A Million Little Pieces: By James Frey

The story begins with James Frey on a plane to Chicago. He finds that he has soiled himself and is suffering injuries toward his head. He meets his mother and father at the airport and attempts to comfort him. Later James to taken to a rehabilitation center to be treated for drug use and alcohol abuse.
James is forced to take detox pills and suffers withdrawal of substances. He soon meets people like in counseling and therapy. For the first few days James is suffering from withdrawal, he has nightmares, delusions, temper problems, and shuts himself from the rest of the ward.
James is scheduled for a dentist appointment after a brief look at his teeth. The dentist tells James he will need to come back for a root canal. Larry, James' roommate, finds out that he has HIV and worries that he has pasted it to his kids and wife. That night Larry broke out of the clinic, most likely to see his wife and kids. James has a dream that night, and is quite graphic. His dream was of different brands of alcohol and cocaine, the powder and rock type. James take in as many substances as he can but only feels a brief rush and happiness before he starts chugging down liquor and smoking cocaine. James awakes to find Larry gone. Later James goes into a fray with Roy, a patient, about how clean the toilets were. James was given a shot to calm him down.
James go back to the dentist for a root canal without anesthesia, because it may act as a drug. James go through the root canal while squeezing tennis balls. James fainted from the pain of the dental procedure on his way back to the clinic.
The next morning he vomits and cleans the toilet. Only to vomit twice more. He goes to a lecture about The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. And believes the book only gives and takes one addiction after another. He finds a copy of the book and the bible on his bed and throws it out the window. James go to sleep the following night, he has a dream of a bag of cocaine on top of a loaded gun. James attempts suicide only to wake up when the gun was fired. He goes to breakfast and eats voraciously, more than he had in the time he was in the clinic. After breakfast he was taken to the doctor and was told he would die if he used any of the substances again. James had subconsciously knew about it. He goes back to his room to only find that someone put the books back on his bed, he throws them in the garbage. And will commit suicide after dinner. After dinner Leonard persuades James to stay and recover. James agrees to stay for 24 hours, after being held be Leonard by his Adam’s apple.
His brother and a few friends comes to visit James the next day and gives him gifts and cloths. They stay to watch the football game. That night Leonard ordered Cajun for dinner. James goes to sleep with a smile and finds that he is making coffee in the morning as his new job. That night James decide to get sober after his new roommate, who is not mentioned be name, tells of a story of the time he was truly drunk and hit rock bottom.
The next day, a new guy came in, who is a crack addict, Matty Jackson, a featherweight champion. He joins James and company during breakfast and a lecture. James decide that he will try to become sober and tells Joanne. Ken asks James if he wants to become sober and despite what he just told Joanne, he couldn't answer that question. James is moved to another room within the facility and for whatever reason hits and shreds a small tree to pieces. He cries as Lilly holds him. James' new roommate Miles join James and company for lunch and the lecture. James goes to Joanne's office after turning in his, somewhat completed, goal board and is asked to take the treatment seriously. He asks Joanne to push him to his limit to test his will. James later meet Lilly out in the woods and is asked to recall painful memories of his past. A relationship between them is eminent.
After yet another dream of abusing substances, he awakes to find himself to be more human, and succeeds, after many attempts to look at his eyes, to remember that he had pale green eyes. At lunch a new guy, Bobby, talks trash about Leonard's mentor, Mikey the nose. Leonard doesn't make a move but watches Bobby closely. James is asked after lunch to sign a lease to resolve legal issues, he is wanted in three states.
He later meets Lilly and tells her more about his past girlfriend. He finds out that, despite being against it, his parents are enrolling in a family program. James is livid, but holds it back. That night, James spent the night watching TV since, Miles won't stop crying.
The morning after James awoke in front of the TV, and walks back to his room, Miles appreciates James giving him some alone time. James is introduced to the family program and is asked about how he feels. James answers with suicidal, but decides that recovery is the best option. He is warned by Joanne not to get involved with Lilly. After meeting and talking with his family, James is in a foul mood and pulls of one of his toenails to calm down. As James go to meet Lilly to have sex, the two faces difficulties and decide not to do it.
