that this Frey character is extolling the virtues of kicking drug and/or alcohol abuse WITHOUT the benefit of any 12 step program, but only because he "wanted to" or "felt it was time" is reprehensible. I can imagine an abuser turning back to alcohol or drugs when they find out that some of the book (who knows what?) that tells this "success story" is untrue ("it didn't really work for this guy, why would it work for me?").

Although it may not be affecting my life, this book does affect people's lives. My harsh criticism doesn't come from a place of hating Oprah or her book club -- in fact, I would agree that she is a great lady who affects people's lives for the better AND encourages reading. My harsh criticism comes from being offended that this jackass dare write and publish what he purports to be non-fiction and then goes on Oprah's show and countless others to proclaim that every word is true, only to later find out that "oh, maybe 5% is disputed information, but that's OK, the rest is true." This isn't a biography of a famous person where something like that is mostly harmless; this is a book that supposedly tells the story of someone who successfully beat a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and is meant to teach people how to do the same by themselves; a process which may be damaging to many, many people without the real help they need to recover.


Well said! :thumbsup:

[Duran]

The real problem as I see it, is that Frey used the publicity to routinely deny AA and the twelve step program as a recovery tool. If you research addiction or talk to a doctor who specializes in it, 95% say that some sort of 12 step program or treatment is, in the vast majority of cases, the only way to recovery.


They might claim that, but they would be wrong. 12 step programs have never been shown to provide a success rate any higher than other methods of quitting (cold turkey, therapy, whatever). According to AA itself in its 1989 survey of members, half of all people quit the program within 3 months, and after 12 months their success rate is 5%. 12 step is a load of crap.

[Ovid]

They might claim that, but they would be wrong. 12 step programs have never been shown to provide a success rate any higher than other methods of quitting (cold turkey, therapy, whatever). According to AA itself in its 1989 survey of members, half of all people quit the program within 3 months, and after 12 months their success rate is 5%. 12 step is a load of crap.

I said I watched the Bullshit! episode!!! -wink-

Note that I said treatment (i.e. of any kind). And if you don't see the logical mistakes in you conclusions following a single survey (that's survey), then you're as bad as AA. I am voraciously against that organization. But that doesnt' mean that addicts just "pick themselves up off of their bootstrapes" at the same rate as those medically treated.

But, as I said, the argument against 12 steps is a completely different one. To say that educated questioning about treatment for addiction therefore justifies support for ANY theory about how to overcome it, is just plain silly.

[Kris81]

They might claim that, but they would be wrong. 12 step programs have never been shown to provide a success rate any higher than other methods of quitting (cold turkey, therapy, whatever). According to AA itself in its 1989 survey of members, half of all people quit the program within 3 months, and after 12 months their success rate is 5%. 12 step is a load of crap.


yep.. I myself am a recovering alcoholic.. I didn't go through AA because of most of that shit to me is BS.. i choose not to use it.. i suck it up & i don't use it..


it's very interested, i just finished reading this book 2-3 days ago (finished it in about 3 days) and his technique of quitting & staying away was very much what i did before reading his book..


Fiction, Non fiction, it was highly entertaining

[The Bus]

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44479

:lol:

[Ginwen]

I told my wife (who thankfully isn't one of Oprah's legions) about this. She said she'd read the book, and that she didn't care if it was true or not, she liked the book either way.

[FantasticVSDoom]

Yeah...I havent read A Million Little Pieces, but I just finished My Friend Leonard and its a pretty good read. True or not I enjoyed it, and due to that I will read Pieces as well. Still not sure of all the hate, but everyone has the right to their own opinions.

[grunter]

My reaction: who the fuck cares?

That "lawsuit" alleging consumer fraud ought to be laughed out of the courtroom in 10 seconds flat. What possible "damage" could there be from reading a book that may or may not be fiction?

[movieking]

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.

Harpo spokeswoman Angela DePaul also said Nan A. Talese, whose imprint at Doubleday published Frey's account of overcoming drug addiction and alcoholism, would appear with Frey on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as well as several journalists familiar with allegations that parts of the memoir are fiction.

Talese published "A Million Little Pieces" in 2003. It enjoyed good sales, and when Winfrey named it as the September 2005 choice of her book club, it became one of the best-selling books of last year.

