Running with Scissors
A Memoir
📘 About This Book
The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir from Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors, now a Major Motion Picture! Running with Scissors 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, Augusten Burroughs 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.... Running with Scissors 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.
📖 Summary
Running with Scissors is the number one New York Times bestselling memoir by Augusten Burroughs that chronicles the astonishing and unconventional true story of his childhood. At the age of twelve, Augusten found himself given away by his mother, a poet suffering from severe delusions of being like Anne Sexton. Instead of being raised in a traditional household, he was handed over to his mother's eccentric psychiatrist, a man who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus yet operated as a lunatic in practice. Suddenly thrust out of a normal upbringing, young Augusten was relocated to a dilapidated Victorian house defined by absolute squalor. In this bizarre new environment, he lived alongside the doctor's equally strange family, a rotating cast of psychiatric patients, and a pedophile residing in the backyard shed. The household completely lacked any semblance of structure, rules, or conventional education. Normal societal expectations vanished entirely. The Christmas tree remained standing well into the summer months, and prescription medications like Valium were consumed as casually as candy. When life in the decaying mansion grew stagnant or dull, the residents could always turn to the vintage electroshock therapy machine tucked away under the stairs for entertainment. Burroughs recounts these harrowing and deeply surreal years with a unique voice that blends dark humor with stark honesty, capturing a period of time where the adults abdicated all responsibility and a young boy had to navigate a landscape of total chaos. The memoir explores themes of survival, abandonment, and the resilience of the human spirit amidst profound dysfunction, painting an unforgettable picture of a childhood unlike any other.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Engaging and unforgettable autobiographical storytelling
Balances dark subject matter with sharp, dark humor
Provides a rare and shocking glimpse into a unique childhood
Deeply compelling character dynamics and settings
⚠️ Cons
Depicts disturbing and potentially triggering subject matter
Contains themes of severe neglect and inappropriate living conditions
✍️ About the Author
❓ FAQ
Who wrote Running with Scissors? +
The memoir was written by Augusten Burroughs.
When was this edition published? +
This edition of the book was published in 2010.
How many pages does the book have? +
The book contains 347 pages.
What is the main premise of the memoir? +
It follows a young boy given away by his mother to be raised by her eccentric psychiatrist.
Was the book adapted into other media? +
Yes, Running with Scissors was adapted into a major motion picture.
