Have you seen this yet???

'Pieces' buyers offered refund
Move believed to be unprecedented

Wednesday, January 11, 2006; Posted: 1:56 p.m. EST (18:56 GMT)

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Random House will refund readers who bought James Frey's drug and alcohol memoir "A Million Little Pieces" directly from the publisher, a move believed to be unprecedented, after the author was accused of exaggerating his story.

Readers calling Random House's customer service line to complain on Wednesday were told that if the book was bought directly from the publisher it could be returned for a full refund. Those who bought the book at a bookstore were told to try to return it to the store where it was bought.

"If the book was bought directly from us we will refund the purchase price in full," one Random House customer service agent told Reuters, noting readers would have to return the book with the original invoice. "If you bought it at a book store, we ask that you return the book to the book store."

Asked why the publisher, which normally sells books directly to consumers as nonrefundable, would offer refunds, the agent said, "because of the controversy surrounding it." (Watch how the controversy ignited -- 3:41)

Several customer service agents called by Reuters reporters also agreed to pay refunds. A Random House spokeswoman said the company would issue a formal statement about returns later.

Frey's memoir of alcohol and drug-induced mayhem sold 1.77 million copies last year after being chosen by Oprah Winfrey's book club in September. But investigative Web site The Smoking Gun on Sunday reported the book, published by Random House's Doubleday division, was full of exaggeration and inaccuracies.

Frey, who will appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday to discuss the controversy for the first time, has called the accusations "the latest attempt to discredit me."

"I stand by my book, and my life, and I won't dignify this bulls--t with any sort of further response," Frey wrote this week on his personal Web site bigjimindustries.com.

It's 15 minutes before Larry King comes on. I think I may just watch it. Ought to be great entertainment. You just know that good old Larry will let him off the hook.

This is truly funny and just proves that there is nothing else newsworthy in the world - its all symantics and definitions. What is a memoir? That's the true controversy surrounding the book - most people in the literary world understand that their is some license taken when one authors a memoir - a selected recollection of one's life rather than a biography which is defined as a factual account of one's life.

The book itself is a decent account of a treatment center experience. The writer's style is highly repetitive and a poor attempt at recreating a memoir style mastered by Marguerite Duras (The Lover, etc.).

I got bored about half way through it - it definitely could have been shortened by about 150 pages. Poor editing if you ask me.

But - it is worth a read if you're at all interested in drug addiction or alcoholism.

The true blessing beneath all of the press and controversy - is that alcoholism and drug addiction is getting a decent amount of public awareness. I'm sure there will be a few more folks in the rooms of AA in the next few months.

One thing I personally get out of the whole "shenanigan" is that you can't change the past without consequences. Acknowledge, Recognize, Amend - and move on.

James has 13 years of sobriety. Now THAT's amazing. Not too many of us could take this kind of public scrutiny, etc. and still come up smiling. And sober.

Peace.