''Another Day in Paradise'' is a novel by

Eddie Little Eddie Little (August 25, 1954 – May 20, 2003) was a widely acclaimed American author. He wrote ''Another Day in Paradise'', later made into a film of the same name directed by Larry Clark. Little was also the author of "Outlaw LA" an ongoing art ...

first published in 1997. Set in the early 1970s, it tells the story of the protagonist, a fourteen-year-old runaway named Bobbie, transforming from a meth addict and amateur thief to a heroin addict and accomplished safe-cracker, with the help of his mentor Mel. It was adapted into the film of the same name.

Plot summary

At age 13, Bobbie leaves the violent, abusive home where he was raised, and this book details his following year. He has an older girlfriend, carries a gun, takes drugs, and is on an ever-tightening spiral to hell, his crimes escalating until they include murder. The plot, which highlights Bobbie's increasing dependence on the highs of violence, emphasizes a frightening reality.

Controversy

On January 27, 2006, in the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

-based alternative newspaper ''

the eXile ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', essayist John Dolan leveled charges of plagiarism against

James Frey James Frey (born September 12, 1969) is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, ''A Million Little Pieces'' (2003) and ''My Friend Leonard'' (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later fo ...

, author of '' A Million Little Pieces'', accusing him of lifting material from ''Another Day in Paradise'' and another Little work, ''

Steel Toes ''Steel Toes'' is a 2007 film directed by David Gow and Mark Adam and starring David Strathairn. It was filmed in Montreal, Quebec, and was produced by Galafilm. The film was based on writer/director David Gow's play ''Cherry Docs''. Plot Danny ...

'

Neither Frey, nor his publisher

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, have addressed the allegations of plagiarism.

References

''the eXile'' review (5/2003)
1997 American novels American crime novels Fiction set in the 1970s Viking Press books American novels adapted into films {{1990s-crime-novel-stub