But on January 8, The Smoking Gun Web site (www.thesmokinggun.com), ran an investigative story that indicated Frey, 36, had embellished, and even invented, some of the material in his memoir.

Winfrey reaffirmed her support for the book in a telephone call to CNN's "Larry King Live" on January 11 at the end of King's hourlong interview with Frey.

In the call, Winfrey dismissed as "much ado about nothing" the allegations that Frey had fabricated some parts -- including a three-month prison stay that apparently never happened.

"What is relevant is that he was a drug addict ... and stepped out of that history to be the man he is today and to take that message to save other people and allow them to save themselves," Winfrey said in the surprise call.

Frey acknowledged he had embellished certain parts of the book but characterized such changes as minor, adding that a memoir is an "imperfect animal" and a "subjective retelling" of events.

In his interview with King, Frey said he had originally tried to sell his book as fiction.

"We initially shopped the book as a novel and it was turned down by a lot of publishers as a novel or as a nonfiction book," he told King. "When Nan Talese purchased the book, I'm not sure if they knew what they were going to publish it as. We talked about what to publish it as. And they thought the best thing to do was publish it as a memoir."

In a telephone interview with the New York Observer, Talese said it was never her intention to publish the book as a novel.

[Giantrobo]

Word is, "Oprah admits she made a mistake in supporting this guy on today's show".

Apparently the show has taped already and that's what's coming out...

[Mordred]

Word is, "Oprah admits she made a mistake in supporting this guy on today's show".

Apparently the show has taped already and that's what's coming out...Would be kinda hard to believe considering her support for him on Larry King (she had to have done some investigation before dismissing them), but I'd love for that to be the case.

[Howiefan]

Oprah Calls Defense of Author 'a Mistake'

In an extraordinary reversal of her strident defense of the author whose book she catapulted to the top of the best-seller list, Oprah Winfrey said today she believed that the author James Frey "betrayed millions of readers" by making up elements of his life in his best-selling memoir, "A Million Little Pieces."

She added that she believed "I made a mistake" when she said that the truth of the book mattered less than its story of redemption.

In a live broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from her studios in Chicago in which she interviewed Mr. Frey, Ms. Winfrey apologized to her audience for her call to "Larry King Live" earlier this month defending the author. Today, Ms. Winfrey, alternately fighting back tears and displaying vivid anger, berated Mr. Frey for duping her and her audience.

"I gave the impression that the truth does not matter," Ms. Winfrey said. "I made a mistake." To all of the viewers who called and wrote to her telling her she was wrong to allow Mr. Frey to maintain that his book reflected the "essential truth" of his life even though substantial details were falsified, Ms. Winfrey said, "You are absolutely right."

"I feel duped," she said. "I don't know what is true and I don't know what isn't," she said, before addressing Mr. Frey with the question, "Why did you lie?"

Ms. Winfrey chose "A Million Little Pieces" in September for her popular television book club, and it sold more than two million copies within the next three months, making it the fastest-selling pick ever for her book club.

But questions about the truth of Mr. Frey's memoir began to arise almost immediately, as they had since its publication in 2003. The memoir tells the harrowing story of Mr. Frey's arrival at a Minnesota rehabilitation center, which has since been identified as Hazelden, after years of alcohol and drug addiction.

In early January, The Smoking Gun, an investigative Web site, reported that Mr. Frey's claim to have spent nearly three months in jail was false. Actually, he spent only a few hours in jail.

On Thursday, Mr. Frey said of the Smoking Gun report, "Most of what they wrote is pretty accurate."

Mr. Frey said he had made up many of the details of his life and had created a bad-guy portrayal of himself as a "coping mechanism."

"I thought of myself as tougher than I was and badder than I was," Mr. Frey said.

Ms. Winfrey asked if he made up the material because it helped him cope or because he thought it would help sell books. Mr. Frey responded, "Probably both."

Ms. Winfrey was about 20 minutes into her show when ABC News interrupted the broadcast to televise President Bush's news conference. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is televised in Chicago in the morning but in the afternoon in most major television markets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/books/26cnd-oprah.html?incamp=article_popular_4

[wmansir]

It's true. Oprah Calls Defense of Author 'a Mistake' (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/books/26cnd-oprah.html?ei=5094&en=cf1e33702b029f72&hp=&ex=1138338000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)

EDIT: a little late.

