Running with Scissors: A Memoir
2 journalers for this copy...
will read; let go
non-fiction/memoirs
Perhaps there is something wrong with me because I did not think this book was all that funny. On the back of the book there are all of these little quotations from reviewers such as "hilarious and horrifying," "funny as it is twisted." Yes, there were some funny scenes & yes, I cracked a smile here and there, but that was pretty much it. On the whole, I found it incredibly sad & tragic.
The author, Augusten Burroughs, had the misfortune of being born to an alcoholic father who taught math at a university and a mom who saw herself as the Emily Dickinson of the 70s. Talk about dysfunctional -- his family defined dysfunctional! Mom finds a shrink, Dr. Finch, who is probably just as insane as Mom; then she decides she needs to get away and leaves Augusten with the Finch family. Enter dysfunctional family #2...with a little kid named Poo Bear who poops under the piano and a woman who eats dog food for a snack. Okay. Eventually, though, the author has to become used to things how they are, or it is likely he would have gone off the deep end as well. I think the humor is just his way of accepting his situation. Poor guy. There are no rules, there is no structure; not the healthiest of living environments for a young boy but the alternative is worse. The important thing here...after being tossed literally to the wolves, he manages to survive whatever life throws at him.
I liked it, but I think I was too busy judging all of the adults involved while reading it. I would definitely recommend it.
Perhaps there is something wrong with me because I did not think this book was all that funny. On the back of the book there are all of these little quotations from reviewers such as "hilarious and horrifying," "funny as it is twisted." Yes, there were some funny scenes & yes, I cracked a smile here and there, but that was pretty much it. On the whole, I found it incredibly sad & tragic.
The author, Augusten Burroughs, had the misfortune of being born to an alcoholic father who taught math at a university and a mom who saw herself as the Emily Dickinson of the 70s. Talk about dysfunctional -- his family defined dysfunctional! Mom finds a shrink, Dr. Finch, who is probably just as insane as Mom; then she decides she needs to get away and leaves Augusten with the Finch family. Enter dysfunctional family #2...with a little kid named Poo Bear who poops under the piano and a woman who eats dog food for a snack. Okay. Eventually, though, the author has to become used to things how they are, or it is likely he would have gone off the deep end as well. I think the humor is just his way of accepting his situation. Poor guy. There are no rules, there is no structure; not the healthiest of living environments for a young boy but the alternative is worse. The important thing here...after being tossed literally to the wolves, he manages to survive whatever life throws at him.
I liked it, but I think I was too busy judging all of the adults involved while reading it. I would definitely recommend it.
Heard alot about this book, so eager to see how it is.
