Frey = Fraud

            Stories have been a part of our lives since birth. Whether we watched TV shows or were read stories in bed, we have always been told stories. We learned to tell stories through writing and drawing. Some of these stories were about pets or siblings, while others were about dragons or princesses. Rarely was there a difference between telling a true story and a made up one, because at a young age both were thought to be true.

I read the book A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Frey’s infamous book has been read by millions. It was chosen by Oprah Winfrey to be part of her book club. It was an inspiration to all people, until Frey was discovered a fraud. The stories he told were exaggerated, some not even true. This was exposed six years ago, yet still people read the book fully aware that the author is a fraud, and believe every word. According to Anthony Quinones, the reason for this is, “facts tell, stories sell. It is easier to share life experiences because they come from within.” Books that touch people deep down have the most power, whether or not they are true. However, that does not mean that selling a memior filled with lies is the correct thing to do, because it’s not.

The Smoking Gun reported that Frey told Winfrey, "’I was a bad guy…if I was gonna write a book that was true, and I was gonna write a book that was honest, then I was gonna have to write about myself in very, very negative ways.’” However, Oprah wasn’t so fond of this method of writing and was clearly offended when she questioned him in an interview. The issue at hand is the ability for people to lie and have no guilt about it, and to get away with it so easily. At some points in her interview, Winfrey said that it was the publisher’s fault for publishing it as a memior. When the publisher was asked if she had read the book and answered yes, Winfrey didn’t understand how she didn’t know that it was lies. But we all read it, and never questioned it at all, so why would the publisher question it? In this way, even Winfrey shows bias in defending Frey and blaming someone else. The fact of the matter is that Frey knowingly lied to millions of people and whether it was out of self-pity or for sales, that fact remains.