Kudos to Opera for not blindly defending the man.

[movieking]

Another article:

Oprah Winfrey challenged author James Frey over his disputed memoir, asking him on a live telecast of her show Thursday to explain why he "felt the need to lie."

"It is difficult for me to talk to you because I really feel duped ... but more importantly I feel that you betrayed millions of readers," Winfrey said to Frey, who wrote the hugely popular "A Million Little Pieces."

Frey's story of substance abuse and recovery became one of the best-selling books of 2005 after Winfrey named it to her book club last fall, with countless addicts citing it as inspiration. It was originally published in 2003.

The memoir began to unravel earlier this month when an investigative piece on
The Smoking Gun Web site (http://www.thesmokinggun.com) challenged some of the facts in the book, including Frey's assertion that he once spent three months in prison.

Frey, 36, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" show after The Smoking Gun story appeared, and Winfrey phoned in her support for him and for the book, calling the allegations against Frey "much ado about nothing."

"What is relevant is that he was a drug addict ... and stepped out of that history to be the man he is today and to take that message to save other people and allow them to save themselves," Winfrey said in the surprise call two weeks ago.

But Winfrey, who has been widely criticized, even by e-mailers on her Web site, for her apparent indifference to the controversy, said Thursday that she regretted making that call.

"I left the impression that the truth is not important," she said.

Frey acknowledged to King that he had embellished parts of the book, and he told Winfrey Thursday that the same demons that fueled his addictions caused him to mischaracterize himself.

"I made a mistake," Frey told Winfrey on Thursday.

Frey's acknowledgments have not hurt sales so far, with both "A Million Little Pieces" and its sequel, "My Friend Leonard," high on best seller lists. His publisher, Doubleday, said last week that Frey was writing a brief author's note for future editions of "A Million Little Pieces."



Personally, I think that Oprah should have asked him to contribute a large chunk of the money that he will receive from the additional sales he got from being a book of the month to a rehab charity or something similar.

[movieking]

Just finished watching the Oprah show. It turned into a kissing Oprah's ass show, with most guests commenting how brave and strong she was to have a show and admitting she was wrong. Whatever.

I gotta give props to Frey for showing up and facing Oprah's angry army. Obviously what he did was wrong, but chances are it is going to do just as much for his career as getting the Oprah nod initially. You know there is a book about this whole fiasco coming from him in the future.

[William Fuld]

Watching Frey today I'm not convinced the guy is capable of writing a postcard much less a memoir.

[FantasticVSDoom]

Wathcing it now...Yeah obviously he made shit up, but Oprah is still a douche. I didnt really care for her before I aboslutely despise her now. Its a book Oprah, not fucking life or death. Get over it. Didnt she do any investigating if it was so "unbelievable"? The fact is this guy had a shit time in his life, got through it, and took that and amped it up to sell some books. He's a story teller, and thats what he did here. He just got caught as some people called him on it. BFD! They are coming off like someone has proved that the Bible has been proven to be a fake.

[chanster]

Did Frey knew he was going to get hit like that? I'm not sure that he was.

[Sweet Baby James]

But Winfrey, who has been widely criticized, even by e-mailers on her Web site, for her apparent indifference to the controversy
And this is the sole reason for Oprah's sudden crisis of conscience.:D

[Cory02]

So now Oprah says that the "root canals without novocaine" part is so unbelievable it should have raised a red flag to everyone. Maybe she should have taken it upon herself to ask some questions before she had Frey on her show originally.

[Shemp]

His mannerisms on the show reminded me of when my Mom used to catch me in a lie; looking at my shoes; stuttering; saying all I could to make me sound like less of a liar.

I thought it was very uncomfortable TV. Compelling, but uncomfortable.

Just finished watching the Oprah show. It turned into a kissing Oprah's ass show, with most guests commenting how brave and strong she was to have a show and admitting she was wrong. Whatever.

I watched the show and I didn't see that much ass kissing. People commended her for admitting to a mistake because its so rare you see that these days unless its part of some plea agreement.

Regardless of any other motives she may have had, it was nice to see a public figure unequivocally admitting to a mistake and not couching it all in excuses, deflection, and BS.

[maxfisher]

You know there is a book about this whole fiasco coming from him in the future.

I finally got my time machine working...


