THE DEMONS MADE ME DO IT

           James Frey’s twisted re-telling of “life events” in his book A Million Little Pieces, partially took place in his hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan. Several police officers and locals who knew Frey are saying that many parts of the book were not factual. However, even after several investigations and news reports, only 2,000 out of the millions of buyers asked for and received full refunds from the publisher. It doesn’t necessarily bother me that Frey exaggerated events, as a memoir is told in the way one remembers specific events. The part that bothers me is that he completely exaggerated how much drugs he used. According to several doctors, there would have been no possible way Frey would’ve been alive after consuming all he had. It isn’t humanly possible. So, I can’t understand why he would exaggerate how much he used when, without exaggeration, the amazing story he had would’ve been enough.

            One article quoted Frey saying that the “Demons” that drove him to do drugs also made him lie in his book. I do not believe that for a second. Frey is basically claiming that he’s insane. But, no one who is actually insane would ever admit that they are. This shows how people are claiming they are “mentally ill” to get out of things. One law that drives me insane—no pun intended—is that people who are determined “mentally retarded” and “didn’t know what they were doing at the time” can get out of murder. It’s the same thing as Frey; they are using an actual illness to try and cover up for their mistakes. In my opinion, if someone is so mentally ill to the point where they are incapable of taking responsibility for their actions, they are dangerous and need to be locked up. The same goes for Frey. Frey lied and was well aware that he was lying, just as he was well aware that he was doing drugs.

The other thing that strikes me as odd in the book is his infatuation with a character named Lilly. If other parts of his book had been deemed untrue, how can we believe that there was a girl named Lilly who fell for Frey, with a huge scar across his face, yellowy-black bags under his eyes, and could barely get up without throwing up? It’s strange that the girl he was in love with basically didn’t exist before entering the rehabilitation center, has a dead grandmother as her only family member ever mentioned, and committed suicide as soon as she left the building. How do we know that she ever was real? While according to Frey’s Demon claim he could’ve imagined her, it is clear that he easily could’ve made her up like he did the rest of his book. Psychologically, this book cannot be defended. Frey wrote every word and the issue of people claiming this or that to cover up the truth can no longer be supported. The millions of readers who read and fell in love with this book are evidence of that.