A Million Little Pieces Essay Question

“We read to know we’re not alone.” (C.S. Lewis)
This quote defines A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.
Frey battles with his drug addiction and gets help by going to rehab. The rehab effectively supports Frey's road to recovery due to the staff working with him that were previous drug-addicts.
Throughout Frey's stay in the rehab center, he develops relationships with people just like him. He's able to express what he did/went through in life without judgment from the patients in his ward. Everyone in rehab has their own story; and this aides Frey to continue with his recovery.
Along the way, Frey gets encouragement from the staff that motivates him to stay strong and not go back to old habits in times of stress.
One member on the staff, Lincoln, says "For whatever it's worth...I'm proud of you" (363). This simple phrase has Frey respond with gratitude and makes Frey realize that he has accomplished a lot and can live a drug-free life.
Knowing that Frey isn't alone is important to him. Frey falls in love with a woman in rehab who is a crack-addict; Lily. Frey tries to spend as much time as he can with Lily. Frey wants to get better not only for him, but also for Lily. Frey develops a relationship with someone who won’t look down on him, which is a huge deal since Frey has never felt that kind of love in his life. In a way, Frey’s thought process is a lot clearer with Lily by his side. Frey replaces his drug-addict urges to use. Instead of thinking about drugs, Frey has nice thoughts about Lily.
Frey even develops another relationship with an older man, which is more like a father-son relationship. This man’s name is Leonard. Leonard treats Frey like his own son and drags Frey back to rehab when Frey tries to escape. Towards the end of Leonard’s recovery time at rehab, he states, “If you ever need anything, doesn’t matter where you are or what you need, you find me and I’ll take care of you” (388). Frey is taken aback by this act of kindness and believes in himself again. Frey sees that others care for him, so Frey should take better care of himself.
As Frey shows, it’s better to be with someone or in Frey’s case; with a lot of supportive people, through life. And when you realize you’re not alone, you’re more likely to succeed and be happier in life.