Rating: 
Summary: How Most Addicts Recover
Review: I don't know much about literary styles so regarding the author's I will only say that I became annoyed by his constant repetition of the same words and phrases. Having said that however, I was riveted to his story. It's unflinching, painful, ugly, and ultimately very uplifting. There are moments of unbelievable cruelty, but plenty more that are filled with genuine compassion from other addicts and clinic staffers alike.As for Frey's attitude about what it takes to remain clean, he is dead-on target. I applied the same basic principles of self-will to insure my own abstinence. And I too refuse to live in fear of the substances to which I once shackled myself, as do most former addicts. A previous reviewer assumes the worst for Frey because of his efforts. And while I don't know the reviewer (nor Frey), the comments are typical of many people who buy the 12-Step party lines about "self will running rampant", "denial", and "addiction-as-disease", and so forth. I believe that THESE ideas do far more to keep addicts hooked than does reliance on inner human strength and intelligence. Certainly the results of medically and scientifically "sound" recovery methods as used by the Hazelden Clinic (where Frey dried out) support my belief. Perhaps the reviewer missed the comments made by Frey's addiction counselor; that Hazelden has the best recovery rate of any clinic in the world: a whopping 17%! Thats right... 17%. This is not an accident but rather an indictment against currently accepted "treatment" modalities. The public as a whole has yet to catch on to the truth about self-recovery from addiction. Theres a lot at stake in remaining uninformed about this very issue. It's also another reason why Frey's story is so important.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting, Painful, Good
Review: Few books that I've read have left me reeling the way that this first work from James Frey did. I honestly went back and reread parts of it almost immediately after finishing it. It's a brutally honest look at life and the good and evil inside of all of us. This man is going places. And even if he never writes another book, he has secured his place in American literary history.
Rating: 
Summary: One in a Million
Review: As a person who was married to an addict for ten years, I can tell you what a roller coaster ride addiction is. This book is mesmerzing. I couldn't put it down. A must read for anyone with addictions or anyone who knows an addict. Just awesome!
Rating: 
Summary: This is Not a Self Help Book
Review: James Frey is a gifted writer, his prose is sharp and engaging. Some people are saying this is among the best recent books about addiction--maybe it is. It illustrates the horrific symptoms of alcoholism and chemical dependence which any alcoholic or addict will identify with--Frey's case is a garden variety one. Frey rejects the sound medical and clinical advice that has worked for millions of people for 67 years. He decides to get sober his own way, which is also pretty common, and explains why so few people who try to get clean and sober stay fail. Treatment on addiction is open for debate, and certainly there is more than one way to find happiness. But based on the text in this book and interviews Frey has given, it is clear that his way is not facilitating the joy and serenity common to those who find a higher power and help others recover. Arrogance, big ego, and low self esteem plague the book, and since it's nonfiction, must plague the author. Maybe the book is one of our best portraits of addiction; it is definitely our worst portrait of recovery.
Rating:
Summary: Word
Review: I found it humorous to look on the back jacket of James Frey's first work to find that Bret Easton Ellis had been quoted. I always found him very sensationalist and unreasonable, especially in his later works. His discussions of drug use seem to be without true acknowledgement of relations to insanity. I am editing this because I typed the rest of the previous thing when I just wanted to save it. Word.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: I thought this book was certainly readable, and Frey's style is refreshing. However, this book is no more than a descriptive account of one person's experiences, don't look for answers in this book in the way of normative solutions to addiction. With this in mind, I thought the book was a pleasure to read. Seeing the author's picture on the inside jacket also helped me to appreciate the autheniticity of Frey's understanding of addiction....looks nothing like what I had visualized (a good thing).
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Swallow
Review: I picked this book up because of all the hype it's received since release. As an individual acquainted with alcohol recovery, I'm interested in learning from the struggles others. The best memoirs on addiction and recovery (I think of Caroline Knapp's "Drinking a Love Story" and Pete Hamill's "The Drinking Life") inspire the reader not only with tales of the courage involved in the addict's determination to embrace sobriety, but with the insight he/she gains in the process. Frey's book offers none of the kind of reflection involved in coming to terms with the cunning, baffling, and powerful nature of alcohol and drug addiction.
Further, his writing style, which has garnered so much attention, is little more than a kind of pared down prose with repetitive interjections meant to heighten whatever feelings he is having at the time. As a stylistic device it works on occasion, but, for the most part, comes off as an extended whine.
Finally, Frey's book is marketed as a memoir. As a reader I want to believe that I'm hearing a true account of his life, but certain incidents in the book make that impossible. His account of molestation by a priest is not only tough to buy; it strikes the reader as an attempt to capitalize on the current scandal in the Catholic Church. Having worked with sex criminals I can confidently say that not even the most blatant sex offender would attempt to violate a total stranger in the way this priest does, especially one who is decidedly more powerful and hopped up on drugs.
This raises a critical issue with regard to the current interest personal memoir; to what degree is the author responsible to write what really happened when dealing with his/her personal story?
In Frey's book this question asserts itself prominently as it becomes apparent that the line between truth and fiction is as fuzzy as a teenager's sense of direction after a fifth of JD
Rating:
Summary: A good message
Review: [Disclaimer: Much as been said about the author, and I can see that some reviewers here talk more about the author than the narrator, and I understand they are the same person, but there is no point in equating the two, and therefore I will refrain from discussing James Frey's comments in interviews and magazines.] The book is addictive, but that's not the same as saying it's a great book. It is a good book, but not not without its flaws. Not the indisputable best book of our generation, as some have proclaimed it, but again, a decent book and one well worth reading. Despite the fact that few readers will be able to truly understand the author's viewpoint given his life of excess, it's easy to relate to the narrator, and feel his frustration, and therefore he is a very sympathetic character. At times, however, his behavior and human interactions become two-dimensional, particularly with his newfound 'girlfriend' and his experience with the Tao Te Ching. But these moments are infrequent, and anyway, it's forgivable because it's a book that has a message, and regardless of how "masculinely" stated it is, it is a message worth hearing: that you as a human have choices to make, and problems that you encounter in your life are largely symptoms of your choices, and the way you react to these problems is also a choice you have to make, and the decision to gain victory or to be defeated by the problems that plague you is, again, your choice. The book is the story of a triumph of the human will. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: I read a lot of books. All of my favorite authors are dead. Frey's book has me excited about a new writer for the first time maybe ever.
I was impressed with the technique but not overwhelmed or overly absorbed by it and, as a result, was able to feel genuine emotion for and towards the characters.
A Million Little Pieces is an excellent, exciting book. I am looking forward to the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book, now!
Review: This is an amazing, powerful book. Some of the poor reviews that are posted must be from readers who just don't get it. James Frey is incredible and I enjoyed every minute of this emotional book. Buy it now, you won't be able to put it down!
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