Author: Augusten Burroughs
Publisher: First published by St. Martin's Press
"It's a wonder that I am even alive. Sometimes I think that. I think that I can't believe I haven't killed myself. But there's something in me that just keeps going on. I think it has something to do with tomorrow, that there is always one, and that everything can change when it comes."
Synopsis: Running With Scissors is a memoir about the life of Augusten Burroughs from the ages 9-17. During this period of time he lived under the direction of his mother's unorthodox, eccentric, and radical psychiatrist; Dr. Finch. Augusten's mother, Deidre, was a psychotic and much abused women with many secrets and very much misunderstood and throughout the memoir the relationship between her and her son deteriorates steadily, especially after she signs over legal rights to Augusten as a guardian to Dr. Finch. So at the age of twelve Augusten found himself living in Victorian squalor with many other children as well as psychiatric patients, befriended and had a romantic relationship with a pedophile who lived in Finch's backyard shed, and confirmed his sexuality with a men double his age. . Running With Scissors is a story of a child living a life where rules were unspoken, neglect a common practice, trauma was often faced alone, Valium and other psychiatric drugs consumed regularly, and twisted lies and deceit was a regularity.
My Thoughts: This book might just be one of the best memoirs I've ever read. Memoirs as of late have been one of my favorite genre's but up until reading Burroughs' work, the tone of memoirs are for the most part the same, an objective depiction that evokes pity and sympathy from the read. However, in the case of Augusten's story, he told the tale of a tragic and traumatizing, by using humor I found myself more then once laughing out loud because of how hilarious the memoir was; despite how sad it was. Burroughs' abandoned the typical memoir writing style and made it his own. And I think his ability to make his story that is abominable funny, is why the book is so renown and resonates within so many people.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book, to just about anyone. The book is realistic and tragic, funny and entertaining, educational and inspiring, and it addresses so many different things.
Definitely has made the "to- purchase" list because this is a book that I could read over and over again.
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