a million days, a million ways, a million little lies to pass the time
i try to pretend that i'm not counting the days, but i am counting the days. i'm counting everything. it's in my nature to take inventory, or so it seems.
six months
five months
three weeks
two weeks
three days
also...
i went to indigo last week and was looking around at books. i picked up one that sort of caught my eye because there was a photo of what appeared to be a vanilla dip donut from tim horton's on the cover. being that i love donuts, as well as colourful sprinkles, i picked it up and read the back. the little blurb told me that the book was about some guy's six week stint in rehab. always a sucker for reclamation projects (just browse the archives for my romantic history, that's all the proof you need), i decided to buy it. i read the 430 pages in three sittings, all of which found me awake and in awe at 4am+ in the morning. while reading it, it occurred to me more than once that no matter how bad i think my life is, at least it's not as bad as THATGUY's. page after page of brutal, blunt, deadpan language describing the absolute horror show and complete loss of self that occurs in the midst of powerful, all encompassing, life-swallowing drug and alcohol addiction. the story and the style of writing had me in a trance. i've never read a book where i sympathized more or cared more about a central character who was so volatile and just down-right BAD. when asked to describe the book, all i could muster up was, "it's just...unbelievable".
turns out "unbelievable" was more accurate than i could have anticipated. with a mere forty pages to go, i had to put the book down to go and greet miss vic, whom i was meeting for dinner. before we left, i told her that i was reading "this incredible book...!" and i showed it to her. she asked me if it was one of oprah's book club books, to which i replied, "yes, but i peeled off the oprah sticker before i bought it so i wouldn't look like an IDIOT reading it in public". she proceeded to let me in on a few things, which many of you may already have guessed at this point. the book is "a million little pieces" by james frey and, as it turns out, a lot of it is bullshit. frey apparently is standing by his book, however- all kinds of interesting little factoids have popped out of the woodwork alledging that the book is full of lies and embellishments. so it looks like i'll look like and IDIOT with or without the stupid oprah sticker.
long story short: i bought this book knowing nothing about it, other than the fact that it was non-fiction. i read this book knowing nothing about it, and believed the words of the author. it's like reading someone's diary. you are made privy to the intimate details of a person's life and it's as though you know them or something. in light of all this, i can't help but feel tricked.
and, oddly enough- a little bit heartbroken.
man, i'm just so gullible sometimes it hurts.
i keep telling myself
i keep telling myself
i'm not the desperate type
but you've got me looking in through blinds
six months
five months
three weeks
two weeks
three days
also...
i went to indigo last week and was looking around at books. i picked up one that sort of caught my eye because there was a photo of what appeared to be a vanilla dip donut from tim horton's on the cover. being that i love donuts, as well as colourful sprinkles, i picked it up and read the back. the little blurb told me that the book was about some guy's six week stint in rehab. always a sucker for reclamation projects (just browse the archives for my romantic history, that's all the proof you need), i decided to buy it. i read the 430 pages in three sittings, all of which found me awake and in awe at 4am+ in the morning. while reading it, it occurred to me more than once that no matter how bad i think my life is, at least it's not as bad as THATGUY's. page after page of brutal, blunt, deadpan language describing the absolute horror show and complete loss of self that occurs in the midst of powerful, all encompassing, life-swallowing drug and alcohol addiction. the story and the style of writing had me in a trance. i've never read a book where i sympathized more or cared more about a central character who was so volatile and just down-right BAD. when asked to describe the book, all i could muster up was, "it's just...unbelievable".
turns out "unbelievable" was more accurate than i could have anticipated. with a mere forty pages to go, i had to put the book down to go and greet miss vic, whom i was meeting for dinner. before we left, i told her that i was reading "this incredible book...!" and i showed it to her. she asked me if it was one of oprah's book club books, to which i replied, "yes, but i peeled off the oprah sticker before i bought it so i wouldn't look like an IDIOT reading it in public". she proceeded to let me in on a few things, which many of you may already have guessed at this point. the book is "a million little pieces" by james frey and, as it turns out, a lot of it is bullshit. frey apparently is standing by his book, however- all kinds of interesting little factoids have popped out of the woodwork alledging that the book is full of lies and embellishments. so it looks like i'll look like and IDIOT with or without the stupid oprah sticker.
long story short: i bought this book knowing nothing about it, other than the fact that it was non-fiction. i read this book knowing nothing about it, and believed the words of the author. it's like reading someone's diary. you are made privy to the intimate details of a person's life and it's as though you know them or something. in light of all this, i can't help but feel tricked.
and, oddly enough- a little bit heartbroken.
man, i'm just so gullible sometimes it hurts.
i keep telling myself
i keep telling myself
i'm not the desperate type
but you've got me looking in through blinds
posted by diadima at 7:28 PM
10 Comments:
There was a big to-do about that book, as Ms. Vic told you. The reason people are up in arms about it is because of the very reasons you described.
Normally, when you read a non-fiction work, you accept what you are reading as fact and you keep yourself outside of the book, but with Frey's book people were seeing themsleves or their families and friends in his words and they began to empathize with the people they knew for the first time. And then they found out they hab been lied to in a very personal way.
They were understandably angered, as you might be currently.
Oprah was mad because Frey made her look like an idiot to her sycophancy.
I'm sorry you weren't aware of this before getting invested in his book.
This isn't the firsts book Oprah has unwittingly recommended that was a fraud.
What I find interesting is that if Frey had just said it was a fiction from the time of printing it might have still been a success.
you're not gullible - if you buy something from the non-fiction section and it really moves you, how were you to know it's fiction. i heard about this whole hoopla vaguely, but didn't know which book it was so i, like you, probably would have been really engrossed it in. i'd buy any book with a donut on the cover.
speaking of which, how come in all the weight watchers propaganda they show you pictures of things you can't eat? sure, for the first 10 pages i'm motivated and enthused, but then you should me a pink iced donut with sprinkles on page 11 and now all i can think about is a pink damn donut. i'm sure you have no explanation for that, so don't feel pressured into answering.
Awesome! Yeah there was a big media scandal about this book and Harpo brought his ass back on the show to answer some questions. Indeed the book is a great work but dayum it just hits you in the liver when you discover (like many of us Americans) that is bullshat! This Frey guy made his rounds on all the talk shows and was even interviewed by Larry King. Watching the interview with oprah is the worst because you see the little frat bastard for what he is, which is greedy.
nicky: maybe it's time to bite the bullet and get television, or a radio, or subscribe to the newspaper...maybe then i'll be abreast to these types of things.
lmk: apparently, the book was shut down by 17 publishers. finally one of them told him that as a fictional work, it would never sell- but as a non-fiction work, it would be through the roof.
anthony: well...yes. saying things happened to you that didn't happen is fiction. telling people that it's fact, is also fiction. i'm reminded of michael moore's oscar speech...
loz: it's actually a person's hand covered in vanilla dip sprinkles. it just looked like a donut at first glance.
cheyenne: frat bastards...grrr..yarrrg...
still- it's a wicked good book.
I've been meaning to read that book for a long time, but when I do, I'll go into it knowing that it's just fiction. It sucks that you got emotionally invested, and then tricked.
so the hand LOOKS like a donut?
hey, that's close enough for me. desperate times, ya know?
You think YOU'RE gullible? I believed Nick was a GUY.
There are gifts in being gullible, even though it hurts sometimes. :-)
Zing!
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