"My account of events is a truthful but subjective recollection of last night," I'd say, "and the essential truth of what I've said should not be eroded by your skepticism."
That's what fibber-memoirist James Frey, author of the now-murky "A Million Little Pieces," told CNN's Larry King last night. I gotta admit, the guy's good. If he truly is a former addict -- IF -- then he surely exhibits the superior manipulative powers of a GREAT addict.
~~~~~~~
UPDATE from Random House/Doubleday web site:
"Contrary to erroneous published reports, Random House, Inc. is not offering a special refund on A Million Little Pieces. It has long been standard Random House Inc procedure to direct consumers who want a refund on any of the tens of thousands of books we publish back to their retail place of purchase, unless they purchased the book directly from us in which case we refund it. Yesterday we had 15 calls to our customer service line specific to A Million Little Pieces and fewer than that today. "
15 comments:
And he has marvelous support too... You can't get any more *touchy-feely* than Oprah...
I'm fascinated by the way being "exposed" seems to have made James Frey even more of a celebrity.
First you fake something by making yourself seem more pitiful than you really are, though I suppose that makes you more pitiful than you were pretending to be, then people are fascinated by your hoax.
I guess that makes the public even more pitiful than Frey, which may explain why the scam worked on so many levels
Do you feel the same way about people that lie or mislead on their blogs?
On his blog Fred "Texasfred" Witzell says his blog is worth over $ 1,000,000.00, not true.
Go to, http://www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth/
Type in,
http://www.texasfredshouse.blogspot.com and it's worth $0.00.
Type in,
www.texasfredshouse.blogspot.com and it's worth $247,833.06.
Type in,
texasfredshouse.blogspot.com and it's woth $0.00.
Talk about a hypocrite, both Fred and James are in the same book as far as I'm concerned.
I'm afraid that truth and blogging are seldom associated!
Ron, I am sorry you're being hit with the insane rants... Not my intent... The bitterness of a *love* unreturned is killing someone...
Ron,
I watched Larry King and it seems to me that this guy is just going to sell more books.
What do you think?
I certainly wouldn't be surprised! The corporate model for damage-control would include strategies for actually profiting from his debacle!
How many people will go out and buy the book just to see what all the fuss is about? A butt-load, I'd guess.
I have a true-crime/memoir -- no really, it's TRUE! -- coming out next fall. As a journalist, I took great pains to tell an authentic story. And in those moments of personal reflection I permit myself, I (and the reader) must still consider the existing facts. It's simply not enough to say, "I don't care what the facts are ... I see them differently."
To be honest Ron, I hadn't even heard of this book until this crap hit the news.
Ron, How did you get the worth of your blog into the *Priceless* realm??
So far, the best I can do is about $3 Billion...
But Gates IS interested... Glenn Reynolds told me so, and we ALL know Glenn Reynolds never lies...
Ron...found you through Texasfred. Wonderful spot you have here. Will have to link you up! You are a must read.
His lips may have been moving, but his lawyer's voice was coming out.
Seems he's mastered the 'answer-without-really-answering technique!
"A Million Little Pieces" would have been a great title for MY memoirs! My blog started just after the last episode involving addictive substances, but there were others--unfortunately.
Was it really as exaggerated as I've heard??
(I would actually like to read this book to see how closely it parallels my own experiences both as an addict and the wife of an addict.)
Here's an interesting perspective from a recovering alcoholic. http://fragileindustries.typepad.com/fragile_industries/
Damn, this Frey thing has exploded. I suspect Oprah's blessing is the catalyst-a blessing and a curse.
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