A Million Imploding Little Pieces
James Frey's defenders, such as, um, Oprah, have said that it doesn't matter if he fudged a few things in his book, because the "essential message" of healing still "resonates."
Well, what if the healing part of
A Million Little Pieces is all made-up, too?
That's what folks at the Hazelden Clinic, where Frey ostensibly stayed, are saying...Frey's description of the treatment he received there strikes them as wildly implausible, and very likely fictional.
Well...yes. I have a feeling that if anyone wanted to try to check the rest of Frey's book, it would all collapse in a heap of pathetic, greedy little lies.
Moreover, it seems that you can't even defend Frey's handiwork on the grounds that it inspires people to get treatment, because the Hazelden folks say it could well have the opposite effect.
"Mic Hunter, a psychologist who worked for four years at Hazelden-related treatment centers in Minnesota, said Mr. Frey's book made him angry. 'It's hard enough for people to get accurate information about treatment because of all the confidentiality rules,' he said. 'So many people have negative feelings about treatment to begin with. Why would anybody want to send anyone to a treatment program where they would be treated like this?'"
The most interesting part: Folks from Hazelden told Oprah's producers this
before she announced that she was choosing the book for her book club....
Perhaps Oprah would like to explain more about why that message of healing still resonates with her.....
