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A Million Little Pieces

  • Thread starter Clint
  • Start date

Clint

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What do you think? I know it's mostly made up and all.

I'm a few chapters into it, after he has the big dream, and so far I'm not impressed. I mean.. it seems cold and the writing seems robotic almost.

What do you think? Should I not bother?

NO SPOILERS PLEASE!
 
I take it its a book?
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JLAP - I read it right before the allegations came out. I think as long as you don't focus on the nature of the stories and think too much about how fake it is, it is quite a good story. Unfortunatley, a lot of it is obviously fake, but I didn't read it as an autobiography or a memoir - I read it as story.

There are places where it is gritty and dark, yet shines through with some beautiful moments. I thought it was worth reading. Just don't get caught up in the media storm. Let me know what you think.

xvart.
 
After I've been reading it more I LOVE it so far. I havn't been thinking about it being fake at all. I feel really bad for him... He just wants to love and be loved but is afraid.

Page 83 so far.
 
Here is the review I wrote for the book over at Amazon:

"Gritty and dark, yet in someplaces quite beautiful, December 28, 2005

I recommend this book to anyone. I am definitely glad that I read it. However, before reading it I suggest you step out of the mindset that it is fiction or non-fiction. I really don't care and I am not angry at the author or the publishing company. Read this book without any preconcieved notions. Have an open mind and take it for what it is - whether that is fiction, non-fiction, or fantasy to you.

As the title of my review suggests, it is gritty and dark, sometimes disturbing. However, there are moments that are truly beautiful. Many of the stories told by the addicts and from the life of the author are very wild and dark. At times, it is similar to a car wreck that everyone wants to watch as they drive by. I think that some people will gain a lot of perspective by reading about some of the horrors that some people live with. The stories are wild and crazy and interesting. However, I do believe that some readers will be disturbed by some of the text.

My problem with this book is the style in which it is written. As others have mentioned it is very repetitive and the flow of the conversations is near impossible to follow in some dialogues. I thought it was a creative way to compose what is essentially a "stream of thought" narrative but after a while I really missed those quotation marks. I also understand the need for the repetition and redundancy of the feelings in James' head and the emotions that he experiences over the course of his stay in rehab.

The greatest part of this book is the beauty that unfolds in the relationships between the addicts in rehab (mind you, again, I do not care if these relationships existed or are true). I could really care less about the process of rehab, the hatred and fear, the fury and the rest except for that all these things help emphasize the importance of the relationships that are developed in rehab. There are some very emotional interactions between the male addicts in the rehab facility and it is very powerful to see these men from all over the spectrum and how they rely on and help each other. For those few glimmering and beautiful moments in the book, it is worth reading the repetitive parts in their entirety.

To sum up, I do not praise this book as much as many of my reviewing peers, but I still recommend it to anybody. As to the debates and discussions as to whether this is a work of fiction in its entirety or not, I really could care less. Even if this was a complete work of fiction I wouldn't care. I know the stories told within have happened before and will happen again, whether they happened to James Frey or not."

xvart.
 
Very good review!

I'm seeing lots of parallels betwen his life when he talks about his obituary and mine. Only difference is i never drank much nor did I black out all the time. I was the opposite of him when it came to school, but really similar in the drug use.

I'm kind of hesitant to read it because , wow, what If I have an epiphany and I decide to stop doing what i'm doing and leave the fun behind in case it COULD turn out like this book. On the other hand It's a good book and i'd feel cowardice if I didn't finish.

I can relate to being in rehab, but not much. My rehab was co-ed and was full of teenagers so it wasn't violent or gritty or anything. It wasn't a 12 step religious kind of place. Totally secular. I love his views on AA because I found NA and the hypocrasy and addiction replacement involved to be pretty humorous, too lol.

i should finish the book before tomorrow. If I can read every harry potter book in 24 hours each, I can take this one on lol.
 
Man, I can't imagine how someone could be so sad and desperate as he is! I'm always happy most of the time, i've never felt THAT bad even when i've ben at my lowest points and thought my life was over.

God this is a good book... I'm only stopping for smoke breaks!
 
  • #10
I think it's really neat when I can draw parallels between books and personal experience, although mine are not near what this book describes (or what you describe). I love hearing about "rock bottom" stories and personal journeys of the sort. I think at some point or another everyone hits rock bottom and the best part is the personal journey of rectification and the struggles that persist and "haunt" us or remind us forever. Some of the most beautiful stories I've ever heard or experienced are those like that.

xvart.
 
  • #11
My experiences are like a fluffy kitten compared to this guy
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I don't like overcoming obstacles and rectification... I like a nice routine where everything is stable and my parents have their little idea about me and I know the truth and they are happy and so am i... untill I screw up and overdose and then lie about suicide to cover it up.. then i come clean about my use but they still don't know i was never suicidal....and i'm still using and i'm repeating the cycle of my parents thinking i'm clean and they are happy and so am i but i never felt bad about it untill I started reading this book.

aww man i'm screwed! I regret starting this book but at the same time i'm glad I did... hell I dunno. I won't stop using but i think i should cool it down atleast a little bit. It's not a problem now but what if it will be later? I mean I have self-control. I used to think I was a meth addict because that's what the NA people told me and I believed them in my weak state of desperation. I still know i'm not but i could be later on in life and that's NOT what I want.

And now I feel like a worthless druggie even though my life is seemingly perfect and i have great grades and a great future and i'm happy.... I never felt like anything could go wrong untill now.

CURSE YOU LITERATURE!
 
  • #12
Ultimately a life without drugs is superior to a life with drugs. You just don't want to believe it.
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Or don't have reason to yet.
 
  • #13
If that were the case no one would drink, ever. Nothing wrong with occasional use, IMO.

Just don't want to overdo it.

I dunno..
 
  • #14
If you use meth, you have a problem and, if it took reading a book to feel bad about it, it was a great choice of reading material.  You've said in another post that you want to go to medical school and wondered if you're smart enough.  If you're still using meth, maybe you aren't smart enough.  Trust me, it's much easier to get some control over your life before you leave the nest.  You need to challenge yourself now.  You can do it. One minor drug bust can end a medical career before it starts.
 
  • #15
I'm not still using meth. These days it's mostly DXM. I tend to go on binged then about 3 months pass and I go on another binge for a few days. Still illegal to abuse it I know. I don't crave anything or feel I need anything. If I want to do drugs I should stick to legal things. Yes, lots of stuff is perfectly legal and as safe if not safer than alcohol.

Hehe, it's funny how rehab, NA, and therapy never worked but maybe a book written by a guy with bad ethics could be working.
 
  • #16
[b said:
Quote[/b] (JustLikeAPill @ Dec. 20 2006,8:45)]If that were the case no one would drink, ever.
You have more faith in people's ability to discern what's genuinely good for them than I do I guess.
 
  • #17
Lol, No argument here. A little alcohol is healthy but not in the doses most people drink it.
 
  • #18
Finished the book. Oh man that was an awesome book and i'm so glad it had a happy ending.

It tells what happens to bobby on the last page. Is that bobby his brother or a different bobby? That's really driving me crazy.
 
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