What readers think of A Million Little Pieces, plus links to write your own review.

Wordless, simply wordless.

Words cannot explain how much this book moved me. Even though I have not suffered from alcoghol or drug addiction I have suffered from depression most of my life and have been in and out of psychiatric hospitals. There are so many parallels between what was experienced and felt in the alcohol recovery centre as to what I went through in mental health hospitals. To anyone who has been through a simliar situation, you will understand the intense struggle that goes on inside your body and mind to regain a sense of who you are and why you are. At the end of the day the biggest struggle is learning to let go of the fear and just be.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been throught he system or is a friend or relative who has.

This book created a sense of reality of the pain and abuse someone would be able to do to themselves. In sharing most of the same addictions as James Fry, I also went through Hazelden's youth program not to long ago. Not only could I relate to his story but I was also filled with hope by his commitment to sobriety. I highly recommend this book to everyone including teenagers like myself.

I love A Million Little Pieces. I have told everyone I know to read this book, but I'm finding it hard to lend out to others. The book is so important to me, I can't part with it! James Frey, you are so brave. Your brutual truth was wonderful and beautiful and very appreciated. Thank you for A Million Little Pieces. Thank you with all of my heart.

As an individual that has just entered the world of sobriety after 13 years of heavy drug use, this book was a God send. I found so much I could relate to and so much that gave me hope. I'm also young and angry and struggling to be free. I wanted to call James on the phone and ask him to sit me down and tell me how he did it. I was amazed, amused, saddend, and so much more. This is a wonderful book that while it may have it's low points is an inside look at addiction that no other book has ever provided in such a striking way.
I am honored to have had the opportunity to buy it and read it. I've actually bought several copies for my friends who are also recovery addicts.
Thank you James!

Superman On Crack

In his debut work, “A Million Little Pieces”, James Frey’s memoir packs one hell of a punch. It’s his own story of the time in his life when he was “an alcoholic, a drug addict and a criminal“, as Frey puts it, and covers his violent struggle with sobriety. You are hooked from the start due to the simple if somewhat unusual style (no speech marks for example) and his rude awakening in the back of a plane with four teeth missing, a hole in his face and covered in vomit.

If his narrative is true and it probably is since part of his drive is committing to the ‘Truth’, Frey has my full attention and admiration as a writer and human being. “One tough cookie” doesn’t even come close. However, it’s hard to see why he is dubbed the “bad-boy” of literature because despite the tough story line, tough language, tough existence and raw imagery, there exists in his narrative a huge tidal wave of humanity. He becomes (whether intentionally or not) the Uber male of the addiction underworld by taking full and unadulterated responsibility for his life. He also lays himself completely vulnerable and bare but at the same time insists on doing it his way and telling it like it is, with the final irony being, that he is both full of fear yet totally fearless. He even risks his life, his place at the centre and his sobriety rescuing a friend just because he knows they need him. Be still my beating heart.

As an antidote to the ‘deep and meaningfuls’ however, there are some very graphic scenes. In places you will be literally reading through your fingers hardly daring to look yet utterly compelled to carry on. Few other writers are as powerful in such a pared-down style. One notable scene is where he has to endure root canal dentistry without anaesthetic because while in re-hab, no painkillers are allowed! Read it and weep. Furthermore, one critic described the experience of reading his work as if they were being “injected by something” and certainly, you do become ‘addicted’ to Frey’s gritty tale, desperate to see how it pans out.

Nevertheless, don’t let the subject matter and associated violence put you off. This book will appeal to the majority; men will understand and relate to the male bonding element and women will just want to love or be loved by him - both probably!

Frey has stated that he wants to be the best writer of his generation. His style is certainly very refreshing, the narrative compelling if brutal, his emotions, from fear through to the much referred to “Fury” are “as piercing as a bayonet” and his sense of self-integrity are enough to make him just that. Certainly if Frey doesn’t have what it takes, few others will either but how he will fair when not writing about himself remains to be seen.

I can't tell you how much I loved this book. The style is superbly refreshing (I am always on the look out for something new) and the narrative is so compelling. I had to read some of the bits through my fingers because I couldn't bear to look - can't say any other writing has ever had that effect on me. Charlotte Abbott from "Publishers Weekly" wrote that it felt like you were being "injected with something" and for me that certainly rang true; I am certainly under the influence and can't wait for more - I want it NOW!

This book is a truly genuine account of the struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. James Frey uses a vivid yet irregular writing style that is nothing but intriguing. A Million Little Pieces is a rare look into the real life of an addict. I have nothing bad to say about this book because it truly is a masterpiece of emotion.