Tuesday, January 10, 2006

A Million Little Pinheads

Holy shit, this is big. People are aboslutely going ape over James Frey's book not necessarily being "true." I had no idea it was this big a deal. But it is. My own mother had this to say,

"I heard about the "author" guy on t.v. this morning - what a travesty! Peole are too guillible, just like believeing everything they hear on t.v., the web, from the gov., etc. and people like this disgusting guy are pathetic - he should be made to give all his proceeds from the book to charity!"

Mom, you know I love you, you are wrong. Simple as that. Let me go ahead and rephrase what you (and a shockingly large number of goony readers and journalists) just said, so that we might see exactly how absurd and counterproductive it is:

I heard about that guy who wrote a best-selling book about drug addiction and his journey to overcome it on TV this morning. What a travesty that so many people read and were inspired by his narration! In order for people to have enjoyed his book and to have benefited from it in a healthy way, they must have "believed" it! When actually, as it turns out, it may not have even been true!!! He wrote a book that wasn't completely true, and people read it, and loved it, and were helped by it! The Horror, the horror! People are stupid to "believe" the things they read and learn from them and enjoy them. And people like this guy, who write books that aren't complete factual, disgusting people like Hemingway and Kerouak, and really, all authors of fiction or literature, are pathetic - he should be made to give all his proceeds from the book to charity!"

Please, forgive me my exaggeration of her words. And of course, be aware, don't be mistaken--this last one here, though it is in quotes, because it is my mother saying it, was not actually said by my mother. The one she "actualy" said is up above, not italicized. In my opinion, the latter, however, is far, far, truer.

But, of course, you are right. It's a dirty, cheap, disgusting lie. So fucking shoot me.

To understate myself, I am motherfucking outraged at this. I am trying desperately to become an Oprah member so I can gain access to her site and see what she and her readers are saying about this. There will clearly be a good many who are mad because what they read wasn't "true." I hope to god that there will be some, Oprah included, who can find the words to explain to the masses that literature isn't about facts, it's about feelings. And that authenticity is about actuality, its about honesty. And nothing will ever be more honest than a true fiction.

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