A Million Little Truths

I have been sucked into the drama that unfolded concerning the book A Million Little Pieces by author (read: tall tale teller) James Frey. Ordinarily, I am apt to turn my head the other way when Oprah endorsed issues arise. Don’t get me wrong, I like Oprah Winfrey. While I respect her from a distance and admire her generosity, business genius, and seemingly endless ways to educate and inform her audience, I still draw away from become a fully committed fan. That would require way too much reading (some of it Dr. Phil) and I already have my own list of books that I need to digest (without nausea). At any rate, Oprah has legions of fans devoted to her every recommendation. That is a heavy burden to bear. Until most recently, I did not know how gracefully she would be able to withstand that burden.

From what I can tell, Oprah has grit. Grit is not an ordinary thing, in my opinion. True grit (insert John Wayne joke here) is a staggering thing to encounter. Along with her grit is an enduring honesty that I find quite refreshing in the media blitz that comprises these United States. Our public is so inundated with celebrity, so truly caught up in the whirlwind of what the media delivers to our insatiable appetite for information, that I am relieved to find that someone like Oprah Winfrey can command our attention.

Let’s face it. Oprah has great ideas. It’s almost as if one doesn’t want to like her too much. Hey, that is A-okay. You don’t need to love her. You don’t even need to build a shrine in her honor in that tiny basement room of yours that no one knows about. That is completely unnecessary. Just admit it, though. You like her. She is a powerful force of positive energy. She wants people to read. Why? For the pure joy of reading. I know. Baffling. Also, she likes to help those in need. I know, I know. She’s a giver. She gives. Then there is all of the other stuff. You know, nice dresser, decent sense of humor, etc. She is not all that bad.

Once the buzz that surrounded “A Million Little Pieces” roared to the sound of a deafening jet engine, the situation held my attention. I couldn’t look away from this car wreck. I was riveted to the scene. Thing is, I wasn’t aware of the book club recommendation because of my arms length policy with Oprah endorsed anything. So when this current mess regarding the author’s sincerity surfaced, I wasn’t one of the millions of readers that had bought into the truth of this work of “nonfiction”. That doesn’t make me any smarter. As a matter of fact, I have a great deal of empathy for all readers that bought this story of addiction recovery as fact - for I could have easily been one of them. And this was not a mere “misquote”, this was not a tiny indiscretion delivered in the form of amateur plagiarism. This entire memoir - this chronology of addiction and recovery - was a lie.

Oprah had the misfortune of endorsing this publication for her book club. She also made efforts to stick up for Mr. Frey while he was being lambasted by the media during the unveiling of this web of deceit. She was showing her grit, ya see? Sticking to her principles and her belief system while standing by this author is exactly what we expected her to do. As the controversy grew, she then did something else that each one of us should commend her for: she admitted that she was wrong.

Human nature can often lend itself to pure cynicism. Through my own life experience, I have found that moving forward with hope is a lot more difficult than just giving into negativity (everyone’s doing it! You try!). It’s so much easier to be bitter, to be judgmental and petty. What you don’t know going in, though, is that this approach will only cheat you in the long run. I do not honestly believe that any one person desires to end their life wondering “what if” and regretting words that cannot be taken away once spoken.

Oprah, in this situation, has nothing to regret. She need not regret the endorsement of “A Million Little Pieces”, because she was doing what she does best: trying to keep those that are willing to listen in tune with the precious journey that each of us take through life. A poignant, riveting story about addiction, knowing that the addict is in recovery, is an excellent way to communicate hope. She chooses genuinely well written prose, and I am certain that this book was no exception.

The maelstrom that ensued regarding the authenticity of this work brought out an even more effective side of Winfrey. Not only did she admit to being wrong, she also confronted author James Frey (Sir Lies A Lot) on her television show. She gave him a genuine opportunity to defend himself. He walked away from that experience even deeper into the hole that he started digging the day that this “nonfiction novel” was published. He had met his match in the form of Oprah Winfrey - honest person. She was honest with him during this interview just as she tries to be honest with her audience; and let me tell you, the discomfort surrounding his cushy Oprah Winfrey Show piece of set furniture was palpable - even through my 27” screen.

The empire that Oprah Winfrey has built, to me, has very little to do with her wealth. It is the way in which she uses both the income and the power that comes along with celebrity that defines her empire. And this benevolent force, this messenger of spirituality and introspection should still be heard.

We should, all of us, continue to listen.