The Smoking Gun sez,
Police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey's book [A Million Little Pieces]. The 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw 'wanted in three states.'
Link, and here's a related NYT story. (Thanks, Buttsquisher Comrade!)
Reader comment: Raf Noboa says,
I read your BoingBoing post (and the accompanying TSG story) with lots of interest.
You see, I'm from Granville. When the crack-fueled rage took place, I lived literally a block away. Believe me, if *anything* like that had taken place, I would have remembered it. In addition, my parents'
friends all taught at Denison, If there had been a big drug investigation, I would have heard about it.Granville's not a big town at all. When I lived there, there were about 3,000 residents, not counting the students on the hill. Anything luridly spectacular as described in _A Million Little Lies_ likely would have been the talk of the town.
Finally, I know Steve Cartnal and Chuck Maneely. Both are fine, upstanding officers. Chief Cartnal is my best friend's godfather, and Officer Maneely did DARE in my middle school, and helped out my father in anti-drug education efforts. Neither officer would have reason to deceive.
What do I think about the book? I haven't read it. The excerpts that I've read don't seem all that great to me, and, frankly, I'm surprised that Oprah thinks it's all that great. If that's the case, then I need to get cracking on *my* writing. :-D.
