"A Million Little Pieces"

The above is the title of the latest choice by Oprah for her Book Club. Finally, finally, she has gotten back to current authors. Not that I minded the classics, although I have to question why she felt we all needed to muddle through William Faulkner for June, July and August.

A Million Little Pieces is the true story of its author's own struggle with various addictions. James Frey writes as he thinks, all his thoughts tumbling out onto the page, sometimes without benefit of punctuation. Unlike Faulkner, however, you can understand everything Mr. Frey is writing about.

Sometimes you can understand it so well that it makes you feel his heartache right there on the page, which makes you re-read that particular paragraph right then and there.

Again, this is a "lesson every day" kind of book. Today's lesson was the length of one sentence: "Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner."

I can see that sentence alone prompting Oprah to want everyone to read this book.