Excerpt from said book:It was that Bitch's fault I was using again. Fucking Bitch stood by my side until the going got rough and then threw me to the fucking Wolves. Fuck. Fucking Bitch Whore. So Bitch asks me to come on her show so she can tear me a new asshole and join all of America in pointing their fucking Finger at me. You saw it. If it wasn't for getting back on Drugs, I could've never stayed so calm until the cameras were off.

Afterwards, the Bitch wanted to take me backstage and sit down for a heart to heart. Fucking patronizing Bullshit. I wound up and hit the Bitch in the mouth, knocking out four of her teeth. The Pigs in security costumes came at me and piled on. I tried to get the audience to fight back but the Cocksuckers just sat in their comfortable plush chairs, horror and contempt on their faces. I left in Handcuffs, with six broken ribs, one of which had punctured my left lung. Fuckers wouldn't even take me to the hospital until I started coughing up so much blood they thought I was going to die in their pristine Interrogation Room.

Two years into my eight year stretch, I finally quit wanting Drugs. It was a special person I shared a Cell with who showed me the light. Turned out he had played a role in the Kennedy Assassination and was in on trumped up charges to keep the Truth at Bay. Fucking System. He got stabbed in the cafeteria and died in under thirty seconds, but not before giving me the strength to stay Clean for good.

[zebop]

I didn't see much ass-kissing but they sure wailed on Frey. I agree, those were some reprehensible, odd lies...

And yeah, I think it was a good call on Oprah's part. What also was disturbing was Frey putting himself in that tragedy in high school. Not surprisingly that wasn't discussed.

[DVD Polizei]

Watching Frey today I'm not convinced the guy is capable of writing a postcard much less a memoir.

Well, start writing. You have a few million dollars less in your pocket than Frey does. And he'll make even more now that he showed up on Oprah again.

[William Fuld]

Well, start writing. You have a few million dollars less in your pocket than Frey does. And he'll make even more now that he showed up on Oprah again.

I don't give a damn about how much money he's making off this. Hooray for him. I just find it funny that this tough guy "writer" comes off like a dim, scolded child.

[zebop]

I don't think it's about money at this point--although that certainly helps. It's a person who lied about his story. While that's bad, I think what Oprah did on her show today was pretty ugly. This is a case of people with horrible advisors. If I was Frey, I probably wouldn't have gone on. I wonder how other writers will treat her after this.

And really I wasn't impressed with that staggering array of blowhards Oprah assembled to pummel the crap out of her former "bud."

[DVD Polizei]

Oprah was just as bad as Frey. She defended the dumbass until the LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT, and then screamed to millions of fans: "I was duped!" You can't tell me for the decades she's been on television, interviewing so many different people and asking great questions, she didn't know anything about this guy. I mean really. She'd have to be half-retarded, blind, and deaf. She's far from this, so if you ask me, she knew Frey was on shady water. She just thought no one would conduct an investigation. She figured since it was a "therapeutic book", no one would notice.

Well, someone did.

Pathetic. They both deserve each other. She was better off defending him until the publicity went down. And it would have because there are many other stories which would have buried this writer.

And by the way, Oprah has many other "interesting" authors on her show who proclaim self-help and therapy who write books. Oprah's biggest money maker is her damn book recommendations.

[BigDan]

I do understand the outrage many people have after discovering that the book is apparently largely a fraud.

It seems to me that the appeal of this book to many people was the fact that it was a true story. Here's this guy who's attitude and descent into drugs left him in a severely screwed up state. A state much more screwed up than the vast majority of people are going to get to. And he pulls himself up by his bootstraps and keeps going on and gets through it, leaving readers with a message of "You're life isn't nearly as messed up as mine, but I was able to pull through all that, so you can pull through whatever demons are plaguing you."

And then you find out that the things that made the story.. the things that showed the depths to which this man had sunk were made up... that he didn't suffer the way he claimed to suffer.. and it completely takes away the fact that he got through it. Lots of people can pull themselves through a moderately messed up life. There's nothing especially inspirational about that.

We are often inspired and moved by people who overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve success. All of those obstacles are essential to the story being inspiring and moving.

Even if it were incredibly well-written (and I don't think it is at all well-written), the story would not have carried the emotional impact it did without being presented as truth. As a fictional novel, it's really not a book that's worth the time it takes to read it. The truth of the story was essential to making it what it was.

