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Teh log of teh Kell
My journal is now for books I've read and book reviews (and maybe other reviews too). And, recently it has come to be used for updates on my upcoming charity. =)
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
It's been a couple of weeks since I've read this, but I figure I'll give a review anyway ('cause I'm bored...)

A Million Little Pieces by James Fray
Rating: 7.5/10
Synopsis: The introduction, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your group’s discussion of A Million Little Pieces, James Frey’s furious and inspired memoir of addiction and recovery. (From bn.com)
Prequels: None that I know of.
Sequels: My Friend Leonard
My Review: Before I begin my review, I would like to say that this book should be taken as what it is; a fictional account of a drug addict and alcoholic.
The writing style was at times irrtating, what with there being minimal punctuation. Imagine conversations sans quotation marks and indication of speakers. While it wasn't a big deal that the speakers weren't indicated, I figured I'd mention it. There are no paragraph indentations, either.
Some parts seemed realistic in my opinion, however my view is from one who has only visited drug rehab centers as a child. Other parts however seem unprobable and almost impossible. For example, his approach to staying off drugs was 'I'll tell myself not to. My will-power will overcome my desire.' While that may seem plausible, the other 'facts' in the story make it seem very unlikely. Only 17% (and later it was changed to 15% for some reason) of the patients from the best rehab center in the nation stayed clean for a year after leaving, most of which relied on the 12 step method. Also, during his time in the center, he constantly has the desire to kill 'the Rage' which he usually did by getting drunk and high. Lastly, he had been drinking and doing drugs for over a decade, which leads one to believe that he would be addicted, and even the doctors state that he is in probably the worst condition they've seen for somebody so young (23). How exactly would a drug addict, alcoholic and criminal's will power be able to overcome such an addiction and desire? Other parts, however, were realistic, such as the times he felt the need to get wasted or the times he spent with friends.
It wasn't a bad book, but it's hardly something I would recommend to people looking for a truthful, interesting account of a drug addict's time in a rehab center.





 
 
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