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Post by Jessie on Oct 17, 2005 10:12:01 GMT -5
This is Oprah's book club selection right now by James Frey. It's a quick ready - moves along at a fast pace. I think it's a quick read because, interestingly enough, he chose to write it just as he was thinking - didn't really use the normal rules of punctuation, etc. It made it very real, as if he was truly spilling his guts out on every page exactly as he was thinking his thoughts. It is a very heavy book in subject though. It's a memoir by James recounting his 6 weeks in a rehab center. He is an alcohol and drug addict.
Since I have a sibling that struggles with addiction this book hit close to home. It's very interesting to hear what's going on inside the mind of an addict to understand them a little better. The parts where he was working through issues with his family were the tear-jerking moments for me because I could see my parents acting/reacting in the exact same way that the author's parents did.
Good read.
Jessie
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Post by kristin on Oct 20, 2005 12:23:35 GMT -5
Jessie, I totally agree with you. It is an awesome book! My father is a pharmacist, as well as a recovering addict. Sober for 15 1/2 years now. I am so glad I read this book, as it helped me understand that even this far out, recovery is a day to day process. I think the book really helped to "humanize" addicts, contradicting the perception we often have that they are just bums, mooches, and no-goods. I wish everyone would read it. It gives you new insight and helps break down stereotypes.
Have you read the sequel to this book? I think it is called "My Friend Leonard". I can't wait to get ahold of it.
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Post by steffipoo on Nov 28, 2005 21:11:07 GMT -5
Hi you guys I would love to read this book over winter vacation. I have a HUGE family of sober folks/addicts etc etc etc. The big joke in our family is that when a child is born they automatically save em a seat at a meeting cause they'll be there soon. Isn't that terrible? Knowing my crazy lovely wacko family...you'd see what I mean. They are amazing...in their own wild way. Thanks for sharing that.. Steff
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Post by kristin on Dec 1, 2005 16:34:58 GMT -5
I just read the sequel over Thanksgiving... My Friend Leonard. It is equally as amazing as the first one, in a different way. It overlaps the first one just by about 6 weeks of James' life, and continues for at least a few years into his recovery. It was a great read!
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Post by kristin on Jan 11, 2006 16:24:12 GMT -5
Hey, Jessie, Did you see the news on this?? Apparently Mr. Frey is going to be on Larry King Live tonight (Wednesday), either defending this tale, or admitting to having made up or embellished the whole thing... Very disappointing. I think it is legit that something is awry because the bookseller is giving a full refund to any reader who has purchased this book.
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Post by Jessie on Jan 11, 2006 20:53:39 GMT -5
Hi Kristin,
I saw the story on the 6:00 news last night. I was really, really hoping that it wasn't true that he embellished. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say . . . I'll have to find out when Larry King is on.
Post up if you see the interview and let me know what you think of his story.
Jessie
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Post by Jessie on Jan 11, 2006 21:37:45 GMT -5
Ok, just saw the first half hour of the interview, I'm not really interested in viewers' calls so I'm not going to finish watching it.
Raises a very interesting question regarding memoirs in general as to how much is embellished. I agree with Jim Frey that it is a subjective retelling of events. In addition to the fact he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the events that he re-told, I guess I just assumed that he would need to "fill in the gaps" because I just don't think it's possible to have the pristine memory that is asserted in the book while under the influence.
With that said, I don't feel duped either. The essence of the book is the truth - he is a recovering addict. It helped me to understand a little of what may be going on in my brother's head (who is an addict) and for that I'm really appreciative of this book. Also, and I know this is going to sound strange, but the part where he was at the dentist and couldn't have any pain relieving medication he got through it by thinking, "it's just physical pain, it will pass". When I was in labor with Ellie, prior to getting the epidural but having bad contractions that thought was going through my head and it helped me get through those awful contractions!!
I'm surprised at the amount of controversy this is causing.
What are your thoughts on this?
Jessie
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Post by kristin on Jan 12, 2006 13:50:46 GMT -5
Jessie ~ I too, don't feel duped after hearing the interview. (Heard parts of it anyway.) I agree with you about his recollection of the facts, and the insight it gives into the thinking process of someone struggling with drug/alcohol addiction. (And I totally understand what you were saying about labor and using him as a comparison to get through the pain -- which is one of the reasons that I was so hoping that he hadn't made it all up. You know, the emotional connection that he gave and hoping that it wasn't all fake.)
I too wonder about the controversy this has stirred. I wonder if part of it stems from the fact that he kind of "dissed" the 12-step program. I think, from knowing people that have lived by the 12-steps, that living the steps is a day-by-day, maybe minute-by-minute struggle and I bet there are more than a few clinics/rehabs, as well as individuals, that don't appreciate his "flaunting" his success without using the steps. I do think it is pretty "flukey" that he was able to recover without them, but I don't think it was "artificial" (just rare, I guess.)
