Yes it is normal. I am the type of person that writes to authors that really make me think and challenge myself by what they write, and also those that I really can't put away after turning the last page. Not all but quite a few wrote under pseudonames (whatever that word is that is eluding my train of thought at the mement) and have changed some of their life events around by reverising the order or mish mashing lots of situations into one and so on. I myself have chosen a pen name to write under because it would not be good if certain people recognized certain things my poems talk about. In My autobiograpy I am in the process of doing name, place and date changes, and I have been told by published authors my doing this is perfectly normal and alot of authors do it. The problem with doing this is there is a fine line that distinguishes books that are non fiction (real, based on truth) and fiction ( made up novels). If the person is marketing the book as non fiction there are certain changes that can be made (names places and date and mish mashing more than one situation into one) without the book falling into the fiction catagory. But adding TOO much made up situations pulls the book and author into controversy of is it really a work of nonfiction or is it really fiction.

The book Sybil is a great example. Both the doctor Wilbur and Shirley Mason (sybil) are dead. diaries and files and paintings were found in "Dr Wilburs" basement points to some if not all of those situations in the book were added for dramatic purposes of the movie. Basically the orginal manuscript is different from the book that is now being sold on the market. Its still being sold because people are still buying it. But there is a new movie being talked about or being made (I can't remember which it is) that will depict the true version based on those newly located files, painting and diaries. Depending on how different the original manuscript ,files, and paintings are will depend on if the version on the market now continues to be labeled as non fiction.

This was probaby the point Oprah was trying to make - how much chage can a person make to their books and still call it a true story. Maybe Oprah or whoever wrote wrote in asking about him or her shows writers feels he crossed that fine line from nonfiction into fiction.

Only Oprah knows why she was as you say "raking him over the coals". But also Oprah got to the top by looking at all the angles not just the good side of things. So I just chalk Oprah doing this with this book and author as she's just being Oprah that everyone who watches her loves.