Frey received much critical acclaim for his courage and unflinching depiction of his time in the clinic. In the book, he graphically describes the process he goes through to become sober while challenging the policies of the clinic. Frey finally published A Million Little Pieces as a work of nonfiction in 2003. Frey began writing what became A Million Little Pieces, a book about the time he spent in the rehab clinic, while still living in Venice, California, in 2000.Īfter initially shopping his manuscript to publishers as a novel, he started presenting it as a memoir to garner more interest. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for the films Kissing a Fool and Sugar: The Fall of the West, both of which were released in 1998. In the mid-1990s, Frey moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry, working as both a producer and screenwriter. After his treatment was completed, Frey moved to Chicago and worked in retail and as a bouncer at several bars. In 1992, when he was twenty-three years old, he spent several weeks at the Hazelden Clinic for treatment for addictions. Four years later, he briefly lived in Paris, France, with two friends from Denison while he worked for his father's company. After completing high school there, Frey entered Denison University in 1988 and studied film production. Joseph, Michigan, where his father took a job with Whirlpool. When Frey was twelve, the family moved to St. His father worked as an attorney, and Frey was raised in an upper-middle-class family. James Frey was born on April 12, 1969, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Bob and Lynne Frey. Frey told O'Connor and Getlin, "All I wanted to do was write a book that would help people get through tough times, and I never meant for any of this to happen, and I'm sorry that it has." AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
"The Frey affair has been a train wreck," wrote Anne-Marie O'Connor and Josh Getlin in a Los Angeles Times article in early 2006.
#Million little pieces license
He also said he believed he had creative license to change facts to better mold the story and create a dramatic arc. Winfrey, in particular, was outraged as Frey's betrayal cast suspicion on her role as a powerful champion for literature.įrey apologized and explained his actions, admitting he had a flawed memory about certain events. Millions of readers who were riveted by the account or even inspired by the author's triumph felt duped, manipulated, and angry to learn that Frey may not have been entirely honest and sincere. A Million Little Pieces sold at least 3.5 million copies, spent time at the top of several bestseller lists, and was the second-best selling book in the United States in 2005. Though the book sold well before his initial appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, sales skyrocketed after Winfrey embraced Frey and his book. In vivid detail, he describes undergoing the detox process, coming to terms with his addiction and anger, and developing a plan for long-term sobriety. Written in first person, the narrative focuses on Frey's time in a rehab clinic for treatment for addiction to alcohol and drugs when he was twenty-three years old. One reason for the controversy over the book's veracity was the subject and nature of A Million Little Pieces. The book was also re-classified as fiction by a number of libraries. An apology and notes from both the author and the publisher about the controversy were added to subsequent editions of A Million Little Pieces. After the truth about his "memoir" came to light, Winfrey insisted Frey return to her show where she confronted him about the deception. In 2005, Frey's book was selected for Oprah Winfrey's high-profile book club on her syndicated talk show, and Frey appeared on her show in conjunction with the selection. At least sixteen lawsuits were filed against Frey and his publisher in the wake of the revelations. More liberties with the truth came to light as others began to investigate the book and its author. Originally published as a memoir in 2003, it was revealed on the website The Smoking Gun in January 2006 that some of the events of the book had been fictionalized, while others had been exaggerated or were altogether fabricated. James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces caused a scandal in 2006.
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