59-397: James Christopher Frey (born September 12, 1969) is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs . Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated , sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller. Frey
118-418: A book marketed as non-fiction, he stated, "The controversy surrounding the recent accusations that Frey embellished some of his statements in his book is relatively minor compared to the fact this man claims he cleared one of the biggest hurdles in his life—his substance abuse. That's the bottom line issue." "Right now the media seems to be negatively attacking the messenger instead of concentrating on promoting
177-463: A cable television series called The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... . The series was originally known as World's Dumbest Criminals , but was re-titled World's Dumbest... and began covering other topics. William was a cast member on the show alongside Smoking Gun writer Andrew Goldberg. They left the show after season 1. As of January 2011, the program was re-titled again to truTV Presents: World's Dumbest... In June 2014, The Smoking Gun
236-445: A collaboration between MFA student Jobie Hughes and Frey. The article details how Frey removed Hughes from the project, allegedly during a screaming match between the two authors. In the article, Frey is accused of abusing and using MFA students as cheap labor to churn out commercial young adult books. As a member of the collective pseudonym Pittacus Lore: Lorien Legacies A Million Little Pieces A Million Little Pieces
295-641: A collection of mugshots of current and historical celebrities. The cable network truTV , formerly Court TV , purchased The Smoking Gun, as well as the website Crime Library , in 2000. A series of the same name premiered on Court TV in 2005, which featured some of the site's stories and assorted sketch humor, using string puppets. This series was later moved and shown on Adult Swim . The site published its second book, The Dog Dialed 911: A Book of Lists from The Smoking Gun , in October 2006. From March 2008 until January 2011, on truTV , The Smoking Gun sponsored
354-420: A consequence, the publishers decided to include a publisher's note and an author's note from Frey as disclaimers to be included in future publications. According to the source at the company, there had been some disagreement among editors at the publishing house about Mr. Frey's authenticity, but the early dissenters had been silenced by the book's commercial success, both pre- and post-Oprah. Random House issued
413-527: A media frenzy like this regarding a book before". On February 1, 2006, Random House published Frey's note to the reader, which was included in later editions of the book. In the note, Frey apologized for fabricating portions of his book. On February 24, Frey's publicist revealed that Penguin imprint Riverhead had dropped out of a two-book, seven-figure deal with Frey. Riverhead previously published Frey's bestselling 2005 book My Friend Leonard . On September 12, 2006, Frey and publisher Random House reached
472-399: A memoir. Although the publisher, Random House, had set aside $ 2.35 million for lawsuits, only 1,729 readers came forward to receive a refund for the book. The refund offer was extended to anyone who had purchased the book prior to Frey's disclosing the falsehoods therein. Chicago lawyer Larry D. Drury, who represented the class, received approximately $ 1.3 million for legal fees, distribution of
531-442: A novel but declined by many, including Random House itself. Winfrey told Frey that she felt "really duped" but that, "more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers." She also apologized for her previous telephoned statement to Larry King Live —during Frey's appearance on that show on January 11, 2006—that what mattered was not the truth of Frey's book, but its value as a therapeutic tool for addicts. She said, "I left
590-535: A number of descriptions of criminal or otherwise outrageous incidents. In 2010, the site revealed financial irregularities in Yéle Haiti , a charitable foundation set up by rapper Wyclef Jean , soon after he publicized its successful fundraising for disaster relief following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti . As reported by The New York Times , the foundation had failed to file several years of tax returns. Later it
649-460: A player to fight to the death for the survival of their line once Endgame begins. The book series will have clues, which will lead one lucky winner to a cash prize. On November 18, 2015, Frey released "Black Knight Decoded," a fictional narrative imagining a conspiracy involving the Black Knight satellite legend. Frey was credited as the writer. In 2019, Frey came up with the story idea for
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#1732786574430708-665: A refund. In order to receive the refund, customers must submit a proof of purchase, pieces of the book itself (page 163 from the hardcover edition or the front cover from the paperback), and complete a sworn statement indicating that they purchased the book under the assumption that it was a memoir. In Frey's note to readers, which will be included in future editions of the book, he apologized for fabricating portions of his book and for having made himself seem "tougher and more daring and more aggressive than in reality I was, or I am." He added, People cope with adversity in many different ways, ways that are deeply personal. [...] My mistake [...]
