Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of being 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 house 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 is a truly amazing chronicle of an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.Running with Scissors AcknowledgmentsGratitude 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.
Narrated by the author with two afterwords: one written and read by Deirdre Finney Boylan, and one written and read by Richard RussoThe provocative bestseller She’s Not There is the winning, utterly surprising story of a person changing gender...
Narrator: Jennifer Finney Boylan Published: 04/12/2016
Osama bin Laden's former sister-in-law provides a penetrating, unusually intimate look into Saudi society and the bin Laden family's role within it, as well as the treatment of Saudi women.On September 11th, 2001, Carmen bin Ladin heard the news th...
With her trademark effervescence, Goldie delivers a personal look at private and powerful events that carried her through life: her father’s spontaneity; her mother’s courage; and the joy of being a daughter, a sister, a parent, and a lo...
A self-proclaimed candy fanatic and lifelong chocoholic, traces the history of some of the much-loved candies from his youth, describing the business practices and creative candy-making techniques of some of the small-time companies producing the ad...
From the number-one bestselling author of Running with Scissors and Dry comes Augusten Burroughs's most eagerly anticipated collection yet: true stories that give voice to the thoughts that we all have but dare not mention.It begins with a Tang Inst...
When Chef Anthony Bourdain wrote "Don't Eat Before You Read This" in The New Yorker, he spared no one's appetite, revealing what goes on behind the kitchen door. In Kitchen Confidential, he expanded the appetizer into a deliciously funny, ...
In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a...
From earliest experimentation to habitual excess to full-blown abuse, twenty-four-year-old Koren Zailckas leads us through her experience of a terrifying trend among young girls, exploring how binge drinking becomes routine, how it becomes "the usua...
From the New York Times Bestselling author of Running With Scissors comes the story of one man trying to out-drink his memories, outlast his demons, and outrun his past."I was addicted to "Bewitched" as a kid. I worshipped Darren Stevens the First. ...
AudiobooksNow review by Beth on 2007-06-08 19:34:04
This was a quirky, dark book. Very readable and definately made me feel wholesome and mainstream.
AudiobooksNow review by MIRANDA on 2008-01-27 18:41:38
I laughed out loud many times while reading this book. It was witty and insightful and I'll definitely read it again.
AudiobooksNow review by Nicole on 2008-08-17 04:44:47
Worth reading. You find yourself saying NO WAY, but yes way.
AudiobooksNow review by Dustine on 2012-06-05 19:08:08
My adult daughter recommended Burroughs books so highly I was looking forward to listening to this one. But, oh my! I could barely listen to the first disc before packaging it up and sending it back. And had I read the other reviews here, hundreds of times better written than my own, I would not have wasted my time on this at all. I am SO glad I stopped with the first disc. There are thousands of books more worthy of my time including those on anything relating to geology, Africa or anything as removed from fractured psychology as possible.
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