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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 27, 2006
/ 27 Teves, 5766
Fibbing for fame and fortune
By
Kathleen Parker
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If a book causes you to stop every few paragraphs and say, "This is unbelievable!" it just might be. Unbelievable and untrue, as has been revealed about James Frey's blockbuster "memoir," "A Million Little Pieces."
Yes, I'm one of those who read the book, though not on Oprah's recommendation. I read the book because my cousin, Bay, insisted I read it. She insisted everyone read it. No one who entered Bay's home, for decades a welcoming retreat for people (and dogs) of all ages, could leave without promising to read Frey's book.
So I read it and admired its raw truth, even if I willingly ignored the nagging and experienced voice in my head: "Nobody has root canals without anesthesia," as Frey claimed. (And even if Nan Talese, Frey's editor and publisher at Doubleday, says she once had a root canal without anesthesia.) I even gave my copy to a young woman sitting next to me on an airplane who was on her way from rehab to a halfway house. We hugged, for crying out loud. (Anna, if you're reading this, I hope you're doing well and I'm sorry.)
Then came Oprah, who endorsed the book as one of her book club picks, which bestows instant celebrity and bestseller status on a writer, followed by The Smoking Gun, a Web site (thesmokinggun.com), which published a detailed expose of fabrications throughout Frey's memoir.
Oprah, who initially defended Frey's true-ish work as nonetheless valuable, apologized Thursday on her show and told her audience that she felt duped.
Me, too. Finding out Frey invented important parts of his life story is like finding out that Frank McCourt ("Angela's Ashes") is really French and his father was a teetotaler.
On her show Thursday, a clearly angry Oprah challenged Frey (as well as Talese) point by point and retreated from her earlier defense of him. Early in the scandal, Oprah had called CNN's "Larry King Live" when Frey was a guest to say that though some book's details apparently were embellished or altered, the essence of the book was true.
As of Thursday, Oprah had changed her mind. It is clear now that Frey fictionalized much of the book and that Doubleday advanced a memoir that should have raised flags.
Does it matter? Yes. In a hundred different ways, it matters.
For one thing, I never would have plodded through such awful writing had I known the story wasn't true. Frey's writing style is broken, shattered, bumpy the literary equivalent of "The Blair Witch Project's" cinematography. I figured the style was for effect, meant to reflect his drug-addled state of mind, and hoped it would improve as he did.
The writing never got better even though Frey kicked his addiction without any help from the 12-step program used successfully by others at the rehab clinic where he spent six weeks. The principle thrust of Frey's book is that he conquered his cocaine and alcohol addictions through sheer will. Frey professed repeatedly that he doesn't believe in a higher power and he could go it alone. To read the book is to believe he succeeded.
I confess that I liked that part of the story. I admire toughness and strength of will in people. But Frey's deceit on other matters casts doubt even on that part of his story. How addicted was he? Descriptions in the book in which Frey daily (sometimes hourly) vomits up chunks of his insides don't quite fit the Smoking Gun mug shot of a robust young man the spoiled son of prosperous parents when he was supposedly a hopeless addict.
In an era characterized by cynicism, what could be more cynical than telling a story of overcoming when one has nothing, or little, to overcome?
More important, millions of people do profit from 12-step programs and overcome addictions because and only because of them. Frey's proud condescension and his lies mock the good such programs do, trivialize the struggles of others, and negate any hopes his book may have inspired.
Finally, as Americans have lost faith in a spectrum of institutions from religion to journalism to government to business the memoir was considered a reliable bastion of veracity, a sort of literary group therapy where people could gather to expose or confess their deepest selves. We read memoirs as much to learn about ourselves as about those who pen them.
Frey's memoir is not so much a story of addiction and redemption as it is a tale of denial, betrayal and narcissism driven by raw ambition. In other words, a memoir of our times true and revealing after all.
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