Comments | mscherries: I would like to open the floor for comments

mscherries

I would like to open the floor for comments

Feb 28, 2006 11:24

So James Frey lost his book deal. I personally think this is BULL SHIT. I realize the idiot lied. I REALIZE he marketed his book as autobiographical, that was a mistake. But COME ON, if the book is good, IT'S GOOD! If people were moved by it, THAT'S GOOD. I find it a HUGE LOAD OF CRAP that Oprah Winfrey crawled up on her high and mighty soap box ( Read more... )

Comments 7

madeof_stars February 28 2006, 18:50:33 UTC

I haven't read it, but I've seen the hellaballo raised up about it. The Oprah thing makes me laugh. She's so full of ____. It's also bullshit. I mean, think about it - here we have a president that basically fecked up and thought there were WMD where there weren't and now we're caught in an expensive war no one in our life time will ever be able to pay for, and the outcry over that lie or mistake was small, if at best. But whoa, James Frey lied to OPRAH! OH MY GOD! He must be killed!!!!

*rolls eyes* Sometimes I really wonder what is wrong with this world.

That said, I think his publisher should actually apologize to people as well. I mean, Frey is culpable, yes, but don't book places check this sort of crap out before they publish? Or were they just thinking of the money involved with getting 'Oprah's Book Club' on the cover and what that would do to sales?

Stephen King wrote a great editorial about in Entertainment Weekly a few weeks back, see if you can find it.

mscherries February 28 2006, 19:35:33 UTC

THANK YOU! Welcome to the "Oprah Winfrey is Not God Club" - membership, you and I. Do NOT get me started on Bush...I find it difficult to stop the screaming once it starts! You are so right that there are so many MUCH more important things going on in the world and James Frey lying to Oprah becomes a national event...one which culminates with him going BACK on her show, to bow down at the altar of Oprah and throw himself at her mercy.

You're ALSO right about the fact that the publisher needing to apologize. I do believe it's called FACT CHECKING. I THOUGHT they all did it, APPARENTLY I was wrong.

Hell, what are a few nonexistant WMD? At least no one DIED when Frey lied.

madeof_stars February 28 2006, 23:06:28 UTC

heh. Exactly. Last time I checked, Frey had a practically clean death toll. ;)

(The comment has been removed)

mscherries March 1 2006, 20:03:32 UTC

Again, I go back to, the idiot lied, STUPID MOVE. The BASIC facts, however, remain rooted in truth. He was a drug addict/alcoholic who is now recovering.

As for feeling duped, I suppose that is valid, but a well written, moving book will always be a well written, moving book. He is not less of a writer because he lied, he may be less of a moralist, but not a writer. If people enjoyed the book THAT is what they should focus on.

As for the administration, I think it is a VERY attainable concept. Bush lied and the longer we have to look into things the EASIER it is to see how much he DID know. I think more then 2000 lives lost is easily comprehendable.

I don't mean that in an aggressive way, I just have overly strong feelings about the Bush family and the current state of our union...perhaps it is because I work in a bankruptcy trustee's office.

you know what's interesting? vubeanie March 1 2006, 20:21:09 UTC

So Cherries knows me... and she knows that I often times have a more conservative political view than she does...

That being said.. I do have a few issues with what has been said about the Administration.
1) I'm a lay person- however I easily have understood two sitations in which the Bush administration openly LIED.
The War in Iraq- Bush did not have evidence of weapons of Mass Destrcution like he said.
Katrina- There has been information that there were many e-mails to the Bush administration about issues with Katrina and a possible break in the levees BEFORE the storm... that Bush openly ignored. Then he went out to the American people and said they never thought the levees could break. Ummm hello?

I guess this is where my bigger issue lies at the moment. How come Clinton got impeached for getting his dick sucked by an intern and lying about it... but Bush's lies who affected millions of Americans has gone unpunished? Does anyone want to answer that one for me?

i read it vubeanie March 1 2006, 16:01:52 UTC

I read it... it was one of the most moving books I have read in a long time.

The major point that everyone keeps missing in this whole mess is that the main point of the story is still true. James Frey was a drug addict and alcoholic. He did get clean. He "held on" and made it through. And through this book, Frey helped many other people in the world "hold on".

I for one am angry that I won't see anymore books come from him because of this.

Re: i read it mscherries March 1 2006, 20:06:33 UTC

That just about sums it up doesn't it? AGAIN he should not have embellished anything, it seems to me the story would have been just as moving with ALL of the true facts. But it was still a well written piece.

I can only hope that another publisher will see the potential in follow-up work by Frey.