[chanster]

I have to say the nastiest person on the show was the publisher, Nan, who was a typical corporate bullshit artist. She deserves her own special place in hell. Her half-truths and non-responsive answers were so glaring - her career now has a terrible bookend.

[movieking]

What what you say about Nan! She has had a root canal without novocaine.

[Mordred]

Oprah was just as bad as Frey. She defended the dumbass until the LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT, and then screamed to millions of fans: "I was duped!" You can't tell me for the decades she's been on television, interviewing so many different people and asking great questions, she didn't know anything about this guy. I mean really. She'd have to be half-retarded, blind, and deaf. She's far from this, so if you ask me, she knew Frey was on shady water. She just thought no one would conduct an investigation. She figured since it was a "therapeutic book", no one would notice.I'm wondering if maybe Oprah knew what she was doing all along. If she hadn't defended Frey on Larry King, he never would have come on. So she feigns support, bids her time and then blindsides him on the show. It makes for much more compelling television because she had originally supported him, and she can publically admit she was wrong and it makes her look even better. I'm sure it generated better ratings than usual for her show.

I'm just wanting to know if Frey's mom was in attendance and what she thinks of Oprah now :)

[Giantrobo]

In all this bullshit....OPRAH wins. :D

[SMB-IL]

I'm wondering if maybe Oprah knew what she was doing all along. If she hadn't defended Frey on Larry King, he never would have come on. So she feigns support, bids her time and then blindsides him on the show. It makes for much more compelling television because she had originally supported him, and she can publically admit she was wrong and it makes her look even better. I'm sure it generated better ratings than usual for her show.Wow, this is the craziest "theory" I've read in here amidst a bunch of crazy theories about this incident. Frey knew exactly what was going to happen to him on this show. Did you think maybe that he thought Oprah was going to have an entire hour devoted to defending his lies? As I wrote in my last post about this subject, I'm no big fan of Oprah, but to some in here it seems that no matter what Oprah does, it's her fault and that's just nuts.

Bottom line: the guy wrote a book that claimed to be the truth and it wasn't. After realizing that in fact "the truth DOES matter", Oprah did exactly what she should have done and air this show. Should she have ignored the controversy and gone on defending him so that people then could say that she's an ass for being so blind? Either way, apparently, Oprah's screwed!

Why don't you guys go after something that is truly causing damage to society like the American Family Association? To read here, you'd think Oprah was the fucking Anti-Christ!

[Quake1028]

Just finished watching the Oprah show. It turned into a kissing Oprah's ass show, with most guests commenting how brave and strong she was to have a show and admitting she was wrong. Whatever.

Isn't that how all of her shows are :hscratch:?

[Mordred]

Wow, this is the craziest "theory" I've read in here amidst a bunch of crazy theories about this incident. Frey knew exactly what was going to happen to him on this show. Did you think maybe that he thought Oprah was going to have an entire hour devoted to defending his lies? As I wrote in my last post about this subject, I'm no big fan of Oprah, but to some in here it seems that no matter what Oprah does, it's her fault and that's just nuts.

Bottom line: the guy wrote a book that claimed to be the truth and it wasn't. After realizing that in fact "the truth DOES matter", Oprah did exactly what she should have done and air this show. Should she have ignored the controversy and gone on defending him so that people then could say that she's an ass for being so blind? Either way, apparently, Oprah's screwed!

Why don't you guys go after something that is truly causing damage to society like the American Family Association? To read here, you'd think Oprah was the fucking Anti-Christ!Woah, settle down there guy. I have no idea what Frey thought was or wasn't going to happen on the show (like I said I didn't see it). She had already publically defended him, it wouldn't surprise me if she had again. I assume he would have declined to go on if he'd known, but maybe he is really a stand up guy... you know, for a liar and all.

I'm not an Oprah fan, but I know that she's a smart girl and VERY media savvy. Her defense of him made the news rounds and then two weeks later her switch made the news rounds. Whether it was planned (unlikely but possible) or a result of intense pressure from fans, it doesn't strike me as sincere. I think most people would have realized right away that he was a fraud and not defended him first. That's how Oprah could have avoided, in your words, being "screwed."