James meet with his attorney the next day and finds that he would be fined twice and go to prison for 3 years. He wouldn't stand trial for he knows he is guilty of his crime. James later learns that his grandfather was also an alcoholic and that James had a massive ear infection that had gone unchecked until he was two. James told his parents that he blames nothing of his past on his parents but himself.
Lilly tells James that she will go back the Chicago to commit suicide if he doesn't love her. James reassures her that he loves her. During lunch the man that James met on the first day was talking about Lilly having sex with multiple men and mostly against her will. James hides the fact that he is livid, and tells the man to back off with no avail and grabs his Adams apple. James parents are leaving the family program due to his father's work. James tell them that he and Lilly plan on living together after he gets out of prison.
After his parents left, there was a message from Lilly to meet her. The two are caught and may face expulsion from the program. James is told he could stay but Lilly leaves. James remembers her suicide message and tries to find her. He finds her having sex with a man for crack which she had already smoked. Lilly is taken back to the clinic and is detoxed.
That night James had nightmares and sees Lincoln. James is told that his sentence is decreased to three months in jail and three years probation. He has also been told that a priest will work with him to become sober. As James walk back to his room, he notices a new guy in the ward. Miles comes back to the room and James hold him as he cries. That night Leonard announced that he will be leaving and prepares a lavish feast for the men and cable TV to watch a heavyweight match. All the men spent the night awake.
James's job has been upgraded to 'greeter', his job is to greet newcomers. He greets a newcomer during breakfast. James was told that his treatment is a success and that he could leave in a few days. Before Leonard leaves he leaves his contact info, and two gifts, Lilly's stay is payed for by him, and that he would like to adopt James as the son he never had. James agreed. After Leonard's departure, James writes a list of crimes he committed, which ended up being twenty-two pages. He forgot to write down one more thing as well.
The next day James goes to the priest and reads his crimes. He admits to the priest that he had not written down one thing, he had almost beaten a priest in Paris to death after an attempted molestation. After lunch, he timed his departure to collide with Lilly. When James returned to his room, Miles gives James a brown envelope. He goes to the woods to open the envelope and finds pictures of him and the girl with Arctic eyes. He burns the twenty-two page list along with the photos.
The next day, James is ready to leave to clinic and obtains contact information from everyone. He promises to keep in touch with Lilly everyday. Most of the patients in the clinic died or relapsed.
James is still sober.
This explains that humans brains are still VERY primitive no matter how far our understandings will take us. James's story through rehabilitation shows us that we are still animals. Feeling the rush of adrenaline through our blood, feeling at ease with no pain. All of which was taken away from James. The pain the suffering, his body screams for the cocaine, the rush, the excitement. Though, James also shows that humans are more than capable of adjusting to a better life in a way that only he could manage. Throughout the novel, James has always thought he has lost his humanity, and there was no hope. He went to suicide as the answer several times, in his dreams, in reality. But was convinced there is someway to lessen his parents suffering. James also mentioned something in his conscious called Fury. It would mean that he has created his thing, to signify that he commits to being sober. Fury is the driving force of his will to overcome the problems he has with addiction. He becomes somewhat masochistic during the treatment to keep his sanity.
As I read the book, it shines a new light on the other side of society. The ones who has admit to doing wrong and are trying to change it. But, according to some research presented to the families of addicts, addiction is a genetic condition. Which I found as bull. What keeps us from using substances? What keeps us from losing our sanity? James had the right mind set, in my eyes, to confront the challenges that his subconscious mind throws at him. Through sheer will, he was able to make it. To be sober.
The Fury that James mention time and time again in the book, is the primitive sense of just wanting something. Just the need for something is almost equivalent to his will to drive it back. He still has his sanity. James show that reality TV is never close to reality, it is the reality for some but not for the majority.
James have experienced much of what society had to offer to him, through the messages of the media. We are constantly brainwashed by the media, and they do not fully portray a way of life that many have to face.