Author James Frey has made millions on his bestselling book "A Million Little Pieces" and its sequel, having ridden the recommendation of Oprah Winfrey's Book Club to huge financial success and acclaim as something of a cult hero. Purported to be a nonfiction account of his alcoholism, drug addiction, and imprisonment, it had Oprah and friends in tears, raving about its honesty and authenticity. Now an e-zine called The Smoking Gun has exposed him as a fabulist and a liar in a detailed investigative report that takes apart virtually every major event in the book as exaggeration or outright fabrication. I had not heard of the book, but lots of people beside Oprah have been conned. Frey's book...
...has sold more than 3.5 million copies and, thanks to Winfrey, has sat atop The New York Times nonfiction paperback best seller list for the past 15 weeks. Next to the latest Harry Potter title, Nielsen BookScan reported Friday, Frey's book sold more copies in the U.S. in 2005--1.77 million--than any other title, with the majority of that total coming after Winfrey's selection.Police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey's book. The 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw "wanted in three states."
In additon to these rap sheet creations, Frey also invented a role for himself in a deadly train accident that cost the lives of two female high school students. In what may be his book's most crass flight from reality, Frey remarkably appropriates and manipulates details of the incident so he can falsely portray himself as the tragedy's third victim. It's a cynical and offensive ploy that has left one of the victims' parents bewildered. "As far as I know, he had nothing to do with the accident," said the mother of one of the dead girls. "I figured he was taking license...he's a writer, you know, they don't tell everything that's factual and true."
Really.
(via Galley Slaves)
Posted by dan at January 10, 2006 2:26 AM