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Summary: He Does It Again!
Review: If you are one of the many fans of "Running With Scissors," you're probably wondering what happened to Augusten once he moved out of his mother's psychiatrist's home. "Dry" is just the book to tell you!Augusten, who went on to become successful in advertising (and a brilliant writer to boot), tells of his work experience, his sex life, oh, and his recovery from alcholism. He writes of his escapades in a addiction hospital for homosexuals and his struggles and triumphs over alcohol once released. He has the ability to make everything come alive and make you feel as if you are alongside him, experiencing everything from his worries to his irritation. His sarcasm speaks buckets! If you have not enjoyed his prequel to this book, never fear! Many of the aspects of that book are incorportated into this one, leaving the new reader and the seasonsed reader alike to enjoy. From cover to cover, you won't be disappointed! Highly recommended. :o)
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Summary: Burroughs is hillarious! Make it a double
Review: This book is such an enjoyable read, I considered keeping the copy I had borrowed. Burroughs takes us into his life as an alcoholic and he doesn't hold much back. From the troubles of hiding the smell of alcohol to the stories of finding his true feelings for someone else, Dry is a revealing and oftentimes compelling memoir. You'll love it.
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Summary: GRIPPING AND INVOLVING ALL THE WAY THROUGH
Review: to be honest i have never really been a fan of non-fiction books, but i must say that this one is an exception. i feel the reason i responded so well to this book is because he wrote about a time in his life where i am only a year younger than he is. for me i can see and relate to things he is going through, i am at the same age where life begins to start happening. he is writing for a new generation, he uses words and phrases that people my age understand. if i were to pick up any other memoir i would go right to sleep because most memoirs come from people that are older and have lived in a world in which someone my age would know nothing about. he talks about being an alcholic and how alcholics and drug addicts live and he holds nothing back. that is what is so great about this book, he is so honest and revealing. i myself do not have a problem with drugs and alchol but you sort of get a feeling for what a person might be going through. he shows you that the people in the world with these kind of problems are still people who need help. when reading this book you begin to really care for augusten and all the other people in rehab. there were times where i could not put the book down because i wanted to know what was going to happen next. i think this book also helps you realize how important it is to have a network of people who care about you and would help you through the tough times. the relationship between augusten and pighead is particularly striking because it is so sad and dysfunctional. one part of this relationship shows you how well a person can know you without ever letting on that they know you so well. i am referring to apart towards the end of the book when augusten receives a gift. all in all this is an exceptional book and i highly recommend it because i feel it could be a real eye opener for some people. this is the kind of book that give a person some insight into the problem known as addiction. needless to say i cant wait to start running with scissors, the memoir he wrote about his childhood. all i have to say is that augusten burroughs has won over a new fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as taught as Running With Scissors
Review: I bought both "Running with Scissors" and "Dry" the day after I read an article Burroughs has written for salon.com. Naturally I read "Running with Scissors" first and I found it to be creepy, heartwrenching, and excellent. The writing was disciplined and I finished the book in one day. I was sadly disappointed that "Dry" did not come close to "Running." The book felt sloppy, lazy, and rushed. There is a typo - see if you can find it. A sentence begins with "Our" when it should be "Out." And I found that Burrough relied far, far too much on unnecessary analogies. Count how many times he follows a statement with "It was like..." And I agree with some of the others reviewers that there is an inherent problem in memoirs of alcoholics who are almost always self-obsessed. In fact, the very writing of a memoir is an indication of self-obsession. I wish that Burroughs would have surfaced comparisons between his narcisstic mother and his own narcissicm. I finished "Dry" just to finish it, but I wished that Burroughs and his editors had given the book a few more once-overs. It really needs it.
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Summary: Augusten Burroughs Dry
Review: Wrenching...touching...sometimes sad....this is biography details Burroughs' path to sobriety. Don't miss it if you or someone close to you had ever wrestled with addiction. Don't miss it either for a gripping examination of what an addiction can do to someone.
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Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I can't say enough good things about this book! I work in a library, and while I don't usually read books about alcoholics (they hit too close to home) something made me pick up this one, and man, I am glad I did. He could have been telling my story. LOL The look at the watch and realize it is 4 am (where did the time go?), attempts to cover up the smell from a drunken night, late for work because you either forgot to set the alarm or slept through it and on and on. He tells it all without any self pity, and without attempting cast himself in the light of hero. In fact, the light he sheds on his personality is less than flattering. A very brave thing for an author to do. I read this book at work during breaks and lunches, and many times people would look over as I laughed out loud. Towards the end, I cried too. My co-workers were quite concerned until I just told them it was the book. I have never cried reading a book before. I usually don't bother criticising a book from a technical standpoint, but how is "speaks" to me. And this book SHOUTED at me. I even gave it to my mother to read. I can't recommend this book enough, and I am looking forward to reading his previous works.
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Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book has it all, drama, humor, suspense. I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: Drunk Tales are Too Much the Same
Review: I really enjoyed reading Running with Scissors, unfortunately I feel a little disappointed by Dry. I've heard many of what people in AA call "drunkalogues", and I've read many books and seen many movies that show the depravity of alcoholism and addiction. After a while the stories have a sameness that is boring. Unfortunately, Dry barely rises to the level of being better than a drunkalogue. The end of the book is affecting, Burroughs is a funny writer and much of the book is entertaining, but the story just isn't that interesting, and the book didn't leave me feeling that the insight the author acquired was all that deep.
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Summary: fabulous book that will get under your skin!
Review: a supremely well-written, literary account of a life riddled with addiction--to alcohol, to drugs, to bad relationships. yet even with this morose subject matter, burroughs manages to peel off the tarnish and provide the reader with humorous, inciteful (and just plain interesting) prose. burroughs's use of language is as liquid as the scotch he swills--and leaves the reader just as intoxicated. this passionate, truthful novel is certainly not for the faint at heart (or homophobes), and after reading it you'll never look at flickering lights the same way again.
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Summary: Another Great Memoir from Burroughs
Review: Augusten Burroughs' last book (RUNNING WITH SCISSORS) chronicled his bizarre childhood, including his dysfunctional family, the even more dysfunctional family he lived with when his mother had a series of nervous breakdowns, and his relationship with a pedophile. DRY: A MEMOIR picks up about 10 years later; Burroughs has a successful career in New York advertising and is a raging alcoholic. He's in denial about his problem, so he's surprised when his co-workers stage an intervention and even more surprised when he reluctantly agrees to a 30-day rehab stint. The book follows his attempts to remain sober, deal with his past, and cope with some harmful romantic relationships. The book often skewers the mental health system, replete with therapy-speak, AA meetings, and self-help lingo, However, Burroughs adopts a fairly benign, almost affectionate, tone toward mental health workers. Ultimately, DRY is filled with the kind of wit and attitude you've come to expect from Burroughs. I laughed out loud quite a few times, and I felt some real suspense reading to see whether he'd relapse. Burroughs is quickly establishing himself as a quirky and talented writer. Although he may be pegged by some as a "gay author," his work is pretty universal and likely to appeal to many different audiences. I most highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
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