More Lies from James Frey
Did James Frey's lover Lilly really commit suicide, as he describes in his sham-book, "A Million Little Pieces"?
Stephen Levitt, writing on his Freakonomics website, doesn't think so....
I don't really have the time to check out any of Frey's claims myself, and I don't feel the need to; to my mind, what's already been disproved about the book undermines its veracity so fundamentally that there's no need to continue.
But I will go on record as venturing that the book contains far more lies than facts. If Frey lied about things like his criminal record—things that could be checked out—why wouldn't he lie about things that would be virtually impossible to check?
Answer: Of course he would, and surely did.....
Because of my unfortunate experience with fabulist Stephen Glass, I keep thinking about why Glass was drummed out of journalism and Frey's book continues to sell by the barrelful.
What's the difference between them? Morally, none. But Frey has at least two powerful institutions with a self-interest in propping him up—Random House and Oprah—not to mention all those self-deluding readers who feel that Frey helped them "get back on their feet," or some such self-help claptrap.....
