The media's tangled relationship with the truth has been central to nearly every class discussion; whether it is at the forefront or quietly in the background. I am often reminded of one of the more earth-shattering scandals that occurred only six years ago, the exposure of James Frey's fabricated memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Treachery is not confined to journalism, and Frey suffered the wrath of the public and Oprah Winfrey. Rough day. I decided to dig a little deeper and unearth some information that will hopefully aid future class discussions.
A Million Little Pieces is a memoir by James Frey that chronicles the painful rehabilitation process for the main character, who is also named James, an alcoholic and severe drug addict. James' battle against "the Fury" (the term he uses to refer to his desire to use drugs) is written in a brutal, and slightly modified stream of consciousness writing style. It was released in 2003 and it produced visceral reactions with the public. Oprah Winfrey was so moved by the novel that she made it a pick for her Book Club in 2005, a rather prestigious honor. Book sales skyrocketed, as did its rank on the best-seller list.
In 2006, three years after the novel's release, The Smoking Gun published an article questioning the validity of the author's claim that the events described were based on his real life. Winfrey interrogated Frey on her talk show and he admitted to fabricating parts of the memoir. Frey's publisher, Nan Talese, also was forced to admit that she made no formal investigation into the claim that the account described in the book was actually non-fiction.
Random House has now included a publisher's note in the beginning of the book stating that some of the events described are fictional. Frey is still known as "The Man Who Conned Oprah."
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