Running with Scissors

by Augusten Burroughs

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Augusten Burroughs autobiographies

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
14,550	306	365	(3.54)	208
This is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. Suddenly, at age twelve, the author found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules, there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock therapy machine under the stairs. It is at turns foul and harrowing, compelling and maniacally funny, but above all, it chronicles an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.… (more)

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110
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls (Monika_L)
40
A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs (ParadoxicalRae)
40
Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford (Smiler69)
Smiler69: Memoirs told by the adopted daughter of Joan Crawford, who by all accounts was a raging alcoholic.
20
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (LAKobow)
43
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (amberwitch)
10
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig (sarah-e)
sarah-e: A funny memoir of a person with unusual habits.
10
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison (vancouverdeb)
vancouverdeb: Look Me in the Eye written by John Elder Robinson, the elder brother ofAugusten Burroughs who wrote Running with Scissors. Each gives a different take on their dysfunctional family.
10
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small (meggyweg)
00
Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander (utterlyutter)
00
Sugarless by James Magruder (amberwitch)
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11
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (wonderlake)
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Between Nowhere and Happiness by Daniel Kine (Anonymous user)
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33
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11
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Publerati: Eccentric family chaos except Normal Family is entirely set over four consecutive dysfunctional family holidays. Hysterical and bittersweet fun. Promising new writer.
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12
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PortiaLong: Disturbing memoirs - I disliked them both for the same reasons (so someone else may LIKE them for those same reasons).

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▾Member reviews

English (298) Italian (2) French (1) Portuguese (1) German (1) All languages (303)

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Showing 1-5 of 298 (next | show all)

Mostly I'm horrified and sympathetic towards the people who were horribly manipulated by an unethical quack. (

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IsraOverZero | Sep 23, 2023 |

Meh. (

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Kim.Sasso | Aug 27, 2023 |

I’ve been writing my memoirs and was told I needed to read “Running With Scissors” for a guidebook to memoir writing. This funny quirky book has all the elements of excellent writing. This is a beautifully told tale of the dysfunctional family and friends surrounding this gay boy. The first half is refreshingly genre busting brilliant while the latter parts are a less focused. Still a definitely worthwhile read. (

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GordonPrescottWiener | Aug 24, 2023 |

I don't really have much to say about this one except it reminded me heavily of my own childhood. At least, the parts about the kids anyway and maybe a few adults. It was interesting and I did enjoy this book even through all of the unpleasantness. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a coming of age biography. A coming of age biography that deals with almost completely absent and mentally ill parents, and a very weird adoptive family. (

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Ranjr | Jul 13, 2023 |

A memoir that makes you laugh, cry, and die a little inside are premium quality. RIP Freud the cat. (

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Steph922 | Jun 22, 2023 |

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▾Published reviews

2 reviews

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thingScore 88

You will either love Running With Scissors or you will hate it. I loved it. OK, there are tedious passages, when you feel Burroughs is doing the writerly equivalent of adding extra stuffing to a perfectly comfortable beanbag. But it is impossible not to laugh at all the jokes; to admire the sardonic, fetid tone; to wonder, slack-jawed and agog, at the sheer looniness of the vista he conjures up.

added by Nevov | editThe Observer, Rachel Cooke (Feb 23, 2003)

The book, which promotes visceral responses (of laughter, wincing, retching) on nearly every page, contains the kind of scenes that are often called harrowing but which are also plainly funny and rich with child's-eye details of adults who have gone off the rails.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Virginia Heffernan (Jul 14, 2002)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (6 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Augusten Burroughs	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Leivo, Arto	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Augusten Burroughs autobiographies

Is contained in

Dry / Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Set of 3 Books By Augusten Burroughs - Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

Has the adaptation

Running with Scissors [2006 film] by Ryan Murphy

Has as a student's study guide

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs | Summary & Study Guide by BookRags.com

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Indies Choice Book Award (Honor Book – Adult Nonfiction – 2003)

Distinctions

Amazon.com Best Books (2002)

New York Times bestseller (Nonfiction – 2002)

Notable Lists

I 50 Libri del Decennio

The Best Memoirs of a Generation

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Running with Scissors

Original title

Running with Scissors

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

Important events

Related movies

Running with Scissors (2006 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it.

Jules Renard

Dedication

For Dennis Pilsits

First words

My mother is standing in front of the bathroom mirror smelling polished and ready; like Jean Nate, Dippity Do and the waxy sweetness of lipstick.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

See, Carolyn

Donahue, Deirdre

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

Augusten Burroughs

Running with Scissors (memoir)

▾Book descriptions

This is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. Suddenly, at age twelve, the author found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules, there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock therapy machine under the stairs. It is at turns foul and harrowing, compelling and maniacally funny, but above all, it chronicles an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

A memoir. A story told about a young boy's life living with his delusional mother, her unorthodox shrink, and his dysfunctional kids. A very interesting read!!!

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