767-517: A rehab clinic. He was also scathing about the writing style, which he described as a "childish impersonation of the laconic Hemingway style", and sarcastically referred to it as an enquoted "novel" several times. In September 2005, the book was picked as an Oprah's Book Club selection, and shortly thereafter became the number-one paperback non-fiction book on Amazon.com , and it topped The New York Times Best Seller list for fifteen straight weeks. By January 28, 2006, it had fallen to number four on
826-437: A statement regarding the controversy. It stated that future editions of the book would contain notes from both the publisher and Frey on the text, as well as prominent notations on the cover and on their website about the additions. On September 12, 2006, Frey and publisher Random House, Inc. reached a tentative legal settlement, where readers who felt that they had been defrauded by Frey's A Million Little Pieces would be offered
885-459: A televised apology in 2011. Following the events of Frey's Oprah appearance, South Park parodied the scandal surrounding the controversy in the episode " A Million Little Fibers ". In 2009, Frey formed Full Fathom Five, a young adult novel publishing company that aimed to create highly commercial novels like Twilight . In November 2010, controversy arose when a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) student who had been in talks to create content for
944-405: A tentative legal settlement, whereby readers who felt that they had been defrauded by Frey's A Million Little Pieces would be offered a refund. In order to receive the refund, customers had to submit a proof of purchase such as pieces of the book itself (page 163 from the hardcover or the front cover from the paperback) and complete a sworn statement indicating that they had purchased the book under
1003-415: Is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources. Most of the site's content revolves around historical and current events, although it also features documents and photos relating to out-of-the-ordinary crimes and people. The website
1062-490: Is a book by James Frey , originally sold as a memoir and later marketed as a semi-fictional novel following Frey's admission that many parts of the book were fabricated. It tells the story of a 23-year-old alcoholic and abuser of other drugs and how he copes with rehabilitation in a twelve steps -oriented treatment center. A badly tattered James wakes up on a commercial flight to Chicago, with injuries that he has no recollection of having sustained or of how he ended up on
1121-422: Is a minor part of the book and these inconsistencies do not substantively change the meaning of the story. Of course, his criminal history is the only thing that thesmokinggun.com actually looked into. Given that virtually nothing checked out, it doesn't bode well for the veracity of the rest of the book." The publishers of the book, Doubleday and Anchor Books, initially stood by Frey, but further examination of
1180-438: Is forced to undergo a series of painful root canals , without any anesthesia because of possible negative reactions to the drugs. He copes with the pain by squeezing tennis balls until his nails crack. The book follows Frey through the painful experiences that lead up to his eventual release from the center, including his participation in the clinic's family program with his brother, despite his strong desire not to. Throughout
1239-572: Is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore . Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures . He is also the CEO of NYXL , an esports organization based in New York. Frey
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#17327865744301298-493: Is writing about the person I created in my mind to help me cope, and not the person who went through the experience. Frey admitted that he had literary reasons for his fabrications as well: I wanted the stories in the book to ebb and flow, to have dramatic arcs, to have the tension that all great stories require. Nevertheless, he defended the right of memoirists to draw upon their memories, not simply upon documented facts, in creating their memoirs. Additionally, Frey has discussed
1357-807: The Amazon.com list with Winfrey's following selection, Night by Elie Wiesel , taking over the top position. The book garnered international attention in January 2006 after it was reported that it contained fabrications and was not, as originally represented by the author and publisher, a completely factual memoir. After a six-week investigation, The Smoking Gun published an article on January 8, 2006, called "A Million Little Lies". The article described fabrications in Frey's account of his drug abuse experiences, life, and criminal record. According to CNN , The Smoking Gun' s editor, William Bastone , said: "the probe
1416-571: The Empress of Empathy icily hold someone accountable for lying", and The Washington Post ' s Richard Cohen was so impressed by the confrontation that he crowned Winfrey " Mensch of the Year". On January 13, 2006, Steven Levitt , co-author of the book Freakonomics , stated in his blog that, having searched the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database of mortality detail records, he
1475-399: The allegations against him. He acknowledged that The Smoking Gun had been accurate when the website reported that Frey only spent a few hours in jail rather than the 87 days Frey claimed in his memoirs. Winfrey then brought out Frey's publisher Nan Talese to defend her decision to classify the book as a memoir. Talese admitted that she had done nothing to check the book's veracity, despite
