A Million Little Pieces

By: James Frey

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

By the time James Frey enters a drug and alcohol treatment facility, he has so thoroughly ravaged his body that the doctors are shocked he is still alive. Inside the clinic, he is surrounded by patients as troubled as he: a judge, a mobster, a former world-champion boxer, and a fragile former prostitute. To James, their friendship and advice seem stronger and truer than the clinic's droning dogma of How to Recover.

James refuses to consider himself a victim of anything but his own bad decisions. He insists on accepting sole accountability for the person he has been and the person he may become, which he feels runs counter to his counselor's recipes for recovery. He must fight to survive on his own terms, for reasons close to his own heart. And he must battle the ever-tempting chemical trip to oblivion.

An uncommonly genuine account of a life destroyed and reconstructed, and a provocative alternative understanding of the nature of addiction and the meaning of recovery, A Million Little Pieces marks the debut of a bold and talented literary voice.

*In January 2006, the author and publisher of this title acknowledged that a number of facts had been altered and incidents embellished.

Find out what life is like for James Frey post-rehab; make his second memoir, My Friend Leonard, your next listen.Or check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.

©2003 James Frey (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A Million Little Pieces is this generation's most comprehensive book about addiction: a heartbreaking memoir defined by its youthful tone and poetic honesty." (Bret Easton Ellis)

Just think of it as a novel

This was a mesmerizing story regardless if it was true or not. I listened in my car over several commutes and found myself sitting in the car several times to see it to the end of the chapter.

Hits SO close to home!

As a recovering addict struggling and going through life wondering if I’ll ever pick up again, this book has brought me back to my days as an active addict and the process I went through to get clean! It reminds me of my days I was in despair just before going to rehab, my days in rehab and the period shorty after. It reminds me that I don’t EVER have to pick up again (which is ALWAYS a struggle for an addict). It reminds me that there actually IS light at the end of the tunnel! It reminds me that all will be well and I’m not the only one who struggles with my addictions. It reminds me that there is hope and happiness for the addict that can stay clean, which I am blessed to say I am and have been for 4 years now. God bless all of you who are struggling and those who are not, reading this book should be a step in itself.

Absolutely mind blowing

I could not stop listening to this book.
It is raw and powerful and, because it's true, it is chilling to think someone actually went thought this and lived to retell it.
It's not a book for everyone..that's a given, but I found it powerful and written straight from the gut. It left me anxious at every word yet it reached deep into my soul. I'm glad to know Frey has turned the rest of his life into something promising & fulfilling.

OK if you are into drug rehab

If you know someone who is addicted to serious drugs or is going through rehab this story my be a positive experience for you. This book was chilling and hard to listen to.

A great read

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It tell the real life story of a addict. The trial that is reality of a drug addiction. The emotional description in the book makes everyone who reads the book say "Now I uderstand what it feels like or can relate to drug addiction a little better because of this book." It makes you think of the person you know of drugs who has let you down so many times before. I recommend this book to anyone. It gives you life lesson you may at no other time experience.

Overall Good!

The book is great! The audio book however skips paragraphs and sometimes pages with hesitation. I wasn't sure why. But great read.

Excellent!

What did you love best about A Million Little Pieces?

This was a great story. I thought the narrator did a great job and i still have certain words he spoke in my mind even after one year. I often found myself sitting in my car with the engine on just to hear the end of the chapter.

A Must read for any person involved in Addiction

While i understand the controversy over the author's failure to note exaggeration/falsification initially when releasing the book, I don't think that takes anything away from the brilliance of this book. The story is a wonderful look inside the life and mind of someone suffering from addiction. It portrays the characters and addicts, not as lifeless, morally inept monsters, but as the confused and struggling individuals they are. I personally believe this book should be required reading and survive the test of time to become an American classic.

Recommended by a person who is battling addiction

I have mixed feelings about the writing style I see the need to repeat words to drive home a point but it gets agonizing. There were something that would never happen like not even a local anesthetic for his root canals. But it's refreshing to read about a situation that would normally end in death or life in prison. This may give someone hope.

excellent

wonderful view of t the struggle of addiction and it shows more than one way to battle addiction