There's been a lot of controversy lately about James Frey's book, A Million Little Pieces. I was reading it when the news came out that he had fabricated or embellished some events and situations in his book. Since the book is a memoir, and supposed to be factual, it left people wondering "What is the truth? Did any of it happen?"
Having just finished writing my own memoir, No Dumb Bunny: One Woman's Journey of Self-Discovery (see my web site at www.carlagolden.com), I had to look at my own book and ask the question: Have I been totally honest?
The thing about memoirs or autobiographies is that they are your memory of how events occurred. People remember things differently. I sent several chapters of my book to an old boyfriend to read, just so that I could make sure my memories were accurate. He never replied.
I sensed that Frey was very honest about his emotions, if not all the facts. I think that regardless of the embellishments, Frey's book still makes for very powerful reading.
