Judging books

I have read many memoirs of addiction and recovery, among them books by Kitty Dukakis, Bob Welch, Caroline Knapp, Susan Cheever. But ages ago I passed on reading James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. Know why? I'm serious when I tell you: I read the book jacket and decided the story had the whiff of untruth. So I moved on.

I had forgotten about that last summer, when I journeyed to the west side Border's to hear Frey read from his recent book My Friend Leonard. Then, at the store, I read the book jacket and realized who I was there to see. That book jacket also had the whiff of untruth. So I again moved on.