The Truth is Freying
Books, while still a vital part of our society, have increasingly moved into new forms of consumption, such as audio books, online books, and even the Kindle. But good, old fashioned paper books are still as huge as ever. They are convenient, easier to read than computer screens, portable, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love the smell of a book that’s been on adventures? Books tell a story that can only be lived through a page turning experience.
My absolute favorite read of all time, life changing oh-my-god book is A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It’s a narrative of the author, James’ life as he struggles through rehab and battles with addiction. The huge clincher in the whole situation is that while Frey wrote the book as a work of non-fiction, the truth eventually leaked through the Smoking Gun that parts of the book were drastically exaggerated or just flat out lies. I read the book after I had already heard that it was fiction, so I took it to be a good story as opposed to a ‘based on actual events’ type thing.
I first heard about the book on Oprah, after the book had blown to immensely famous proportions after being added to Oprah’s book club. The controversy over the truthfulness of the book gained nationwide attention, because NO ONE pulls a fast one on Oprah. That just isn’t done. Anyways, I forgot about the book, and didn’t care much to read it, thinking I basically had the gist of it from the media circus. A year or so later, I picked up a used copy of it at my local goodwill, and started reading it while bored one day over the summer. I was instantly in love!
This book has impacted me by showing me that I don’t have to settle when I read. I lived a story when I was reading A Million Little Pieces, connected with Frey in such an intense way. Why should I not have that kind of experience every time I’m reading fiction? Frey’s tale reintroduced and reconnected me with my lost love of reading.
While some of today’s technology, like video games and the internet, have their places, there is nothing like falling in love and using your imagination to create any world you’d like. Reading is eternal optimism. 
James Frey, speaking out on his latest book and interactions with Oprah and the media.
