We all remember the big controversy that one James Frey created from his, now considered to be, semi-fiction memoir, A Million Little Pieces once it was revealed by a probing article from The Smoking Gun called “A Million Little Lies” published January 8, 2006 and would later bring Frey to a second Oprah visit, as his memoir was selected as a Oprah’s Book Club, to admit his discrepancies of his memoir. If such a widely publicize memoir just like Frey's could get away with so many inaccurate notions and events, how can we as readers and consumers trust that many of the memoirs and biographies that are published are, or close to be, entirely true?
When Frey’s memoir was first published in April 2003, it was first met with mixed reviews with many critics and newspapers challenging the accuracy of the memoir. However, his memoir did not become widely known until it was largely advertised on Oprah Winfrey’s show through her book club selections. Unfortunately for Frey, with a widely-publicize recognition of his memoir, the “truths” of some of the supposed events that he wrote to have happened would be discovered to have been false, and would be widely-publicize as well. Because of this, Frey did not only embarrass himself, but to those who also pushed the book (his publisher Random House and Oprah Winfrey to be the most duly noted).
Unfortunately, Frey’s memoir has not been the only publication to come “under fire”, but his controversy was only the most publicized. Unlike A Million Little Pieces, there have been numerous titles of late that have been pulled off of bookstore’s shelves and publishers issuing refunds to customers. Some of the most noted are Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years by Misha Defonseca (who’s real name is Monique de Wael and the “memoir” was actually written by a ghost writer named Vera Lee) and Angel at the Fence by Herman Rosenblat. Both of these memoirs are written about the author’s experiences in the Holocaust.
Defonseca’s memoir, also known as Surviving with Wolves, was published in 1997 and received static reviews eventually being produced into a French movie called Survivre Avec les Loups. Through the years of suspicion and claims of falsity, Defonseca finally admitted in 2008 that her memoir was fabricated, including her name, admitting that “Misha” was her very own fairly tale. To know more about the downfall, click on The Insider's linkhere
For Angel on the Fence, it represented a common feature with Frey’s memoir; they were publicized on Oprah’s show. However, Rosenblat’s memoir had caused instant controversy before it was even published. Slated for a February 2009 release, Rosenblat had appeared on Oprah a few times to promote his book and story until it was finally revealed that most of the events in the book did not happen. In December 2008, his publisher cancelled his book release indefinitely; however, through some bookstore websites, you can purchase the electronic reader’s edition (for example: Barnes & Noble).
So, the question is, why lie? Why fabricate a story and claim it to be true when it could possibly be published as a work of fiction? The answer is a matter of business and revenue. Working in a bookstore for a number of years, I can tell you what sales more over the other. It is tough to break into the fiction business, nonetheless, becoming a popular fiction author, as most fiction sales are accredited from current or past bestselling authors. In some cases, it is easier to write a memoir and have it published (and in some cases, the publisher will pay an advance to write a memoir like Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love). With the odds of a fiction writer stacked against a person, why could stop a person from writing a fictional memoir, call it a true story, and help themselves to getting recognized as a writer?
How are we as readers suppose to fully accepted what we are given as true events are true indeed? It appears to be as if we have no choice; after all, if it was good enough for publisher to be published and receive as much advertising as it does, it must be true, right? We have very few ways of knowing. We are only part of a business, marketing, and entertainment cycle that helps keep it going. If we, the reader (consumer) do not buy, they will find a means and publication that will makes us buy (which is why I have mentioned Oprah Winfrey as often as I have).
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