Anyways, most of my vitriol has been directed towards James Frey, and that's only because he conned both my sisters into believing his fiction. Oprah is Oprah, immutable as the march of time. Not really much point in directing anger towards her.

[johnglass]

Frey's note which will be included in all future editions of the book:


a note to the reader

A Million Little Pieces is about my memories of my time in a drug and
alcohol treatment center. As has been accurately revealed by two journalists
at an Internet Web site, and subsequently acknowledged by me, during
the process of writing the book, I embellished many details about my
past experiences, and altered others in order to serve what I felt was the
greater purpose of the book. I sincerely apologize to those readers who
have been disappointed by my actions.

I first sat down to write the book in the spring of 1997. I wrote what is
now the first forty pages of it. I stopped because I didn’t feel ready to
continue to do it, didn’t think I was ready to express some of the trauma I
had experienced. I started again in the fall of 2000. I had been working in
the film industry and was deeply unsatisfied with what I was doing. I had
wanted to write books and was writing films. I saved enough money to
give myself eighteen months to write the book.

I didn’t initially think of what I was writing as nonfiction or fiction,
memoir or autobiography. I wanted to use my experiences to tell my story
about addiction and alcoholism, about recovery, about family and friends
and faith and love, about redemption and hope. I wanted to write, in the
best-case scenario, a book that would change lives, would help people
who were struggling, would inspire them in some way. I wanted to write
a book that would detail the fight addicts and alcoholics experience in
their minds and in their bodies, and detail why that fight is difficult to
win. I wanted to write a book that would help the friends and family
members of addicts and alcoholics understand that fight.

As I wrote, I worked primarily from memory. I also used supporting documents,
such as medical records, therapists’ notes, and personal journals,
when I had them, and when they were relevant. I wanted the stories in
the book to ebb and flow, to have dramatic arcs, to have the tension that
all great stories require. I altered events and details all the way through
the book. Some of those include my role in a train accident that killed a
girl from my school. While I was not, in real-life, directly involved in the
accident, I was profoundly affected by it. Others involved jail time I
served, which in the book is three months, but which in reality was only
several hours, and certain criminal events, including an arrest in Ohio,
which was embellished. There has been much discussion, and dispute,
about a scene in the book involving a root-canal procedure that takes
place without anesthesia. I wrote that passage from memory, and have
medical records that seem to support it. My account has been questioned
by the treatment facility, and they believe my memory may be flawed.

In addition, names and identifying characteristics of all the treatment patients
in the book and all of the facility’s employees, characteristics including
occupations, ages, places of residence, and places and means of death,
were changed to protect the anonymity of those involved in this period in
my life. This was done in the spirit of respecting every individual’s
anonymity, which is something we were urged to do while in treatment,
and to continue to do after we left.

I made other alterations in my portrayal of myself, most of which portrayed
me in ways that made me tougher and more daring and more aggressive
than in reality I was, or I am. People cope with adversity in many different
ways, ways that are deeply personal. I think one way people cope is by
developing a skewed perception of themselves that allows them to overcome
and do things they thought they couldn’t do before. My mistake, and it is
one I deeply regret, is writing about the person I created in my mind to
help me cope, and not the person who went through the experience.

There is much debate now about the respective natures of works of memoir,
nonfiction, and fiction. That debate will likely continue for some
time. I believe, and I understand others strongly disagree, that memoir allows
the writer to work from memory instead of from a strict journalistic
or historical standard. It is about impression and feeling, about individual
recollection. This memoir is a combination of facts about my life and certain
embellishments. It is a subjective truth, altered by the mind of a recovering
drug addict and alcoholic. Ultimately, it’s a story, and one that I
could not have written without having lived the life I’ve lived.

I never expected the book to become as successful as it has, to sell
anywhere close to the number of copies it has sold. The experience has been
shocking for me, incredibly humbling, and at times terrifying. Throughout
this process, I have met thousands of readers, and heard from many
thousands more, who were deeply affected by the book, and whose lives
were changed by it. I am deeply sorry to any readers who I have disappointed
and I hope these revelations will not alter their faith in the book’s central
message—that drug addiction and alcoholism can be overcome, and there
is always a path to redemption if you fight to find one. Thirteen years after
I left treatment, I’m still on the path, and I hope, ultimately, I’ll get there.

James Frey
New York
January 2006