The biggest news right now in the book world is the controversy surrounding James Frey’s book, A Million Little Pieces. Are you keeping up with this? It’s interesting to me because it sets a precedent for publishers. Frey has been accused of embellishing facts (lying) in his bestselling memoir, which Oprah picked for her book club. Here’s what Publisher’s Weekly passed along:
Emotional, This Quest for Truth
It would be an understatement to say there is an abundance of stories on James Frey, his Larry King appearance last night, and Oprah’s dramatic last-minute blessing of the “emotional truth” of however it is that he told his tale. We presume that if you’re interested, there’s little new we can tell you, just as our subjective assumption is that you’ve probably already formed a firm opinion on the matter… The LAT editorial column is pretty clear on their position: “It’s hard to know which is worse: a writer who acts as though there is no distinction between a novel and a memoir, or a publisher who does not care.”
Oprah’s Board
Time: Prose and Cons
LAT editorial
I really liked the LAT opinion, if you have time to read it. Although I haven’t read Frey’s book and have no intention of doing so, this brings up the whole issue of what people expect from an author. I expect a made-up story in a novel and truth in a memoir.
Right now, I’m reading Mary DeMuth’s Building the Christian Family You Never Had, which is based on the story of her life. That’s what makes the book interesting — Mary reveals experiences from her past as a way of showing the reader how to heal and move forward with God’s help. This is a nonfiction book, and I trust that she’s telling the truth — in the same way that Frey’s readers trusted him.
Another bit of book news that caught my eye — what books are the most borrowed books from the library?
Top Fiction: Lifeguard by James Patterson and Andrew Gross (Little, Brown), The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Viking Adult), and 4th of July by James Patterson (Little, Brown).
Top Nonfiction: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (Anchor Books), Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Stephen J. Dubner (Morrow), and Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing).
The nonfiction is what interests me. Readers are fascinated with other people’s lives, how to be financially successful, and health issues. I expect five years from now the top books will also cover these same subjects — using a fresh approach. Maybe you could write one based on your life experiences!
