James Frey Gets Spanked by Two NYT Columnists

Kakutani: Mr. Frey’s contention that having 5 percent or so of his book in dispute was “comfortably within the realm of what’s appropriate for a memoir” and the troubling insistence of his publishers and his cheerleader Oprah Winfrey that it really didn’t matter if he’d taken liberties with the facts of his story underscore the waning importance people these days attach to objectivity and veracity. | story

Haberman: The many ceremonies held in the city yesterday to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired me to jettison a deep reluctance to get personal in print.

Maybe it’s time to write a long-suppressed memoir of how I was at Dr. King’s side when he delivered his unforgettable “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington in August 1963. | story