Augusten Burroughs was just twelve years old when his mother gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist...

I'm sending this off to JennyC1230 for the Biography/Autobiography/Humor Bookbox. Thanks for running this continuous bookbox. I really enjoy this and look forward to my name coming up each time!

Caught for my: Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox.

I've read this one before, it's a strange and interesting memoir. Here is the one that I read: Running with Scissors - Bookray.

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Sending to JudySlump612 from the Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox Enjoy the book!

Received from JennyC1230 for the Bio/Memoir/Humor VBB

I keep wondering why Burroughs wrote this. Is there a contest for the most dysfunctional family outside of Dickens? To get revenge on those who dodged all responsibility to raise him? To express pent-up frustrations? I hope he achieved whatever he wanted, but I don't get what it was.

In one of the sadder chapters, he starts out rejoicing that he didn't have anyone telling him what to do, then regretting that he didn't have anyone telling him what NOT to do. That evoked my sympathy, although I would have framed it that he didn't have anyone who cared what he did, a truly lonely situation. And yet, his own account gives lots of examples of people trying to tell him what to do: go to school, wear shoes in a restaurant. He developed a pretty strong habit of ignoring any advice (or glimmers of good sense) that crossed his path. He doesn't really ever show any dissatisfaction with his behavior. It was an entertaining read, but left me upset and annoyed.

But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?

On OBCZ shelves