1534-612: The assumption that it was a memoir. On July 28, 2007, at a literary convention in Texas, Nan Talese verbally attacked Oprah for misrepresenting the purpose of the interview on January 26, 2006. Just before air time, both Talese and Frey were told the topic of the show had been changed to "The James Frey Controversy". On November 2, 2007, the Associated Press published a story about a judgment in favor of readers who felt deceived by Frey's claims of A Million Little Pieces 's being
1593-516: The book a rave review. In 2011, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible , depicted as "the last book of the Bible" was released on Good Friday, April 22, 2011. Frey self-published e-editions of the book. A self-professed atheist, Frey suggested this work has reflected his attempt to write about a god that he "might actually believe in." In August 2012, Frey published "A Moving Story," chronicling
1652-551: The book directly through it. According to a Gawker.com report, customers could have a claim to money if they truly felt deceived by Frey. In an article detailing the book, Frey is quoted saying he "stands by the book as being the essential truth of my life". However, on January 26, 2006, Frey once again appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and this time admitted that the same "demons" that had made him turn to alcohol and other drugs had also driven him to fabricate crucial portions of his "memoir", it first having been shopped as being
1711-435: The book has been published in twenty-nine languages worldwide and has sold over 5 million copies. The majority of these sales occurred after Oprah announced it as the new Oprah's Book Club book. On January 18, 2006, Marty Angelo , prison minister and author of the book Once Life Matters: A New Beginning , came to the defense of James Frey in a press release. While Angelo did not condone the inclusion of fictional elements in
1770-555: The book received a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews. The Daily Telegraph reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": Spectator review under "Love It" and Independent , Sunday Times and Literary Review reviews under "Ok" and Daily Telegraph and New Statesman reviews under "Rubbish". Poet and author John Dolan of The eXile roundly criticized
1829-477: The book was indeed non-fiction and described it as "brutally honest" in a press release. David Carr of The New York Times wrote, "Both Mr. Frey and Ms. Talese were snapped in two like dry winter twigs." "Oprah annihilates Frey", proclaimed Larry King. The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote, "It was a huge relief, after our long national slide into untruth and no consequences, into swiftboating and swift bucks, into W .'s delusion and denial, to see
James Frey - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-529: The book, calling it "the War and Peace of addiction", others were not as impressed by the gruesome nature of the book and Frey's overall attitude that sets the tone for the book. For example, critic Julian Keeling, a recovering addict, stated that "Frey's stylistic tactics are irritating...none of this makes the reader feel well-disposed towards him". Also, author Heather King said that " A Million Little Pieces rings false". On July/August 2003 issue of Bookmarks ,
1947-420: The book, saying: Frey sums up his entire life in one sentence from p. 351 of this 382-page memoir: "I took money from my parents and I spent it on drugs." Given the simplicity and familiarity of the story, you might wonder what Frey does in the other 381 pages. The story itself is simple: he goes through rehab at an expensive private clinic, with his parents footing the bill. That's it. 400 pages of hanging around
2006-493: The clinic. These people include a mafia boss who plays a vital role in his recovery (subject of Frey's subsequent book My Friend Leonard ), and a female drug addict with whom he falls in love, despite strict rules forbidding contact between men and women at the clinic. James finally recovers and never relapses. The book was released on April 15, 2003, by Doubleday Books , a division of Random House , and received mixed feedback. While some critics, such as Pat Conroy , praised
2065-433: The company released her extremely limiting contract online. The contract allows Frey license to remove an author from a project at any time, does not require him to give the author credit for his/her work, and only pays a standard advance of $ 250. A New York magazine article titled "James Frey's Fiction Factory" gave more details about the company, including information about the highly successful Lorien Legacies series,
2124-629: The controversy and stated his side of the argument on his blog. Shortly after Frey's return to the Oprah Winfrey show, the Brooklyn Public Library went as far as recataloging Frey's book as fiction, although it appears most other libraries have not followed suit. The New York Times Best Seller list still includes it on the Paperback Nonfiction List as of September 2006. Regardless of this controversy,
2183-417: The end, Oprah Winfrey had to defend her own ethical standards of truth on her television program, which was courageous of her." Talese was unapologetic about publishing Frey's A Million Little Pieces and commented the book has great value for anyone who must deal with a loved one who is an addict. In 2017, Anthony Bourdain described the book as "such an obvious, transparent, steaming heap of falsehood from
