I liked the book but I agree with what the poster below me wrote.

I don’t normally read popular books, especially ones with an Oprah sticker on the cover, but it was recommended, and I read the first few pages in an airport bookstore, and I decided it was worth borrowing the library copy.

First, I’ll say that it’s written appropriately. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s written well, but the form reflects the function, which seems to be to convey the feeling of having an addiction. The author often omits sentence structure and punctuation, especially when his character is feeling an urge to use. Though it’s effective, it also makes me want to send the author a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

One reader review I read lauded the author not only for his success in beating the addiction, but more so for being in control of his program. Through the book, his character constantly rejects the 12 steps because they are intimately linked with religion. He’s rude to almost everyone in authority, and he plainly refuses to submit to the program. Instead of being strong, willful, and confident, I find this arrogant and obnoxious. To make it worse, he capitalizes nouns (like People and Room) as if he were an 18th century English writer. He basically annoyed me as both character and author.

As for the story, sure, ok. It was pretty much what I expected. Whatever. I can’t say there was any part I especially liked or disliked. It was just there. I didn’t find it captivating or enthralling, in fact it took longer to read it than I expected, and had to rush to get it back to the library on time. It was just there, and I read it because it was there.

Now, for the controversy. Apparently he embellished. He exaggerated some of the details to make it a more interesting story, and made his character seem “tougher and more daring and more aggressive”, probably hoping readers would like him more. I’m glad he made the effort to try to entertain, but I probably would have liked him better unedited.

Lies or not, I enjoyed it.

I live in South Africa and worked at a drug rehab. i know what these people go through. i thought it was a brilliant book.

tania

Gripping story. I don’t care if it’s real or not, or embellished, it’s definitely worth the read. This guy’s gotta be making a shyste load of money now since the “scandal” more power to him, it’s a great novel/memoir.

I like this book =). I thought it was really vivid and even relatable (at a lesser extreme). For me, the best part about it was seeing him not blindly accepting anything, but choosing to be constantly conscientious & accountable of his thoughts and his decisions; not giving into an easy way out, but taking responsibility and control of his life. I really liked that.

Yeah, I stoppped reading after all the hooha about him making stuff up. I just wasn’t interested any more…I was bored. Ah well.

If this had been a true story, which after publication and all kinds of hype from Oprah, it turned out not to be, it still would have been unbelievable in parts. For someone who so meticulously remembers the most minute details of one set of circumstances like that horrific scene in the dentist chair, Frey conveniently glosses over other areas like how he managed to recover from his dental experience after only one visit to his dentist, and how his dentist, not described as a specialist in any of the complicated work Frey needed, could perform all that work in one visit. The fact that much of his story could not be verified, and that slowly but surely Frey admitted more and more of his book was fabricated makes me angry. Addiction is no joke; those who deal with it and recover from it should not be mocked. It’s my opinion that’s exactly what Frey did with his fictionalized account that wasn’t even very well done. He insulted the reader’s intelligence.

What a complete ass! It’s one thing to lie about your life but something totally different to lie about the life of someone else. Well, regardless, it’s still a good book – and even if it was promoted as fiction from the beginning it probably would have done just as well. He’s still an ass though.

Im in love with James Frey .. A person with such a strong will !! I bow to u .. its a must read for ppl with addiction problems ..
BTW didja ppl read the news article sayin tat AMLP is a buncha lies !! Boy tat came as a shocker ..

My family wanted to go to a thrift store in Los Angeles, just to see if they could find any “good deals.” I reluctantly tagged along, and I made my way to the book section, the only part of the store I felt comfortable in. I don’t read much, but I needed something to pass the time.

The cover of this book got my attention, and although I know I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, who can’t help it? When I began reading it, I was stunned. The tone, the structure, the diction, and the premise amazed me. I read as much of it as I could while I was there, and I decided to buy it (paperback for $0.75). I didn’t find out until a few months later that it was one of the books Oprah recommends, and that it is sold in stores with the Oprah sticker at about $12.

I just finished reading it earlier today, and I highly recommend it. It is strong when you expect weakness, and it is beautiful when you expect horror. The book provides a window into a world of addiction that many don’t understand, and it brings to it a sense of humanity.

Wonderful, hard-hitting and ultimately, inspiring. Better than Augusten Burroughs’ “Dry”. Highly recommended!