Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, Shocking, and Edgy
Review: The writing and characters in this book are amazingly done, and it captivated me from beginning to end. Even if some of the subject matter goes well over the edge (and may not appeal to some readers), this author's brilliance is how he presents even the most bizarre situations with such matter-of-fact, concise descriptions that the twists and turns of these strange characters, while utterly shocking, absolutely fit into the story.The book follows Augusten through early childhood, overshadowed by his parents' doomed marriage and his mother's psychotic episodes, and then into the oddball world of the Finch family where nothing is out of bounds. Everyday Finch events range from Augusten and Natalie Finch testing their performance abilities by singing You Light Up My Life on a mental ward to a summer of living on furniture in the yard after initially moving unwanted items outside to sell then deciding to take off the tags to create another "room" of the house. It kind of takes your breath away each time these people take another step down the road of astonishing psychosis and obsession. The reason this book may not appeal to everyone is the graphic story of Augusten being molested at thirteen, then becoming involved in a sexual, not to mention manipulative, relationship with this older man for several years, another extraordinary twist being it's teenager Augusten doing the manipulating. Additionally the language from most members of the Finch household was continuously crude. One criticism about this book is the abrupt ending, with very little explanation about how Augusten came to his final realizations. It seemed the book was motoring along, picking up speed, then suddenly quit from nowhere. Despite the ending, the author has an uncanny ability to be hilarious, insightful and imaginative. One of my favorite lines from the book was his description of his mother's new lover Dorothy, whom he believed to perfectly complement his mother's imbalance: "If my mother was odd enough to crave a bubble bath at three in the morning, Dorothy was inventive enough to suggest adding broken glass to the tub."
Rating:
Summary: Almost disturbing yet extremely funny
Review: I just finished reading Running With Scissors in a 2 hour timestamp. It is one of the most disturbing yet hysterical memoirs I have ever read! Its unbelievable how a boy growing up between the ages of 9 and 17 was exposed to so many different life-changing turn of events but pulls each one together in a very dry, yet hysterical way. My favorite author is David Sedaris (author of Naked, Barrel Fever and Me Talk Pretty One Day) and when I heard about Augusten Burroughs being compared with him, I ran out and bought the book and all of those critics who said that were absolutely right! I am looking forward to this weekend when I can read his sequel, Dry.
Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing; Haunting Images
Review: I wish I had never read this book. In fact, I left it on a plane because I didn't want it in my house. I'm all for homosexuality, but the descriptors of Augusten's sexual experiences are just too graphic for me to swallow. Actually, the entire book is too much for me. I feel pity for him to have grown up with such a childhood. His parents are such irresponsible twits it's a shame that we don't require people to pass some sort of test to qualify for parenthood. I also wonder about the authenticity of the book - how much was created in his mind vs. reality. It's hard to believe ANY mother - regardless of how crazy she was - would take her 10 year old to a psychiatrist who has a masterbation room and offers to give tours. Seriously...... Anyway, I rarely write reviews on books although I read them all the time. This is the one book I've read in my life that I made a specific point to come review because I wish I had never picked it up. The most disturbing thing about the book is that if children in our society are in fact growing up in environments like Augusten, none of us should be surprised at Columbine, 9/11, or any of the other horrific tragedies our society has suffered at the hands of sick minds. Terrible book, terrible parents, terrible childhood.
Rating: 
Summary: Heroic in Self-Deprecating Way
Review: "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS" is a brilliant book. The author turns tragedy into humor with a heroic and self-deprecating spirit. If you like chronicles like "MY FRACTURED LIFE", "NIGHTMARES ECHO", and "POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE" and don't mind some occasional strong subject matter it will be enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: awesome book
Review: this book has inspired me to do many different things with my life. i think that this book has a interesting view on life. also, the author had a very unique lifestyle that was interesting and mind boggling. i would definatly read this again for "pleasure reading" ... i have enjoyed every moment of this book since chapter 1 .
Rating:
Summary: Well written
Review: Twila Downing,
This is a well written, though sometimes edgy and imaginative look at child abuse/molestation and the twist and turns the human mind will take as it makes the journey through life looking for wellness and serenity. Though many of the reviewers found this book 'Over the edge', I think that is what is captivating. Oh dont get me wrong it does deal with severe issues and yet, there are moments of laughter in the midst of the sadness. I think the author did a great job in penning this memoir. I rate it up there with the reality/gut wrenching and courageous healing 'NIGHTMARES ECHO', and the sad yet all telling look at abuse with a Christian approach of healing in 'BEAUTY FOR ASHES'
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This book is absolutely brilliant. Telling the dysfunctional family enviroment, the fact that abuse comes in many forms and that life for a child is not always as it seems. Running with Scissors is a poignant account of abuse, told in an exceptional manner. It falls in to the same categories as NIGHTMARES ECHO,SICKENED and MY FRACTURED LIFE. Weaving the story of just that: Fractured lives, almost destroyed and yet strong and courageous enough to not only live....but to set examples for others out there that can not write the book.
Read each of these books and get a clearer look into those lives of people that must endure abuse.
Rating:
Summary: Fractured memoir
Review: What a great fractured memoir. The dysfunctional parenthood by the loony mommy is heartbreaking on the same level as the alcoholic crazy mother in My Fractured Life. The drug use and molestation are somewhat hard to take but neccessary to understand the full story. If you can handle tough subjects, this is a fantastic fractured memoir on the same scale as My Fractured Life.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic Humor
Review: Running With Scissors is filled with pain and comedy all at the same time. Burroughs writes about his childhood--he's the son of an alcoholic father and a psychotic mother who cares more about her poetry than her child. Their divorce would seem like a welcome relief. But in a bizarre twist, Burroughs ends up living with his mother's shrink. You would think this would be a good thing. But this is a world of non-stop insanity. Don't go looking for a world with moral grounding. There are situations that are difficult to accept. But Burroughs pulls it all together and that's the reader's reward.
Rating:
Summary: A New Favorite
Review: I purchased Running With Scissors because of the comparisons to My Fractured Life which I had just finished and enjoyed. What a great comparison. Thank you! Running With Scissors is easily the best book I have read since My Fractured Life and may be one of the best I'll read all year. The childhood of Augusten Burroughs is a hypnotic array of surreal dysfunction. Having a parent with mental illness myself, I was amazed at the realism with which Augusten captures his mother's not so gradual fall into the world of bizarre. The vividness of the homosexual references was a bit too much detail for my taste, but it didn't stop me from loving the book.
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