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    A Million Little Pieces
    A Million Little Pieces
    A Million Little Pieces
    Audiobook17 hours

    A Million Little Pieces

    Written by James Frey

    Narrated by L.J. Ganser

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    By the time James Frey enters a drug and alcohol treatment facility, he has so thoroughly ravaged his body that the doctors are shocked he is still alive. Inside the clinic, he is surrounded by patients as troubled as he: a judge, a mobster, a former world-champion boxer, and a fragile former prostitute. To James, their friendship and advice seem stronger and truer than the clinic's droning dogma of How to Recover.

    James refuses to consider himself a victim of anything but his own bad decisions. He insists on accepting sole accountability for the person he has been and the person he may become-which he feels runs counter to his counselor's recipes for recovery. He must fight to survive on his own terms, for reasons close to his own heart. And he must battle the ever-tempting chemical trip to oblivion.

    An uncommon accounting of a life destroyed and reconstructed, and a provocative alternative understanding of the nature of addiction and the meaning of recovery, A Million Little Pieces marks the debut of a bold and talented literary voice.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateNov 13, 2018
    ISBN9781684418367
    A Million Little Pieces
    Author

    James Frey

    James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He is the author of the bestselling novels, A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. He lives in New York.

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    Reviews for A Million Little Pieces

    3.5/5

    163 ratings142 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I had heard about this book when it hit the Oprah's Book Club list.... then I heard about it again when the "truth" was "revealed".... that it wasn't actually a memoir, as touted, but a work of fiction... ooh! the CONTROVERSY!!!!

      I picked it up at a book sale or in a bargain bin about a year ago, having always been curious about it. Yes, I knew it was a work of fiction, or at least more fiction than truth... but I was still interested in the actual story.
      I'm glad I finally started reading it--it was REALLY intense and very interesting. Regardless of whether or not it's a true story, it was very, VERY good! I was immediately sucked into James' story. I'm incredibly curious about the Road to Recovery for addicts, and this, to me, was a clear picture of how difficult and harrowing it can be. There were a lot of things I'm sure happen to some people, in reality, and they were naked and scary and ugly and painful. I appreciated that candor. I also appreciated, by way of reading this story, how lucky I am to have missed these problems. It became clear to me, once again, that addiction can hit anyone at any time, regardless of class, race, upbringing, values, etc.

