james frey

i recently reread james frey's "a million little pieces" and i can't help but wonder why everyone was so mad that some parts were exaggerated. well, okay, i don't know how much of it isn't true, but i remember reading that most of it was and that just a few things were not (he shortened the time line, the length of time he spent in jail, how lilly killed herself...). if that's really the case then who really cares?! it was marketed as a memoir, not an autobiography (which, while not too different, is totally different). and even in many autobiographies certain names or details are altered in order to protect privacy. importantly, the main story of frey's book, the addiction and the recovery, are true. also most of the incidents are fully true (as corroborated by others). and most of the narrative are actually his own thoughts, and who's to say that he wasn't thinking those things?

yes, he might not have been as heroic or even as derelict as he said he was but the point remains: he got over his addictions without the help of a 12-step program. 

a friend of mine went to alcohol counseling after receiving a dui. and she said that they also pushed aa and it's 12 steps. as with frey, she also said that the 12-step program felt like replacing one addiction with another. and i've heard it from others too, they've been told that without the 12-steps they are bound to relapse. 

should i then, an athiest, be especially worried if i were to become an addict? apparently i will NEVER become sober! it's simply not possible! it's not just one or two of the twelve, but seven (seven!!) of the twelve steps mention something to do with a spiritual being outside myself. 

even the first time i read frey's book i really liked and identified with his philosophy of taking full responsibility for one's own decisions, actions, and addictions. maybe some people need a holy power to help them get over their addictions, but surely not everyone does. 

frey's story is a parable. just because it's not 100% accurate doesn't make it any less profound. even most christians don't believe that jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, but they don't then discard the entire bible. 

of course, i'm not saying that frey didn't do wrong when he lied in his memoir. certain changes to specifics (names, locations, dates) are allowed, and it's to be expected that some events will be downplayed or exaggerated but apparently he majorly altered the truth in certain parts of his book, which is a big no no in a work of what's supposed to be non-fiction. but he didn't deserve the massive public condemnation or oprah publically humiliating him on national tv.