I don't know about you, but I wasn't so terribly offended after the "A Million Little Pieces" debacle. I still loved the book. Would still recommend the book.  Still DID recommend the book.  I thought James Frey was a great writer even if his memoir turned out to be was more fiction that fact.

Like many people, I was disappointed to learn that Frey fabricated many of the horrid details in his memoir. To this day, I still don't know if he really endured a root canal sans painkillers.  I devoured "A Million Little Pieces" in two days and ran right out to buy "My Friend Leonard", which I also couldn't put down. So needless to say, I felt a bit hollow and confused after learning the truth about these two books.

Unfortunately for Frey, his punishment didn't fit the crime. I cringed while watching Oprah berate and bash him during his public scourging.  If Oprah's staff had properly researched exactly what happened that led up to that moment, they would have uncovered a long list of literary agents, editors, publishers & lawyers who all convinced a young writer to claim that his work was a memoir. Frey originally pitched his manuscript as fiction. When it didn't sell, it was re-marketed as a memoir, and the rest is history.  

I ordered my hardcover advance copy of "Bright Shiny Morning" from Amazon weeks ago and can't wait to rip into it when it arrives at the end of May. Not only will this be Frey's big comeback, it is his redemption song. To me, he is more than a great writer, he is proof that everyone deserves a second chance in life.
 - Deanna