Rating: 
Summary: Growing up Dysfunctional
Review: I don't really want to add to what's already been written about this book--the insane, sad, paradoxical lunacy of a psychiatrist arranging the author's teenage faked suicide attempt (which seemed real enough: Valium and whiskey having to be stomach pumped out) just so Burroughs would not have to attend junior high school for a few months, etc. What stands out, and I haven't seen mentioned much in reviews, is the subtext of the whole 70's "Me" ethos. There are frequent references to various 70's cultural touchstones (Donna Summer, Mannix, Lena Wertmuller, etc.) and most especially the psycho-Zeitgeist of "reclaiming myself," "owning my writing," "I need your support," "don't repress your anger," etc. etc. Augusten's mother is a walking, talking, 70's Rollo May/Abraham Maslow cliche. This book almost (I say, almost) makes one grateful that HMOs now pretty much control psychiatrists and there are not too many Dr. Finchs running around loose and unfettered anymore. I found myself getting infuriated at the abominable parenting in this book, all done in the name of self-actualization. It reminded me, too, of that documentary called Crumb, about the underground cartoonist with the crazy family and the subtext of sometimes this craziness becomes the fount of creativity, the roots of some sort of genius expression.
Rating:
Summary: hilarious and horrifying
Review: The entire time I was reading Running with Scissors, I thought "How could a child who lived this life grow into an adult who could put five words together into a coherent sentence, never mind write a book this funny and this wise?"
I don't know the answer to that question: I only know that this book, however hilarious it may be, speaks volumes about the determination of the human spirit.
With an indifferent alcoholic father and a maniac mother, Augusten is treading on thin ice in his early years and that's before his mother allows her bizarre psychiatrist to adopt her son. As I read this part of the memoir, I wondered why the neighbors never noticed the living room furniture on the lawn, complete with small applicances, all plugged in. Or why no one noticed young children smashing a hole in the roof with rocks and other unusual tools? Good thing no one noticed because the newly created sky light did add brightness to an otherwise drab kitchen. Of course the rain water in the winter proved very inconvenient but that's another chapter.
Where was the board of health? The medical board? Disgruntled patients of this wacko psychiatrists?
Mr. Burroughs allows the reader to enter a real world beyond the comprehension and imagination of 99% of his readers. Somehow, he makes the world he lived in real, honest, sad, funny and very disturbing. At no time ever is this book boring.
I look forward to Mr Burroughs other books, but this one is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasanlty Surprising
Review: This book is hilarious - then it hits you - it's all real. The events which unfold in Running With Scissors really happened to Augusten! The humor remains although suddenly overcast with a deep sadness. What a tragic and strange life this poor boy had to live - yet, the ending leaves signs of hope: Through it all he managed to remain somewhat sane and make a life for himself away from the chaotic world in which he grew up. I enjoyed this book very much. It's an easy read and takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions - from laughter to tears to shock and amazement, Running With Scissors is one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good memoir
Review: I read this book, as it seems many other readers have, in about two sittings. It was one of the fastest reads I have encountered, which speaks volumes about the gifted author. This was a memoir that was worth writing and should be read by everyone. I felt that my libraries and bookstores had been inundated with mediocre memoirs, but then Burroughs rescued me. He has a remarkable memory and ability to convey his memories, which is no easy task. This is easily one of the best memoirs on the market right now, and the only reason I did not give it four or five stars is because I have to be honest with myself and I think books like Ulysses and Madame Bovary are 5 stars, the best of the best. This is a great memoir and I cannot recommend it enough for a nice break from dense reading (take that any way you want). Burroughs has a tremendously bright future ahead of him, and I cannot wait to read his fiction.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: really it's the fastest, easiest read i've had in a long time. really funny, really bizarre. it's the kind of book you read while you're walking somewhere or waiting on line. i couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Well written but...yikes
Review: I wish I had read the reviews on amazon.com before picking up this book, I would have been warned about the graphic gay sex passages. What started out as a nutty memoir about a clean-freak little boy dumped into a dysfunctional household of demented squalor quickly turned into a harrowing tale of child molestation. Despite the fact that Borroughs has come to accept his homosexuality (he never really addresses it) and his articulate narrative would make you think otherwise, this was still just a 13-year-old kid getting sexually abused by a deranged adult.It's very well written, but I wish the author would've turned some his powers of observation on himself. He details the lunatics of his childhood, from his raving mother to her insane psychiatrist as well as lesbian lovers and dirty feral children, but he just throws out details about himself without explanation or reflection. "I'm gay," he simply announces.
But, with his life, I could see where he would more interested by the people around him.
Maybe that's his point.
Rating:
Summary: Left me with a lot of wondering. . .
Review: Although Burroughs' writing is fresh and easily allows the reader to experience the hilarity, sadness, and sheer insanity of what goes on in his life, the book left me wondering at times and wanting more. There were moments of the book I felt there were things better kept to himself. . .some things added only for shock value. Also, the book just abruptly ends. Neing that it is a memoir by a New York Times bestseller author, my wife and I both assumed at some point it would come to where he was no longer living such a crappy, mundane, crazy life. . .... I enjoyed the book to a point, but would probably not read anything further by Burroughs.
Rating:
Summary: Made me laugh, cry and thankful
Review: for knowing that my family wasn't the only one who dissed "functional" while we were growing up. Granted - my childhood wasn't even close to what Augusten grew up with - how you survived is beyond me - but I'm glad you did! Thanks for sharing your life with me ! This book is a great read!
Rating: 
Summary: DYSFUNCTION WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT
Review: i have now read both of augusten burroughs memoirs and i have to say that i feel a little sympathetic towards him. reason being because he did not grow up in what someone would call a healthy environment. it is no wonder he was such a raging alcholic in his early twenties. dont get me wrong i think it is wonderful to let people grow up into who they want to be and i do believe that children should have some freedom in their life but there has to be a stopping point and some control exercised by a parent or guardian. it could not have been easy growing up with a father who was also a raging alcholic and would in the end have absolutely nothing to do with his son. and it also has to hurt a child when your mother is literally crazy and decides to sign her son over to a psychologist. talk about abandonment issues. it also has to be disturbing to walk in on your mother having an affair with a preacher's wife and then having your mother ask her thirteen year old child for his support in her relationship with another woman. these are the types of things he had growing up. then his new family was even weirder. they all believed in expressing emotions towards each other no matter what they thought. they used every name in the book and often resorted to elaborate family arguements. they used the bible in a very unique way to find answers to questions they could not answer on their own, often referred to as bible dipping. there was also a point in the book where his new father figure found answers by using his feces. unusual, it would be in my book. he was also able to openly drink and smoke well before his eightteenth birthday and would often wake up disoriented after a bender the night before. there was also the mention of his relationship with a 33 year old man. and i dont mean a friendship but an actual sexual relationship with a man 20 yers his senior. this book delivers plenty of shocking events within a three year period and helps top explain a lot of what goes on later on in his life. his book dry shows definite maturity in writing style from running with scissors, but both are quite funny at time and heartbreaking at the same time also. i personally feel for augusten burroughs because he grew up in such a non-traditional environment and did not have all of the perks of being a child, becaus ei feel that he was forced to grow up and be an adult way before he could ever really be a child. however the good thing to come out of his dysfunctional childhood is fantastic writing and reading. pick up his books and live his dysfunctional life for a while because it can make some people appreciate what they had growing up. very cool book and very cool writer, and i cant wait to read something else by him, i hope he keeps up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely awesome
Review: This book is insane, crazy, hilarious, sad, brilliant...Augusten's voice comes out so that you feel like you know him. It's a wonderful read..I couldn't put it down!
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