I had seen the previews for the movie and thought it was a comedy. It really isn't. The author's youth was tragic and disturbing. Yet, much like when you drive by a horrible car wreck and you know that what you will see is disturbing, you can't help but slow down and look. This book is exactly like that. A great book, but I would only read it when you are in a good frame of mind.

Sending this to a friend in Florida!

I haven't seen the movie, so I will read this book with fresh eyes.

After having read what the reviewers said about this book, I really was excited to get my hands on it. Surely a book that 8 other people -approx.- (people who are trained and paid readers and writers and reviewers, mind you!)thought was funny would tickle my funny bone! I knew what to expect...dropping the name, Dave Peltzer, says something very specific (horrific, brutal abuse and revengeless recovery)...dropping the name, John Waters, says something very specific too (Polyester). I just didn't think Running with Scissors was funny. It was truthful and real. I never lost sight of the fact that it was about a boy growing up and coming of age. The characters were colorful, and I didn't like them. Their unchecked behavior caused harm...harm to people who are not in the book but victims nonetheless. I was more worried that since it was a true story that these people grew up to raise other children and be my neighbors. Thankfully Augusten Burroughs does provide an epilogue letting you know where everyone is, so as of 2002 only those of you in the Northeast should be concerned. Augusten felt trapped, like he could only move forward to something else without engaging the past. He makes a fantastic argument for boundaries on page 264 in one perfect little sentence. This book is written well with each chapter nearly being able to stand alone as its own little story. He threads the different events together seamlessly in a way I never would be able to were that story mine. I respect Augusten Burroughs ability bring us along on his journey. Me, I have to get out of the car (and I'll walk home, thanks)before we get to his next destination/novel, Dry.

Since I don't have the book anymore, can you add the quote (pg 264) to the journal? The suspense is killing me!!!

:)

The boundaries quote on page 264 is (drumroll please!).....

"The problem with not having anybody to tell you what to do, I understand, is that there was nobody to tell you what NOT [sic : Italics] to do."