A Million Little Pieces

Rating:
Summary: Riveting read........
Review: The first page just sucks you right in--the plane ride, the imaging of his physical appearance, and his thought process was incredible. This book was really hard to put down.
James Frey gives someone who has never experienced substance abuse to understand the horrors of it with such detail that at times it left me horrified and other times simply made me cry.



Rating:
Summary: EVERYTHING
Review: this book is everything.

i will never forget it.

thankyou james frey.

Rating:
Summary: harrowing and intense
Review: James Frey has written a harrowing and intense account of his recovery from drug addiction. If you ever need to have a friend or loved one "scared straight," this book should do it.

Rating:
Summary: To the Extreme
Review: There is something about "A Million Little Pieces" that makes you have to keep reading no matter how much it churns your stomach. It's that phenomenon like watching a car wreck. We have to watch. This guy destroyed his life with his addictions. You squirm when you read it. Think "Requiem for a Dream" or "My Fractured Life". It is EXTREMELY graphic. It is EXTREMELY vivid. AND it is EXTREMELY good.

Rating:
Summary: Not good
Review: Being an alcoholic/addict myself, i found this book to be a huge disservice to recovering people or people who'd like recover. Why? Because its filled with the typical egocentric, self-important, pseudointellectual ramblings of an addict. There is no humility in it which is essential to recovery, in my opionion.

I wonder what the point was in publishing it. Who is it supposed to help? Who benefits? I didn't need another depressing story.

Despite his claimed horrific alcoholic/drug experiences, Frey proposes a recovery plan of self-will/knowledge; not believing in God or AA for some odd reason. Eventhough, it is evident that AA principles are working for him while in treatment, he choses instead to look for answers in his own messed up thoughts. Thoughts which he even admits are defective (the Fury). - Good plan, James.

Frey, not able to see that the essential help he receives in his recovery is from simple people with a simple belief system must look to the Tao for answers. I am sure he is sincere, though, and it makes perfect sense in his own mind.

I really wish him the best of luck in his recovery or revelation, whatever the case may be, but I wonder of the effectiveness of his plan when I see in the final analysis that the people in his life that were so important to him die or are incarcerated. If your insight was so profound why not share with those who are supposedly your 'friends'.

No, this book should be avoided at ALL costs by the addict/alcoholic. It is a troubling, pernicious work of literature. Instead pick up the AA related literature if you want knowledge and/or real help with this disease. It is not something to be reasoned out of as proposed in 'A million little pieces".