A Million Little Pieces: A shocking exploration of addiction

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Description

James Frey wakes up on a plane, with no memory of the preceding two weeks. His face is cut and his body is covered with bruises. He has no wallet and no idea of his destination. He has abused alcohol and every drug he can lay his hands on for a decade - and he is aged only twenty-three. What happens next is one of the most powerful and extreme, and honest, stories ever told. His family takes him to a rehabilitation centre. And James Frey starts his perilous journey back to the world of the drug and alcohol-free living. His lack of self-pity gives him an unflinching, often searing honesty. A Million Little Pieces is an uncommonly genuine account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented literary voice.

Reviews

'Excellent ! Frey's storytelling feels compulsive, involuntary ! poignant and tragic. The forthcoming film will almost certainly be a cult hit ! The good thing about Frey is that he writes as if he needs to; I hope his new compulsion thrives' -- William Leith, Spectator 'James Frey's utterly mesmerising account ! [is] easily the most remarkable non-fiction book about drugs and drug taking since Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ! As a memoir, it is almost mythic. You can imagine it made epic by Martin Scorsese, the auteur of wayward American maleness in all its extremity ! Utterly compulsive' -- Observer 'Frey really can write. Brilliantly. And if you don't think so, f*** you' -- Evening Standard 'Clear sighted and intellectually honest' -- Literary Review 'A heartbreaking memoir ! inspirational and essential' -- Bret Easton Ellis 'This book is definitely going to be huge ! There is no question that he's a good writer. As soon as you start reading the book, Frey's voice rings out. It's clear and sharp and turbocharged ! We love rehab memoirs. This is a good one. It might even be a great one' -- Independent 'An extraordinary and deeply moving book that will make you think about family, friendship, love, religion, death and perhaps most of all, the human spirit' -- Irish Sunday Independent 'Startling and ultimately breath taking' -- Kirkus Reviews 'Horribly honest and funny ! Read this immediately' -- Gus Van Sant 'Harrowing, poetic and rather magnificent' -- FHM 'James Frey spent ten years addicted to alcohol and crack before going into rehab at the age of 23. This unrelenting memoir of his recovery spares no detail. Luckily, he is a good writer -- indulgent and uncompromising' -- Metro 'Frey is selfish, egocentric, violent and pompous ... What redeems this insufferably bad mannered book is that, at the end of the day, Frey can write. Brilliantly' -- Scotsman 'Frey's writing style vividly conveys the horrors of addiction ... dark humour and sharp observations are evidence of a keen intelligence and an unusual strength of character ... a totally absorbing book' -- The Magistrate 20040201 'Harrowing and unflinching ! This is not a book about drugs but about their aftermath ! Though definitely not for the faint hearted, Frey is often darkly and self deprecatingly funny. This is, in essence, a story of redemption and an incredibly moving one. This is a great book' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20040201 'This book is a raging, brilliant debut.' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20040322 'Crafted from genuine, raw emotion.' -- Irish Examiner 20040322 'Blisteringly written ! The prose is superb' -- Daily Express 20050826 'James Frey propelled the memoir of dysfunctional life to the top of the bestseller lists' -- Daily Telegraph 20060523 'Frey's book combined high quality drug porn with memorable characters and a strong narrative arc that describes a modern version of Rake's Progress.' -- Druglink Magazine 20060601 'The last remarkable book I read! I couldn't put it down.' -- Q Magazine, Dave Matthews 20060701

Author Bio

James Frey is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He is married and lives in Los Angeles.