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 Burrough's mother gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa Claus and a certifiable lunatic into the bargin. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients and a sinister man living in the garden shed completed the tableau. In 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...

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Bought at a charity shop in Maryhill. Bought it because I'd seen it on somebodies wishlist (I forget whose now!) but it sounds interesting so I'm going to have to read it myself.

A strange but fun and interesting read. There's no hint of reality in this book so it's easy to forget it's autobiographical. I've heard they're making a film out of it and I might be tempted to go see it.

I'd forgotten this was originally intended as a surprise RABCK and still don't know who it was for. Anyway, it's off to lukutuoli who won it in my RABCK drawing.

This book had arrived during my Christmas holidays while I was visiting my childhood surroundings. Burroughs sounds more than interesting, so I think it will we placed on the top of my TBR-file :)

Thank you, pumpkin-head, for your RABCK and Happy New Year!!

EDIT 05.01.2007
This was really crazy and surrealistic book, funny, too! I had to check again and again if this is really a biography or fiction. I'd really like to see a film made of this book, if there's going to be one.
I might have rated this book to ten if I didn't work as a shrink myself, now I rated eight, because this story doesn't raise the appreciation of psychiatrists :)

EDIT 11.02.2007
I saw this on the wish list of a fellow-bookcrosser, so I'll send the book as a surprise-RABCK ! Happy Reading & Happy Valentine's Day !

I found this book in my mail-box today and it really was a BIG surprise as I added it on my Wish List only a few days ago! Thanks a lot for the RABCK, lukutuoli! :o) Once again I can only say that BookCrossing is one of the best hobbies ever! Thanks to pumpkin-head too for originally releasing the book.

I've read some interesting stuff about Running with Scissors, that's why I put it on my Wish List in the first place. I have quite a pile of TBRs to get to but I have a feeling that this book might get to the top of it...

Happy Valentine's Day! Hyvää ystävänpäivää! :o)

What a book, what a story! At the same time it was hilarious but very tragic too when thinking about the story being true, someone's real life. I'm glad Augusten did survive to tell the story and I definitely want to read more from him. Thanks again for sharing this book with me!

The book seems to be on several WishLists so I'm sure it won't get stuck on my shelves for too long...

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EDIT May 7, 2009 Reserved for lola-negri.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Here's an excellent book for you, lola-negri! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

received the book today. tHanKs again, kihaan, for sending it to me: you really made my day! :)

i've read the book in german a few weeks ago but i think reading the original text is even more fun. well, we will see.
the book will travel to one of my best friends, who's in england at the moment. maybe he will take it éire afterwards ...

what a classic! it was a pleasure to read it in its original language. :)
here's one of my favourite scenes - two of the finch daughters are arguing:

"I don't hate you, Natalie," Hope screamed with hatred.
"Denial," Natalie snapped back.
My vocabulary had increased dramatically over the past year. projection, denial, repression, passive-aggressive, Lithium, Melaril.
In addition to calling each other standard names like bitch and whore, the Finches incorporated Freud's stages of psychosexual development into their arsenal of invectives.
"You're so oral. You'll never make it to genital! The most you can ever hope for is to reach anal, you immature, frigid old maid," Natalie yelled.
"Stop antagonizing me," Hope shouted. "Just stop transferring all this anger onto me."

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

sent to a good friend of mine. i hope he's going to enjoy it ...

I'm giving this 8 out of 10 have I lost my sanity? Maybe my next bowel motion will decide. I watch South Park push the boundaries with glee but words such as "vaginal cottage-cheese discharge" on paper are a different matter altogether.