2242-656: The evidence caused the publishers to alter their stances. As a consequence, the publishers decided to include a publisher's note and an author's note from Frey as disclaimers to be included in future publications. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had questioned Frey's claims as early as 2003. Frey responded by saying, "I've never denied I've altered small details." In a May 2003 interview, Frey claimed that his publisher had fact-checked his first book. On January 11, 2006, Frey appeared with his mother on Larry King Live . He defended his work, claiming that all memoirs alter minor details for literary effect. Frey consistently referred to
2301-477: The evidence eventually caused the publishers to alter their stances. They released a statement noting, "When the Smoking Gun report appeared, our first response, given that we were still learning the facts of the matter, was to support our author. Since then, we have questioned him about the allegations and have sadly come to the realization that a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished." As
2360-751: The fact that her representatives had assured Winfrey's staff that the book was indeed non-fiction and described it as "brutally honest" in a press release. Several columnists weighed in on the controversy, including David Carr of the New York Times , New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd , Larry King , and the Washington Post ' s Richard Cohen . On January 31, 2006, it was announced that Frey had been dropped by his literary manager, Kassie Evashevski of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment , over matters of trust. In an interview with Publishers Weekly , Evashevski said that she had "never personally seen
2419-536: The film Queen & Slim , which Lena Waithe turned into a screenplay. On January 8, 2006, The Smoking Gun website published an article called "A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey's Fiction Addiction," alleging that Frey fabricated large parts of his memoirs, including details about his criminal record. One incident in the book that came under particular scrutiny was a 1986 train-automobile collision in St. Joseph Township, Michigan . The website stated that Frey
James Frey - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-427: The first page that I was enraged that anyone on earth would believe a word. As a former addict, I found this fake redemption memoir to be morally repugnant." In October 2017, it was announced that director Sam Taylor-Johnson and her husband, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson were working on a film adaptation of the novel. The film premiered in 2018, with general release in 2019. The Smoking Gun The Smoking Gun
2537-462: The impression that the truth is not important." During the show, Winfrey interrogated Frey about everything from the number of root canals he had to the existence of his girlfriend, Lilly. Winfrey then brought out Frey's publisher, Nan Talese , to defend her decision to classify the book as a memoir, and forced Talese to admit that she had done nothing to check the book's veracity, despite the fact that her representatives had assured Winfrey's staff that
2596-417: The legal notice, and charitable donations to three charities, while total claimants' refunds issued to readers came to $ 27,348. The publisher also agreed to provide a disclosure at the beginning of the book, citing the somewhat fictitious nature of the text. In May 2009, Vanity Fair reported that Winfrey had called Frey and apologized for the surprise topic change of the January 26, 2006 interview. She made
2655-450: The novel, Frey speaks of the "Fury" he is fighting, which he sees as the cause of his desire to drink alcohol and use other drugs. The "Fury" could be seen as the antagonist of the novel, because he believes that he will not be able to recover until he learns to ignore it or "kill" it. Frey meets many interesting people in the clinic, with whom he forms relationships and who play an important role in his life both during and after his time in
2714-458: The plane. He is met by his brother at the airport, who takes him to a rehabilitation clinic. It is revealed that James is 23 years old, and has been an alcoholic for ten years, and a crack addict for three. He is also wanted by the police in three states on several charges. As he checks into the rehab clinic, he is forced to quit his substance abuse, a transition that later probably saves his life, whilst also an agonizing process. As part of this, he
2773-565: The positive message of redemption..." Angelo added. "In terms of the benefit to readers as a self-help book, the message is the key issue, not the minor story details. One needs to stay focused on what the real message is—overcoming addiction." On July 28, 2007, at a literary convention in Texas, Nan Talese spoke of Oprah Winfrey as having been "mean and self-serving" and having had a "holier-than-thou attitude" and "fiercely bad manners" during Winfrey's debate with Talese and James Frey on January 26, 2006. Talese said she and Frey were led to believe
2832-576: The reality of his addiction, which he said was the principal point of his work. Oprah Winfrey called at the end of the show, defending the essence of Frey's book and the inspiration it provided to her viewers, but said she relied on the publisher to assess the book's authenticity. On January 26, 2006, as more accusations against the book continued to surface, Winfrey invited Frey onto The Oprah Winfrey Show . She wanted to hear from him directly whether he had lied to her or "simply" embellished minor details, as he had told Larry King. Frey admitted to several of
