I Just finished James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, and I must say the book and a really good rhythm. I made two really poor graph's explaining (graph 1) Jame's emotional state as the book progresses, and (Graph 2), how you feel, as the reader, as the book progresses, how intense the book is as you read. Graph 1:
Neither of these graphs include the emotional strife you go through as a reader when reading the "epilogue". Which would probably look like how a heart rate looks on a heart rate monitor, and it's only a page and a quarter long. The "epilogue" just explains where the character in the book are now.
At one point in the book the therapists explain that only 15% of addicts actually recover, and remain sober, and the epilogue hits home on that issue. Characters you have grown attached to die, or end up in jail, some are part of the 15% and are perfectly fine, some characters that you thought you hated when you read the book get what they deserve but you still feel bad for them.
I think that some high schoolers don't think they will get addicted to drugs and alcohol, or sex, but addicts start somewhere. Addicts can, and do, start in highschool, and I think a lot of highschoolers don't think they'll get addicted but it's a real possibility. This book makes me think of the people I know that do things they shouldn't, and it makes me hope to God that it's just a phase, that they're not as hurt, and messed up, as these people in this book at turn out to be addicts. It's just... Sad. So little addicts make it to a happy sober life, it makes me sad.
Great book and I advise it to any book lover, and all highschoolers (even though it's language isn't school appropriate)
Your diagrams are great. It is interesting that you felt you needed to give a visual aid to what your were personally feeling at the time of reading.
ReplyDeleteIt's because when you're done reading the book you really realize that the difference between the intensity of the story, and the intensity of the character's feelings are totally different! There could have been bombs going off but he could have been cool and calm if he had alcohol in his system, but when people were just watching TV, the main character would flip out in his head. It's something that a graph really demonstrates well. Looking at it now I should have done it on one graph, but I don't think i know how i would label it.
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