      I think everyone should read this!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Regardless of how much of this story is true and how much of this story is fabricated, it is still a raw, terse tale of the fight against addiction.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Frey has been pilloried for writing under "false pretences". In his defence, it should be noted that it is an incredibly accurate account of what it actually feels like to undergo a detox. Regardless of factual accuracy or otherwise, it is absolutely "true" in the sense of all the best writing, of whatever genre. It therefore thoroughly deserved its place in the best seller list. I gave this book to a materially and educationally impoverished young alcoholic/crack addict. At the age of 32 he'd never read a book before. He felt that the story was his own; it helped him through his early months of sobriety and quite literally helped save his life. At the same time it gave him an opening into reading for pleasure, something he had never understood before. So do not underestimate this book. It should be valued for its insight into drug and alcohol addiction, although I can see that for non-addicts it may have little meaning.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Best book I've read in a LONG time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Knowing the controversy surrounding the book, I read this as a fiction novel. In fact, I wish it had just been published as a fiction novel so we could be discussing it for its literary merit rather than debating its truth. I'm sure James Frey wishes that too.The stacatto writing style was executed well and suited the subject of the book. It was easy to get "sucked in" to the interesting story. Frey was irritating at times because of his persistance, but all in all it was highly enjoyable.I would not recommend this to individuals facing addiction- quitting is not, I imagine, as Frey says, as easy as "deciding not to" and the idea that it is a good idea to put yourself in the way of temptation is absurd and dangerous.I enjoyed reading the book, and I am excited to read "My Friend Leonard" next.
    • 3/5
      i was dissapointed to find out that the book was supposed to me a non-fiction book but he lied about somethings but it was very good. If you dont like graphic books i wouldnt recomend it because he goes into a lot of gory details
    • 3/5
      I suppose it was ok. I don't know if I enjoyed it because of its popularity and because it was something different from what I normally read or not. I really do not like James Frey's writing style at all. It annoys me to pieces. I kinda couldn't wait to finish it.
    • 4/5
      I support James Frey. It's a memoir, people. Get over it.
    • 3/5
      In a choppy and fragmented style he recounts a journey through addiction and failed recovery attempts.
    • 2/5
      let me say that i can't believe the average rating for this title is a 3.5. it is the literary equivalent of the blair witch project. it's a fluke, and it only got the audience it did because it was marketed as nonfiction, and then of course, all the hoopla with Oprah. I read it out of curiosity and should have known better.it reads like dawson's creek. the way you think back to something you said the day before and think about how you wish you had said it. a drug novel doesn't need to be romanticized. it's too over the top.it's completely unbelievable for me, especially knowing what i know about it and the author. it amazes me that a drug novel can be too sugary sweet, but it is. if you are completely naive, you might think it's reasonable, but i can't get over the fact that he is totally bullshitting me most of the time. and it's not just that he's bullshitting me, but that he's doing it in a way that's all high and mighty, and he really thinks i'm going to buy what he's selling.i might be able to get over his writing style if i thought it was a true story, if i thought it was honest and coming from a real place. but as a real novel, it's complete trash. it's a joke. i think he knew this about himself, that he couldn't write, hence the reason for lying about the validity of the story.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book thought it was captivating and was interesting to see the dramas associated with drugs, addiction and trying to become clean. I read it after the dramas associated with it not being 'as factual as first advertised' but still thought it was a good read even though at times it made me sick.
    • 5/5
      I only wish I would have read this book sooner. For me, who usually reads more novel type books, I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading how James dealt with things and can see how this book could be helpful to others. I've passed it on to many people already. I also saw James Frey's interview with Oprah and it was great (if you can catch it on a repeat I highly recommend it) OR her website has some additional Question and Answers with him regarding the book!
    • 3/5
      Hard to get into at first but once I did... I couldn't put it down. Some parts were really difficult to swallow. Overall I really enjoyed the book, even if some of it was untruthful.
    • 5/5
      If you actually read this book and thought it was 100% true? Then you have a serious problem and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Still - parts of it feel very true and once you get used to Frey's eccentic style - you simply can't put this down. I thought it was absolutely compelling.
    • 3/5
      Interesting read. This book rejects the Twelve step program and makes getting "straight" the addict's responsibility.
    • 4/5
      "Be strong. Live honourably and with dignity. When you don't think you can, hold on." (391)
    • 2/5
