I wonder what Oprah will now tell a group of school children she would like to mentor, on the subject of honest writing? 

There is no doubt the book is well written and may be a great help for people who are suffering from addictions, but that is not the point. If it was written in the form of essays or a novel, on helping people with addictions, then for sure it should be recommended. 

However, if a book is published as a factual memoir and the facts prove to be fictional, then a fiction, is a fiction, no matter how you want to dress it up. 

Martha Stewart went to jail for telling a little lie. President Clinton almost got impeached. And no doubt James Frey will sell another million copies with the support of the publisher and Oprah. Most people will support him and say the means justifies the end. Who cares if a few parts are not true, the message is a good one. The folks at Enron and World Com, thought the same thing. What difference does a few lie make?

Yes indeed, in the world today, it is proven beyond a shadow of doubt, the truth is no longer required. Success is all that matters and money matters more than truth. But then again, how many people really know truth from fiction?