'This is the Brady Bunch on Viagra... it is impossible not to laugh at all the jokes; to admire the sardonic, fetid tone; to wonder, slack-jawed and agog, at the sheer looniness of the vista he conjures up' Rachel Cooke, Observer This is the true story of a boy who wanted to grow up with the Brady Bunch, but ended up living with the Addams Family. Augusten Burroughs's mother gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa Claus and a certifiable lunatic into the bargain. The doctor's bizarre family, ...
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'This is the Brady Bunch on Viagra... it is impossible not to laugh at all the jokes; to admire the sardonic, fetid tone; to wonder, slack-jawed and agog, at the sheer looniness of the vista he conjures up' Rachel Cooke, Observer This is the true story of a boy who wanted to grow up with the Brady Bunch, but ended up living with the Addams Family. Augusten Burroughs's mother gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa Claus and a certifiable lunatic into the bargain. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients and a sinister man living in the garden shed completed the tableau. The perfect squalor of their dilapidated Victorian house, there were no rules and there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer and Valium was chomped down like sweets. And when things got a bit slow, there was always the ancient electroshock therapy machine under the stairs... 'This true story is a match for the strangest... Running with Scissors reads like an extremely well crafted and crazed sitcom, a mix of Jerry Springer and Seinfeld... Funny, moving and extraordinary' Christina Patterson, Independent 'Twisted, hilarious and relentlessly bizarre... It single-handedly redefines the term "fucked up childhood"' Sleazenation 'Bawdy, outrageous, often hilarious... so flippant and so insanely funny' New York Times 'A story so strange, it could never be fiction... deftly written, smart and funny' GQ 'Burroughs will be hard pressed ever to better this, his debut effort... It's one you'll never forget' Alice Fisher, Time Out 'Dave Pelzer with a whoopee cushion attached... Genuinely memorable' Observer Top 50 Cultural Events of the Season
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Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, very good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Item may have minor cosmetic defects such as marks wears cuts bends or crushes on the cover spine pages or dust cover. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may contain remainder marks on outside edges which should be noted in listing comments. Item may be missing bundled media.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Good. Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Good. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable. Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include From the library of labels. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Hard cover books may show signs of wear on the spine cover or dust jacket. Paperback book may show signs of wear on spine or cover as well as having a slight bend curve or creasing to it. Book should have minimal to no writing inside and no highlighting. Pages should be free of tears or creasing. Stickers should not be present on cover or elsewhere and any CD or DVD expected with the book is included. Book is not a former library copy.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $0.99, fair condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. A well-loved copy with text fully readable and cover pages intact. May display wear such as writing highlighting bends folds or library marks. Still a complete and usable book.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $1.09, good condition, Sold by Giant Giant rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reston, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $1.25, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
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Seller's Description:
The book has been read but is in good condition. It has very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. The binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing minimal pencil underlining of text no highlighting of text and no writing in the margins. There are no missing pages. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Add this copy of Running With Scissors: a Memoir to cart. $1.52, fair condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Picador.
Book was like new in excellent shape and arrived very quick to my residence. Excellent service!
Conundrum
Jun 13, 2009
Running with Scissors: Review by Conundrum
To be totally honest, I actually watched the movie, ?Running With Scissors? before I read the book. However, the movie is what interested me in the stories of Augusten Burroughs. In my opinion, ?Running with Scissors? took some major bullocks to write. The story is so intriguing that you just cannot put down the book. I found myself completely drawn into the world of a boy, Augusten Burroughs, attempting to become an independent entity while struggling with obstacles beyond the boundaries of even the most active imagination. The story of his life is sad, yes. However, he seems to find the humor in his turmoil flawlessly.
Dealing with a psychotic mother, Deirdre, and the ?adopted? Finch family that is perhaps even worse off, Augusten somehow stays true to himself. I admit, this book is not for those of a high moral standard with preconceived notions of ?normal?. This book is also not for close-minded, judgmental people either. No, this book is for those of us that know life is truly flawed and that very bad things can happen and almost always will. It is also a testament that good people who get put in drastically horrible situations will either flounder or prevail. Well, Augusten definitely prevails.
The characters are engaging and somewhat mysterious at times. For me, it was slightly difficult to put my finger on what motivated Agnes (the wife of Finch) and Hope (daughter of Finch). However, they both play intricate roles in his story.
The other characters, however, all had extremely potent personalities. Finch (the Psychiatrist of Deirdre), is an unusual patriarch in many, many ways. I mean, at one point, he actually believes that his excrement will dictate the family?s financial situation. Odd, hmmm? Natalie (youngest daughter of Finch) is a force of nature. I believe that she helps Augusten realize that it is ok to be himself. She supports him and him and is the closest thing he has to a friend. At the other end of the spectrum is Bookman, (lover of Augusten, adopted by Finch as well), an extremely complex, psychotic character. The way he approaches the world and the people in it is an enigma, to say the least.
I can?t say much more without completely giving away the entire plot to the book, so I will end with this. I highly suggest ALL of Augusten Burroughs books. Trust me, I have read every one and they are all more than fantastic.
I hope this review was helpful to you and that you might have even enjoyed it.
Thank you for your time.
marylee
Feb 14, 2008
I bought this as an audio book and threw it in the trash. I wouldn't even donate it or pass it on. It's disgusting, perverted. I can't believe it's a true story. Albris service was superb in delivery of all products I've ordered from them, I just made a mistake with this selection.
thinkbillly
Jun 3, 2007
What?!?
I bought this book in the bookstore at JFK and read it enroute to Manchester, England. At the end of the flight I ditched it in a trash can at the airport. I loved it right up until the last chapter. I would have to reread it (groan) to pinpoint what exactly made me dislike it so much. Not going to happen. I did see the film (at a two dollar theatre, just in case,) hoping to catch what I missed in the reading. Both book and film felt contrived, I guess...
bonzo
Apr 7, 2007
like a car accident
This, along with many other books by Burroughs, hold the same elemental features. The stories are somewhat connected yet charmingly anachronistic. Sometimes disturbing, sometimes outrageous, sometimes disturbingly outrageous; the memories in this collection hold a distinct power over the reader. Even if you wish you could, it is almost impossible to put it down. Some might feel ashamed for enjoying it, much like passing a bloody car crash on the highway at an all-too-slow speed. But I assure you, the outcome at the end of this experience is far more hilarious and a lot less fatal.
