3 of 5

Write now Article Tools

"Never run with scissors in your hand! Are you crazy? Put those down immediately!" The voice of my mother screaming these words was exactly what I heard when I picked up this book from her coffee table two months ago. Instantly intrigued, I opened the memoir and began to read. What I found beneath the brightly colored jacket, made this book an instant favorite, and highly recommended to a select few friends that I trusted would enjoy (and understand) it.

Running with Scissors is Augusten Burroughs attempt to explain and recount his circus act of a childhood. Funny, sad, and a little scared, young Augusten makes his way through a world with other confused youngsters, and perhaps even more confused adults. Managing to survive his first twelve years of life with a rich, ill-tempered mother and absent father, Augusten is then given to his mother's therapist...an act which can only be compared to placing baby Tarzan with the gorillas. Augusten is introduced to a household of unruly adoptees with no discipline, no structure, and absolutely no rules. Dirty, wild, and 'emotionally in-touch', they welcome him with open arms and encourage Augusten to begin traveling down the road to acknowledgment of his personality, sexuality, and actuality.
Captivated, I found myself enamored with the real-life characters Burroughs depicts. The author's honesty and fearlessness makes each page-turn eagerly anticipated, while forcing the reader to embrace their own child-hood traumas and inner turmoil. While my memories pale in comparison to those in Running with Scissors, I found a certain level of kinship and empathy within each chapter. As I turned the last page, read the last word, and eventually put the new favorite back on Mom's coffee table, I heard her voice again warning me about the dangers of running with scissors. But what if, I wondered, you were born with them in your hand?

Learn more about this author, Natasha Griffis.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Book reviews: Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs?
We want to hear your view. Write now!