Running With Scissors

by Augusten Burroughs

by
Augusten Burroughs

book data

32045 ratings, 3.51 average rating, 4442 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		19%
4		34%
3		29%
2		11%
1		5%

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published

June 2003 (first published 2002) by Topeka Bindery

binding

Library Binding

isbn

1417666943 (isbn13: 9781417666942)

description

<DIV>Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by h...more

[close] <DIV>Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. Suddenly, at age twelve, Augusten Burroughs found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules, there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock therapy machine under the stairs....

Running with Scissors is at turns foul and harrowing, compelling and maniacally funny. But above all, it chronicles an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV><DIV>Running with Scissors Acknowledgments
Gratitude doesn’t begin to describe it: Jennifer Enderlin, Christopher Schelling, John Murphy, Gregg Sullivan, Kim Cardascia, Michael Storrings, and everyone at St. Martin’s Press. Thank you: Lawrence David, Suzanne Finnamore, Robert Rodi, Bret Easton Ellis, Jon Pepoon, Lee Lodes, Jeff Soares, Kevin Weidenbacher, Lynda Pearson, Lona Walburn, Lori Greenburg, John DePretis, and Sheila Cobb. I would also like to express my appreciation to my mother and father for, no matter how inadvertently, giving me such a memorable childhood. Additionally, I would like to thank the real-life members of the family portrayed in this book for taking me into their home and accepting me as one of their own. I recognize that their memories of the events described in this book are different than my own. They are each fine, decent, and hard-working people. The book was not intended to hurt the family. Both my publisher and I regret any unintentional harm resulting from the publishing and marketing of Running with Scissors. Most of all, I would like to thank my brother for demonstrating, by example, the importance of being wholly unique.</DIV>
</DIV> [close]

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0312425414)

08/21/07

Read in July, 2007

I didn't like it. I really don't enjoy these contemporary confessional "memoirs." Call me a prude, but what is the point of reading about these uncomfortable sexual experiences and sick childhood memories? Does it make us feel better about our own weird childhood memories or our own awkward encounters with sex? I, for one, don't think so. Reading Running with Scissors didn't make me feel better about ANYTHING!

My students often practice writing their responses to the following quote...more

Like this review? yes (17 people liked it)

4 comments

Timothy rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

08/29/07

Family settles with "Running with Scissors" author, publisher
By Rodrique Ngowi, Associated Press Writer | August 29, 2007

BOSTON --A family that claimed author Augusten Burroughs defamed them in his best-selling book "Running with Scissors" has settled a lawsuit against the author and his publisher, their attorney said Wednesday.

Burroughs and his publisher, St. Martin's Press, agree to call the work a "book" instead of "memoirs," in the author's...more

Like this review? yes (15 people liked it)

16 comments

Jason rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

08/12/08

Read in August, 2008

(Today's review is much longer than Goodreads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

I've mentioned here regularly the entire idea of there being an "underground-arts canon;" that is, that just like the academic community, what we call the modern cutting-edge arts has now been around long en...more

Like this review? yes (11 people liked it)

10 comments

Friend the Girl rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

10/16/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: people who think David Sedaris is too deep

I'm really not a fan of this memoir craze, and Running With Scissors is no exception. It shows potential in some parts, where the author puts down the 2x4 he was using to beat you over the head with and just tells a story. Most of the time, though, he's not-so-subtly reminding you that he had a terrible childhood, his dad hated him, his mum was crazy, he didn't have anyone, etc. Yawn. In an age where 52% of marriages end in divorce, this is everyone's story. Now it's just a pissing...more

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Martin rated it:

(review of isbn 0312425414)

12/31/07

Read in June, 2006

recommends it for: Anyone mentally healthy enough not to be tortured by it

I found this book profoundly disturbing and torturous to read. I understand that it is cleansing and theraputic for those that have been traumitized to write/talk aobut their problems to help with the healing process. There are very few things that my ironclad stomach can't suffer and my brain is developed enough to handle even the most shocking of situations. This book tested my patience from begining to end and in the end I was very dissapointed.

First off, from reviews and the book cove...more

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

4 comments

Stephanie rated it:

(review of isbn 0312425414)

08/21/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: any old person

I have to warm you that I am going to give a spoiler here, the spoiler I happened upon as I had just begun reading this book and was just hooked enough by the descriptive style of writing and interesting content that I wanted to continue regardless. However, the spoiler ultimately affected my experience of the book and may affect yours as well. So don't read this, unless you've already read the book.
The family that "Augusten Burroughs" focuses most of his memoir around are suing him....more

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

5 comments

oriana rated it:

(review of isbn 0312425414)

07/24/07

bookshelves: read-2007

I kind of think there are four types of people doing memoirs today.