      2.0 out of 5 stars I could not finish this book because it was too annoying, September 7, 2008I had heard about (but not read) the Smoking Gun article before I read the book. I had also watched A Scanner Darkly (a movie based on a semi-biographical book by a former meth addict) the week before. Although I'm not a former drug addict or rehab patient, I've spent time with people who are, and the difference of the "feel of authenticity" between "Scanner" and "A Million Little Pieces" is striking.The book reads as though the author is trying to communicate immense emotion, but doesn't quite have the writing chops to pull it off. So instead, he substitutes lurid detail, and exaggerates so we'll get the point. The problem with this approach is that since the story doesn't fit the "mythological truth" of well-crafted fiction, nor the "logical pattern" of fact, an informed reader is constantly being interrupted by a nagging "that doesn't sound right" impulse. I got 80 pages into the book before deciding that I needed to look up the smoking gun article, which more or less says that James Frey made the whole thing up. I found this assertion to be the more believable. I'm not so terribly bothered by this (after all, he did get caught, and I find large-scale frauds that involve the media amusing) but I am bothered by the experience of reading.It is rare that I'll give up on a book, and I was disappointed to have to give up on this one because I had been looking forward to it. I probably also had trouble with the writing style (although I'm generally pretty adaptable, I got through Riddley Walker all right). To be fair, it is not the worst book I ever read. But I found it intensely irritating and honestly cannot understand why people like it.
    • 1/5
      It doesn't really matter all that much to me that Frey fabricated some of the details of the book. I didn't think it was overly interesting or inspiring. I also really don't care about the menu options in treatment centres but it was something Frey also mentioned.
    • 5/5
      Very strong story, very moving. I've never struggled with alcohol or substance abuse personally and while I know I can never understand, James made it seem very real. My dad did spend time in alcohol rehab, and many of the tales and characters from the unit seemed familiar from his stories.I'm eager to read the next book by James Frey to learn more about his journey. Whether he used creative license or not, he's a strong writer.
    • 1/5
      A bookclub read, this is either a relentlessly gruelling and honest account of the horrors of addiction, or a self-indulgent, repetitive, nasty and dull monologue about vomiting, hallucinating and wondering whether suicide is the better option.I found nothing to like here: it starts with Frey semi-conscious and amnesiac, spitting, swearing and sulking, with no redeeming features on offer even after he starts to clean up. The supporting characters are no more appealing, thinly drawn and disinteresting (perhaps in part because the narrator is holding himself aloof), unable to engage my sympathy or curiosity.As if very little happening (at length) to a dislikeable man weren't enough, Frey chooses to capitalize random Nouns and eschews use of standard punctuation (especially for speech). The resulting Hodge Podge of inconsistent capitals and no syntactical crutches makes for a subpar stream of consciousness that hurt to read. The Evening Standard's assertion on the cover that "this is brilliantly written, and if you disagree you can fuck off" was frankly red rag to my enraged bull.This may (or may not - see Google for debate on whether this novel is as autobiographical as it claims) be a searingly honest account of one man's struggle back from the brink. If so, good for him. I hope he's fully recovered and making up to friends and family for being an asshat. It may be an accurate portrayal of the horror of recovery. But it's not escapist or entertaining, and (as I'm not an addict, and don't plan to become one) it's not educational.There was a tiny chance in a million that I'd find this interesting, touching, even inspiring. Instead, I quit halfway through rather than work up a truly interminable rant to vent at bookclub. Sorry bookclub.
    • 5/5
      I picked this book up because it was on Oprah. When I first read this, I wasn't a book worm like I am now. The book I purchased had a slip inside stating which facts were true, and which facts were a made up. To be honest, The book was fantastic. I loved almost everything about it. I understand that a writer would want to change some information to protect people, but at the same time give the book some more meat.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the story, but it was difficult to get past the lack of punctuation and other horrible grammatical things. And, when I read it, there was already talk about Frey having exaggerated some points, so I decided to look at it as fiction. I think that is an important thing to do if you decide to read this.
    • 4/5
      Ficticious or not it's a good read. I wanted to cry at the end like a lttle girl on crack (which after reading I know all about). I didn't cry though 'cause I'm not a girl and I'm not on crack.
    • 1/5
      such terrrible writing!
    • 4/5
      Despite not being 100% auto-biographical, this is a vivid and in-depth portrayal of the psychology of addiction. It is an excellent book for those in recovery, family members, and professionals.
    • 5/5
      I don't care what Oprah says, I LOVE this book. If you have a problem with the fact it is labeled as a memoir, look at it as a fiction book. Either way this book draws you in and makes you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone and anyone.
    • 1/5
      I don't quite get why portions of the book were fabricated. I can understand changing names to shield those involved, but embellishing prison stays and drug binges? It only alienated me. We're supposed to feel something for Frey, but I really don't. He comes across as a d**k in his story, and in real life.If I was an addict, I don't think this is the type of book I'd want to read to help me. The descriptions of his escapades would only trigger a person in recovery.I can't recommend this book at all.
    • 4/5
      I read this book AFTER it was discredited and proven to be falsified, however, knowing it was NOT a true story - I found it to be even more exciting as Frey depicts a very real, very difficult and very vivid image of his life and his obstacles. True or not the story was tremendously written and I was anxious to read My Friend Leonard afterwards to get more from Frey.
    • 1/5
      Loved Bright Shiny Morning, however this book lacks reality - it all seems to farfetched, there is nothing dull and seeming anything less than hyper dramatic. Overkill and lacks real, genuine substance.
    • 4/5
      James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces is a gripping memoir about time spent in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. Sometimes through stream of consciousness, sometimes with a Tourettes-like repetition, Frey’s writing takes us deep into the self-loathing, pain and eventually hopes that he experienced. His portrayals of fellow patients, staff and his family members were heartbreakingly real. This was the best memoir of addiction and recovery that I have read.