Christine Au Ms. Beaman Read 211 February 5th, 2015 Novel Study
1.
Title: A Million Little Pieces
Author: James Frey
Copyright: 2003 2.
Biography of author:
James Frey was born September 12, 1969, in Cleveland, Ohio. Frey was working as a screenwriter when he took a year off to work on his book, A Million Little Pieces, published in
2003. In 2005,
A Million Little Pieces was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her book club. 3.
Part one
a.
A Million Little Pieces
, pp. 1­40 b. In the beginning of the book, it starts off with James on a plane but he has no idea where he is going. He is bloody and his teeth are broken, but has no idea what caused his injuries.
James
eventually finds out that the plane is bound for Chicago and that a doctor and two unidentified men brought him on board. James lands to find his parents, who have come all the way from
Tokyo to pick him up, waiting for him. James’s condition shocks and saddens them, and they immediately drive him to the family cabin. They next day, they check him into a rehabilitation facility in Minnesota. Almost immediately after arrival, another patient pulls James to the floor when James refuses to give up his seat in the lounge. Things improve somewhat when James meets a young woman named Lilly at the dispensary and a friendly, middle­aged career criminal named Leonard at a meal. Both become his friends. c. In the scene where it started off with James waking up and having no idea where he was, was super shocking. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I were to wake up in the middle of no where, not knowing where I’m going.

d.
“He manages to get back to his room, where an orderly serves him breakfast.
” (15) def: hospital attendant that does routine or heavy work,
POS: ADVERB
“Blood and bile and chunks of my stomach come pouring from my mouth and my nose.” (53) def: yellow or greenish viscid alkaline fluid,
POS: N “Go to the
Dispensary
and they'll give them to you, or if you forget, a Nurse will come find you. ” def: a place where medicine or medical or dental treatment is dispensed,
POS: N “My skin is sallow and white.” (34) def: of a grayish greenish yellow color,
POS: ADJ “I know this is a podunk Town, but these people know what they're doing, Kid.” def: small, unimportant, and isolated town, POS: ADJ Part two a. pp. 40­100
b. James’s parents arrive at the clinic for the Family Program, despite his objections. Though seeing them is upsetting, James decides to participate. During a critical session, James finds out that he had an ear infection throughout his early childhood that made him scream and cry, which his parents left untreated. Also, he finds out that his grandfather had a drinking problem. James’s parents feel that maybe his grandfather’s addiction and the untreated ear infection had something to do with James’s addictions, but he refuses to accept this theory. As is his way in most areas of his life, James wants to go it alone and do things deeply and completely—this includes taking all responsibility for his condition. His addiction, he believes, is no illness. It is a weakness. It can only be overcome by taking full ownership. Once he comes to this conclusion, things begin to change for James.
c.

d. “That craving is sometimes manifested in dreams that can seem startlingly real and, in a sense, are real.” (78) def: to make evident or certain by showing or displaying, POS: V

“She talks about how the connection can drive both activities to dangerous and deviant places.”
(51) def: deviating especially from an accepted norm,
POS: N The man starts leering at me def: to cast a sidelong glance,
POS: V “..Physical places and figurative places.” (79) def: representing by a figure or resemblance,
POS:
ADJ
“As I walk past her she is careful not to touch me and I am brought back from the happy