Anyway, I was really relieved to hear his side of the story, and still feel like this (and the sequel) is one of my all time favorite books. It was solace as well, to hear Oprah call and support him. She probably had the most at stake, publicly, (aside from James himself) if he had admitted that he faked it.
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Post by Jessie on Jan 26, 2006 16:35:48 GMT -5
Hey Kristin,
James Frey is going to be on Oprah today . . . apparently it's a pretty tough interview. Should be interesting to see what comes out of it.
Jessie
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Post by kristin on Jan 26, 2006 17:26:02 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up! I'll try to race out of school and see if I can see most of it. The staff at my school have a book club each month, and we're doing this book tomorrow night. I'll post if they come up with any big insights...
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Post by Debbie on Jan 26, 2006 22:08:32 GMT -5
I haven't read this book so I probably shouldn't be posting at all. I saw a part of the Oprah interview where she pretty much asked him some direct questions about the parts where he admitted making some of that up. Yes, he did admit that. Anyway, I thought that Oprah had a right to do that since she had made his book a book of the month club. I mean, she had put her reputation at risk expecting that the book was true. The sad part is that there are alot of writer's who work their butts off writing their "memoirs" or biographies. They stick to the facts. What does this do to them when they finally get their work published? I think this puts a big shadow of doubt on them too. Now it will affect all of us, writers. It is really true, you can't believe what all you read.
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Post by Jessie on Jan 27, 2006 9:22:44 GMT -5
Wow! That was one intense interview with Oprah!! For some reason I do feel sorry for him. In my opinion, his publisher should not have let it go as a memoir and should not have sold him down the river like she did yesterday. Back on the Larry King Live show they discussed the fact that it was originally shopped as a novel . . . but someone made the decision to publish it as a memoir.
The "story" whether it's true or not still does alot for me, I just wish he wouldn't have changed soooo many facts - that part is disturbing because it calls into question EVERYTHING that he wrote.
Debbie - you are correct that it may make other memoirs come into question. I think there are two sides to this issue. One is, a memoir is someone's personal account of something and none of us remember things exactly the same way as anyone else, so why should it be disputed? The other side is, how much have previous memoirs been "altered" to become a little more sensational? How much has the reading public been lied to about people's stories? Should memoirs be fact-checked if it's someone's personal account of something? Doesn't sound like they typically are fact-checked. Brings to light a very interesting dirtly little secret in the publishing world!
Jessie
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Post by kristin on Jan 27, 2006 12:14:50 GMT -5
I did watch the whole Oprah thing yesterday and also Larry King last night. I am disappointed with the revelation, but I think the blame falls more on the publisher than Frey. I have very mixed feelings about it. I think there are so many things that play into the whole thing. First, he presented it to the publisher in the beginning as a novel. When the decision was made to market it otherwise, I guess he went along with it, and could be faulted for that... However, money makes people do irrational things... he was raking in royalties, basking in publicity, and the thought of that changing was probably hard to accept. Secondly, the man was/is a recovering addict. That is his "core personality". Just because he no longer was actively using, the part of his personality that caused him to use, is still there. I don't believe that you can really "fix" that... maybe just "cope" with it. Drugging/alcohol often go hand in hand with deceit (at least in part), and I think after watching James being interviewed, it seemed obvious that he had a hard time differentiating between truth and his perception. I wonder if he really sat at his computer or notebook and thought, "Ha! I'm really going to get the reader with this part!" My feeling is that he did not. I guess the part about this whole thing that REALLY gets me, is how much of a HUGE deal the media is making of this. Yes, it makes us question this book, other memoirs, publishers, etc., but we are deceived EVERY SINGLE DAY by our own government, our president, other entities that provide services to our country, retailers, etc. and very few people are stepping up against that. And those that "expose" deceit by the above are rarely believed by the general population; people don't want to believe those things. But when its an individual, particularly a guy that's lived by some accounts, a "sketchy" life, let's watch him squirm. I am still so grateful to have read this book. I still think every one should read it. We all take our own histories and perceptions into ANYTHING we read, be it a poem, a memoir, a fairy tale, or even an account of our history. Just leave it at that. I don't condone lying, but let's be less quick to judge. If it makes people want to stop reading his books, then fine, but I would venture to guess that if the media took most any book, they could turn it into something it wasn't necessarily meant to be. Just my humble opinion...
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Post by carolyn on Jan 27, 2006 17:49:04 GMT -5
Kristen:
I pretty much feel as you do. I read the book around Christmas, my husband is reading it now, and I told him to keep at it- the story is good whether it is true or not.
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Post by Jessie on Jan 27, 2006 22:01:58 GMT -5
Kind of funny . . . before the Oprah interview the book was #6 on the best seller list . . . today it's at #3!!
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