1) People who have had seriously interesting / crazy lives, who also happen to be terrific writers, able to render their stories in a compelling, original way (like Nick Flynn in the incredible Another Bullshit Night in Suck City).

2) People whose lives are interesting / crazy enough th...more

Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

4 comments

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

01/13/08

Read in January, 2008

I was interested in reading this after getting hints of the story in Burroughs' brother's memoir "Look Me in the Eye". My honest reaction? This book made me deeply uncomfortable. Oh, I kept reading it, the same way I and everyone else would keep eyeballing a car accident, as the old cliché goes. But there was a part of me that honestly couldn't believe that all of this stuff was real. And if it was, how could Burroughs write about it almost as if it was a years-long romp? (I know I go...more

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eliza rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

04/25/07

Read in April, 2007

When I read this book, I was really appalled that people would classify it as a comedy, and that the makers of the film would treat it as such. I thought it was one of the most tragic things I have ever read in my life. The fact that this kid had to deal with not only his crazy parents, but an entirely crazy family is heartbreaking. And it's not just that they're quirky, like everyone seems to make them out to be, but they really are insane. And in the worst possible way. And then he gets t...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

6 comments

Angie rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

03/31/08

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I began this book Monday night, 3/24. I almost decided to put it down, thinking, "Oh, here we go. Another memoir with witty inclusions of past pop culture, preying on my nostalgia." But then, I couldn't get over Burroughs' memory of the details from the past, such as the ticking of a cooling hair dryer or how he felt when dressed just so. And then I thought, "This guy can't be for real. He's making up details to fill the space." But I decided to keep going after his descripti...more I began this book Monday night, 3/24. I almost decided to put it down, thinking, "Oh, here we go. Another memoir with witty inclusions of past pop culture, preying on my nostalgia." But then, I couldn't get over Burroughs' memory of the details from the past, such as the ticking of a cooling hair dryer or how he felt when dressed just so. And then I thought, "This guy can't be for real. He's making up details to fill the space." But I decided to keep going after his description of the dump run with his father. Burroughs' desire for the abandoned coffee table, his description of how he would make it look nice and shiny (Windex! magazines!), and his childish wish to be flung from the car just made me keep going.

So far, so good.

***UPDATE***
3/27/08
This book has gone from weird to disturbing. I don't know what is more disturbing: the stories or Burroughs' resiliency. The idea that his mother inadvertently protected Burroughs' older brother by NOT seeking medical advice certainly seems true to me. No telling what would have happened to the brother had he been evaluated by a doctor as . . . different as Dr. Finch.

I like that we are introduced to an adult flaw in the pre-teen Augusten: his treatment of Bookman. It's disturbing, and his failure to see the danger in his behavior is alarming. His exposure to his parents' fighting and Dr. F's encouragement of expressions of anger to the extreme, seem to have desensitized Augusten to the power of anger and the effect words can have on people.

I wonder where this Bookman thing is going. I'll be glad when he's out of the story.

***UPDATE***
3/31/2008
Burroughs' unapologetic, naked memoir confounds my own sense of privacy. I don't understand how someone can be so open about his history. He's writing from outside, as if he is his own character. He's become his own patient.

I do envy Burroughs' need to write. I think really great writers feel as if they cannot or are not living unless they are writing. I've never felt that way.

I like the book, overall. I can't read Dry right now, however. I need a break. Imagine how Burroughs feels....less

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

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Paula rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

08/22/07

Read in January, 2007

Alternatve Title: Stabbing Yourself with Scissors

I've always looked at this book, picked it up, and put it back down. I was wary because it seemed like something Sedaris would write, and I really hate Sedaris. Also, look at the cover. Always judge books by covers! It's in sepia-uh oh, you know it's a memoir. And he's got a box on his head-he must be crazy! Still, I'd heard people liked it, so when I came across it in my local used bookstore, I thought I'd give it a try.

