Running with Scissors: A Memoir

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.
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336 pages

Average rating: 7.17

99 RATINGS

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10 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Mar 13, 2024
8/10 stars
A skillfully written account of some seriously disturbing experiences.
aduplain
Mar 06, 2024
Quirky and fun. Disturbing at times lol
LMahoney
Jan 26, 2024
10/10 stars
I have always loved this very messed up book
JShrestha
Aug 25, 2023
10/10 stars
I read this book years ago and throughly enjoyed it. From a life of no rules and structure, you follow the author on their adventure and growth into society and survival. It was the first of its kind for me to read and explore from an observers first point of view in literature.
NotoriousBurr
Jun 16, 2023
9/10 stars
I read this book for the first time when I was in middle school and I completely fell in love with the quirky sense of humor that Augusten used to cope with his… “unique” living situation. My love for this book has only grown since I’ve aged and learned more about trauma, trauma bonding, defense mechanisms, and the need for a familial bond from a young age. It’s disturbing, humorous, sometimes even a little outrageous, but it finds a way to touch...read more

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