2891-594: The seller's address in an exchange, members would threaten the seller, saying that they would go to their house to rape them and murder their children. In 2006, the site uncovered widespread fabrication in James Frey's alleged memoir A Million Little Pieces . This investigation led to a public rebuke of Frey by talk show host Oprah Winfrey , who had previously endorsed Frey's book as part of her Oprah's Book Club . Frey's book, describing his alleged years of drug and alcohol abuse and subsequent recovery, contained
2950-485: The show was going to be a panel discussion on "Truth in America". Just before air time, both Talese and Frey were told the topic of the show had been changed to "The James Frey Controversy", thus the ambush began. Talese stated that Oprah needed to apologize for her behavior on the show. However Joyce Carol Oates said "This is an ethical issue which can be debated passionately and with convincing arguments on both sides. In
3009-547: The two books, initially promoted as factual, later were revealed to have been invented by Frey (see § Controversy ). Despite the controversy, Frey signed a new three-book, seven-figure deal in late 2007 with HarperCollins to release his novel Bright Shiny Morning , published May 13, 2008. Bright Shiny Morning appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and received mixed reviews. The New York Times' Janet Maslin, who had been one of Frey's detractors, gave
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#17327865744303068-469: The workplace organizing of a New York moving company , on the website Libcom . On October 7, 2014, Endgame: The Calling , the first book in a trilogy of novellas by Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton, was published by HarperCollins. It was turned into an augmented reality game by Google's Niantic Labs , and 20th Century Fox bought the movie rights. The premise of the novella is that aliens created human life on Earth and 12 ancient lines are destined to train
3127-617: Was born in Cleveland, Ohio . He is a Denison University alumnus, a history major from the class of 1992. Frey wrote the screenplays to the films Kissing a Fool and Sugar: The Fall of the West , the latter of which he also directed. Both were produced in 1998. Doubleday published A Million Little Pieces in April 2003, which Frey wrote and marketed as a memoir of drug addiction, crime, and an eventual journey to sobriety. Initial reception
3186-446: Was founded in 1997, by William Bastone ; his wife, Barbara Glauber, a graphic designer; and Daniel Green, a freelance journalist, formerly of The Village Voice , and the son of Stephen L. Green . Most of The Smoking Gun's content is obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies , and from public records such as court documents. The site has used those requests to assemble
3245-529: Was mostly positive, with Amazon.com editors selecting it as their favorite book of that year; and Frey followed it up with the sequel My Friend Leonard in 2005. The second book centered on the father-son relationship which Frey formed with his friend Leonard, from the Hazelden addiction treatment program. My Friend Leonard was published in June 2005 by Riverhead and became a bestseller. Significant parts of
3304-655: Was never incarcerated and that he had greatly exaggerated the circumstances of a key arrest detailed in the memoir: hitting a police officer with his car, while high on crack , which led to a violent mêlée with multiple officers and an 87-day jail sentence. In the police report that TSG uncovered, Frey was held at a police station for no more than five hours before posting a bond of a few hundred dollars for some minor offenses. The arresting officer, according to TSG , recalled Frey as having been polite and cooperative. The book's hardcover ( Doubleday ) and paperback ( Anchor Books ) publishers initially stood by Frey, but examination of
3363-606: Was prompted after the Oprah show aired". He further stated, "We initially set off to just find a mug shot of him... It basically set off a chain of events that started with us having a difficult time finding a booking photo of this guy". The Minneapolis Star Tribune had questioned James Frey's claims as early as 2003. Frey responded at that time by saying, "I've never denied I've altered small details." Stories surfaced about Random House , publisher of A Million Little Pieces , deciding to give full refunds to anyone who had purchased
3422-716: Was sold back to William Bastone . The Smoking Gun began to conduct investigations of criminal activity and publicize its results. In August 2009, the site outed members of Pranknet , a virtual community notorious for tricking hotel and fast-food restaurant employees into setting off fire alarms , engaging fire-suppression systems, and engaging in humiliating acts. The group, whose members include two convicted child molestors , also engaged in threatening telephone harassment , placing fake Craigslist ads and shouting racial epithets and obscenities at people responding to them. The group members responded to Craigslist ads placed by young mothers selling household goods, and after gaining
3481-543: Was unable to identify a single death that reasonably closely matched Frey's description of the circumstances of the death of "Lilly", Frey's alleged girlfriend in the book. Following Frey's admission to Winfrey that he had altered Lilly's method of suicide in the book from cutting her wrists to hanging, on January 27, 2006, Levitt recorded on his blog that he was again unable to find a recorded death consistent with Frey's revised description, having previously written, "Frey's primary defense has been to say that his criminal history
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