There's always a Lily of the Valley but don't you forget about the Bright Morning Star! Preparing to revise Delilah's Fruit.

Snake oil salesman, James Frey

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People are more concerned with proving Oprah was duped (was wrong) and gloating, almost celebrating over it rather than being outraged and annoyed that James Frey and his publishers sold snake oil as the new "make it all better" ointment (so to speak). Reminds me of the book Beloved, the portion which describes a celebration of sorts, when the neighborhood folks are invited to Baby Sugg's to eat good food, drink, dance and enjoy themselves. The following day, those neighborhood folks, awakened to outrage and jealousy over what they consider an overabundance of blessings bestowed upon Baby Sugg's (even though she is willing to share). There are jealous hateful people who despise Oprah's success and philanthropy and this Frey mess seems to have given them cause and ammunition for strange inappropriate glee.

Oprah tells Frey He 'Betrayed Readers' ---- Yahoo News I knew she'd eventually ask him to return to the show and explain himself . . .

The Son of Man -> Jesus is black! Sundance Film Festival

Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin . . . husssshhhhhh. You and others who believe God is angry and using nature to harm folks for their bad behavior, your backwards way of thinking is pitiful. Please stop it! IF God is indeed angry and using nature to get attention its because we haven't been good shepherds of the Earth, we've abused and continue to abuse this planet in various ways. If God was angry about man's behavior he'd not only use nature to destroy New Orleans, surely he'd have wreaked havoc on NY, LA, Miami, Atl, just to name a few. And why start now? Why not start destroying "America" after it was invaded and the Native American's were treated atrociously . . . or during slavery . . . Jim Crow . . .

News
Mayor Nagin Says God's Mad at American

Technorati - Nagin

To do list? Working on the Valentine's Day section of my online t-shirt store. Check!

Taylor Branch's final volume of the biography of Martin Luther King - At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68. Read an except of the book at MSNBC.com.

Vol I - Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63
Vol II - Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65

Contrary to erroneous published reports, Random House, Inc. is not offering a special refund on A Million Little Pieces. refund, Randomhouse: Read more . . ..

Other related articles: Oprah Orders a Large Frey

There's something very little-boy-who-cried-wolf/ish here, like there is a: And The Moral of the Story is . . . I wonder if Oprah will invite Frey back for a follow-up? But then, even this is simply more publicity. Now folks want to read what all the trouble is about. Read what other bloggers have to say on the matter.

Non-fiction or realistic fiction? The smokinggun.com, calling Frey's book - A Million Little Lies, alleges that James Frey exaggerates his past with inflated claims about his criminal record in the book, "A Million Little Pieces." I'm currently reading the memoir after having purchased it in December. I've read books more violent and graphically disturbing than this but they were mostly fiction, rather than non-fiction. Most writers, regardless of category or subject matter mix and stir up fact with fiction from time to time (except I'm sure those of academic and research merit). I'm not done reading " A Million Little Pieces." To be honest, I became annoyed after having to read of his mother crying again. Something about reading ten pages of wordless sobbing seemed irritating and I felt bad about my irritation and decided that I needed a break. I guess I would have to experience something so traumatic (drug and alcohol abuse) with my child and then maybe I'd cry like that too. I hope and pray and believe it to never happen. In fact, the motivation to complete the book, is to find something horrifying that led him down the road of drug addiction. I've been looking for abuse, neglect, belittlement - some sort of dramatic evil reason. So far, he hasn't divulged nothing more than sipping alcohol from the unguarded glasses of adults when he was a kid. At some point people will have to decide how much exaggeration takes a story too far from the truth - in regards to memoirs and such. Regardless, read the drama as it unfolds.

Articles:
The Smoking Gun's - A Million Little Lies
MSN's - Smoking Gun questions Million Little Pieces - author threatens to sue

Small Pleasures has been entered in the 2006 LuLu Blooker Prize for Blooks. Wish me luck!