James Frey: A Million Little Pieces & My Friend Leonard
Reading creates a whirlwind of emotions and can make a person actually think they are living in the pages they read. Books can create a fictional world where people dream of living. Books can also create a world a person may never want to visit. Author James Frey is known for his writings about alcohol and drug addictions. James is also known for his deep connections within his writings. When author James Frey wrote, “A Million Little Pieces”, he wrote it from his heart and personal experiences from addiction. When James Frey wrote, “My Friend Leonard”, he wrote about his life after Rehab, which didn’t get any better. Both of these works have addiction, heartache and the characters have…show more content… He tells the readers about the pain and agony he has been through yet he always seems to overcome it. James Frey concludes both books with such gratitude and sorrow. He has a very odd writing style, no paragraphs or quotations. It feels more intimate and his books are page turners. He starts both of these books off in gruesome ways such as; “A Million Little Pieces”, “Imagine waking up on a plane with no idea where you have been or where you are going. Imagine that your front four teeth are missing, your nose is broken and there is a gash on your cheek. Imagine that you have no wallet, no money, no job. Imagine that you have been an alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three. What would you do?” (pg1). He tries to get the reader to feel his pain and to imagine what he is going through. In “My Friend Leonard”, James starts it out by saying, “On my first day in jail, a three hundred pound man named Porterhouse his me in the back of the head with a metal tray. I was standing in line for lunch and didn’t see it coming. I went down. When I got back up, I turned around and started throwing punches” (pg1.) Right away the reader gets sucked in emotionally and they feel fearful for James. Both of these books have pain but they end on a lighter note. James has these two books start out horrible and sad yet end in a hopeful yet happy ending. Yes, James lost almost everyone he loved but he has proven to the readers that addicts can overcome anything as long as they have hope, support and love. James Frey is one author who creates a whirlwind of emotions and drags the readers in. I personally felt nothing but sympathy for James and these books open up the reader’s eyes. James Frey is definitely a writer who knows what it is like to experience Hell and come out of it a stronger person. Many addicts in James’ life die but it is the ones who survive that tell their