Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club choice, A Million Little Pieces, has been under fire since its author, James Frey, admitted to exaggerating details of his memoir.

James Frey convinced the nation that he was a man who endured terrible tribulations and unbelievably hard time and survived it all. Yes, it’s not hard to survive what never happened I am sure. According to Frey, he was a major drug addict, a murderer in his mind, and extremely abused by society. In his book, he stated at a young age he started doing drugs and being a menace to society.

He sold millions of copies of “A Million Little Pieces.” Till, an online portal exposed him. He denied any claims of writing a false memoir until the recent outpour of media attention, including a position in Oprah’s hot seat last week.

In a stunning switch from dismissive to disgusted, Oprah Winfrey took on James Frey, accusing him on live television of lying about “A Million Little Pieces” and letting down the many fans of his memoir of addiction and recovery. “I feel duped,” she said Thursday on her syndicated talk show. “But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.” Frey, who found himself booed in the same Chicago studio where he had been embraced not long ago, acknowledged that he had lied.

A sometimes angry, sometimes tearful Winfrey asked Frey why he “felt the need to lie.” Audience members often groaned and gasped at Frey’s halting, stuttered admissions that certain facts and characters had been “altered” but that the essence of his memoir was real.

Thursday’s broadcast, rare proof that the contents of a book can lead to great tabloid TV, marked an abrupt reversal from the cozy chat two weeks ago on “Larry King Live,” when Winfrey phoned in to support Frey and label alleged fabrications as “much ado about nothing.”

Locally, the book is still selling, retailers say, helped by the negative publicity.