I got through 20 p...more

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Tina rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

06/17/07

bookshelves: memoir

Read in June, 2007

I'm more than halfway through this, and I find myself liking it and hating it at the same time. Like, it's really interesting and funny and horrifying, and I want to be reading it, but as I'm reading it I'm mad at it for being such a ripoff of David Sedaris. What, can only gay men with screwed up childhoods write memoirs now? And even though it is funny and interesting, I definitely don't think he's on the same level as Sedaris -- this book isn't nearly as funny or poignant. And like I said, it ...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

3 comments

Laure rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

09/23/07

Read in January, 2004

I couldn't stand this book. I didn't take to any of the characters, finding them all uninteresting and just plain creepy. I resent people like Augustin Burroughs believing their experience, as mildly off the wall as it may be, actually amounts to something the rest of us should invest our time reading about. Just about any one of us could doctor up our pasts enough to leave some wondering how we emerged from the wreckage as reasonably functioning adults. But we just don't, because these thing...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

Pixie rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

11/01/07

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: no one

I quit reading this book halfway through. Like I read in another review, he's a bit of a David Sedaris wannabe. There's sort of a dark, absurd humor going on. I think he thinks he's being "light" by treating the subject matter "lightly," and sometimes it works. (I actually love David Sedaris, by the way, but I prefer listening to him over reading him.). As opposed to Mr. Sedaris, this guy gets really vulgar, offensive, and disgusting. It's all in the name of "art" ...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

4 comments

Larry rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

09/05/07

Read in August, 2006

recommends it for: anyone

I loved this book a lot. I am not sure that I buy that all that could have happened to one chid in one lifetime but looking at my own life it could be possible i guess. The book is a lot better than the movie but they both have their redeeming qualities.
I think that he is a great story teller and this is evident in his other books too.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

Scott rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

06/20/08

She wasn't "Let's paint the kitchen red" crazy. She was full on head in the oven, toothpaste sandwich, I am God crazy..

paraphrased, but you get it..

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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Tina rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

06/30/08

bookshelves: biography, made-into-movie

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Tina by: book group
recommends it for: someone I don't like

I learned, along with the rest of my reading group, that running with scissors is preferable to reading this book.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

John rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

05/18/08

My brother's account of our childhood and life with the Finches

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Lunar rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

07/06/08

Read in January, 2004

recommends it for: People with absurd, dark sensibilities.

It has been said that Truman Capote's last book, "Answered Prayers," cost him the friendship of almost everyone he knew at that time in his life, and it has even been speculated that this contributed to his demise. He had mined the personal secrets and character flaws of those around him for literary gold, and most probably embellished as brilliant authors often do. The characters were apparently easily correlated to their real-life counterparts.

And so, things haven't changed a...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

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Kevin rated it:

(review of isbn 031242227X)

05/25/08

Read in May, 2008

This will be by far the longest review I've done up to this point, because my take on this book is sort of complicated. Running With Scissors is extremely disturbing, and probably more so because it's all true. I found myself feeling really uncomfortable throughout much of it, but I absolutely cannot classify this book as a "dislike" because it really did manage to pull me in. Anyway, if I were reading a book on the Holocaust, would I deduct points for the disturbing subject matter? We...more This will be by far the longest review I've done up to this point, because my take on this book is sort of complicated. Running With Scissors is extremely disturbing, and probably more so because it's all true. I found myself feeling really uncomfortable throughout much of it, but I absolutely cannot classify this book as a "dislike" because it really did manage to pull me in. Anyway, if I were reading a book on the Holocaust, would I deduct points for the disturbing subject matter? Well, I guess that would depend on how it was presented. Same case here.

Though I tend to forget names of characters once many books are through, I'm very familiar with each one here because each was there for a reason and made an impression upon me. This was probably my favorite aspect of Burroughs' writing. Most of the things that turned me off about this book had to do with the painful details of the horrifying events in Burroughs' adolescence, and a few of the characters, of course, greatly got on my nerves. I guess that's sort of the point.

Essentially, some of the real life events left a very bad taste in my mouth. Put enough of them back to back in Burroughs' signature cynical tone and that tends to take a toll on you as a reader. Though there were some chapters which were hilarious or endearing, the constant flow of awful events kept me from enjoying RWS as much as I would've liked. Still, there's no denying the book held my interest and kept me turning the pages. I also think the last few chapters were some of the best in the book, because you really see how Augusten, Natalie, and Deidre have grown as human beings.

Admittedly, I did expect Running With Scissors to be a bit funnier, based on the reviews it got. But, still, it was an interesting and addictive book. I'd recommend it to eccentric readers with strong stomachs. The preview of Dry in the back of the book makes me think I'll like that one better than this, and Andy recommended it, so I think I might give that a try next....less

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