A Million Little Pieces 3

This week's reading from James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces told how James life was changing in rehab. Because James refuses the conventional treatments, we perceive his actions as "taking one step forward and two steps back." However, though he doesn't go along with the typical ways, I think he's making a lot of progress using his own tools. Though his counselors don't seem to be relating much to him, he's being impacted in less traditional ways, such as through a book called "Tao" and simply by other addicts in the center. James describes Tao, "These things, these poems, these words, these meanings, they make sense to me. They do no tell me to do anything or be antying or believe in anything or become anything. They don't jdge me or try to convince me..." (201). In the story of his life, James refuses to use the suggested "The Twelve Steps," and tells everyone he will do what he needs to. Though everyone is skeptical of him, his acceptance of the Tao gives us reason to believe he can change using his own way. The other main thing that makes us think James can stay sober by blazing his own trail is how he relates with the other addicts. This section of the book really heats up between James and a girl he met at the rehab center, Lily. During one of their secret late-night dates James writes about Lilly, "I stare at her, let my smile fad it won't fade inside. I have never felt so safe or calm. This hard, damaged, drug-Addicted Badass Girl sitting in front of me with her black hair and her braided pigtails and her clear water blue eyes and her scars her scars the scars on her wrist nakes beneath a plastic watch makes me feel safe and calm" (235). Though there is a rule about no dating in rehab, James' breaking of the rule is okay because he truly believes he needs her to help him do what he must do.
This section is also very important because James' parents come to the center. He dreads "the Family Program" because he's always hated his parents. James writes about this feeling, "I sit and I watch them. The Fury is in me nad has risen it is peaking. I don't understand why this happens, but every time I'm near them, it does happen. THey try to love me, I hurt them. They try to be decent and reasonable, I won't be decent or reasonable. They try to help me, I resent them for it. I don't understand why. They are my Parents. THey are doing the best they can do" (252). Despite how difficult is is to be around them, they make a lot of progress by sharing their feelings with each other, and ultimately by James' decision to sincerely try to be better to them. The meeting with his parents ends with a hug, "I step forward, put one of my arms around each of them, and they each put one of their arms around me. We pull each of us pulls and we hug each other...The Fury flares and i am momtarily uncomfortable, but the strength I am giving and the strength I am taking kills it" (308). James patching things up with his parents is important to the book because family is so important in life. I think that this will really help James to reach his goal, and he keeps tying the loose ends of his life, and putting things back together. His unconventional and independant ideas may seem wrong, but I think he's a strong and smart man who knows what he's doing, and will prove everyone wrong.