Member Reviews

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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “Bizarre, fascinating, revolting, child abuse, wacky psychiatry, homosexuality, laugh-out-loud funny -- these are just a few of the reasons to read this book. I am somewhat surprised that no one questioned Augusten Burroughs' accuracy, especially after the James Fry debacle with A Million Little Pieces, but Burroughs has a way of telling his story that, for me, made total honesty secondary to the events he describes. Besides, strange and twisted as some of the events are, they are plausible.
  
  Definitely a keeper!”

  Ma Titwonky wrote this review Sunday, June 29 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 1 stars

  “I hated this book. We read it for book group and I really felt the characters were so unreal. I am not doubting this guy might have had a screwed up childhood, but there is something even more disturbing about his need to share these extremely intimate and grotesque details of his life. And that's if I believe it. Which I really don't. I've heard his brother's book is much better. I wouldbnever read another book by this novelist--I mean "memoirist" (ha ha)--they al lclaim to be memoirs, but they border on pornographic. I'll stick with David Sedaris--him i can believe and love. I don't like this guy...”

  Kiki68 wrote this review Sunday, March 9 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 3 stars

  “Sad, depressing. It's amazing that the author was able to overcome his horrifying childhood. At first I was so grateful that I wasn't born into a family like that, then I was overcome with sadness that anyone has suffered this kind of trauma. His mentally unstable mother, his alcoholic father, A mentally ill shrink and his family that ends up raising him. He was sexually abused by a middle aged man when he was thirteen for years and everyone in the book was okay with it. My son is thirteen and it made me sick to think of it. The book was good but too much for me.
  If you want the humorous side of his family read his brother's book. "look me in the eye". I hope that by writing the book he was able to heal a bit from his horrible childhood. ”

  Kersten wrote this review Thursday, March 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Fantastic book! I laughed out loud and wanted to rescue this poor kid at the same time. Definitely a must read!”

  Mel wrote this review Sunday, December 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “This is one of the best and funniest books I have ever read. Anyone with the most minute sense of humor will laugh until they cry while reading this book. And then you will just cry because you realize it really happened. (Burroughs has a way, in this memoir and his others, of making his reader to feel okay about laughing at his life, even some really heavy stuff.)”

  Kati C wrote this review Wednesday, November 7 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 1 stars

  “This book was a disappointment to me. I had read and enjoyed the author's novel, Sellevision so I was looking forward to this one. This memoir just feels too over the top. Too many scenes seemed to be added for the mere shock value rather than illuminating a point or developing our understanding about the author and the people in his early life. I do enjoy Burroughs' casual style and had the scenes added for shock value been edited, this could have been a great memoir about coming of age. As it stands, though, it feels artificial and forced.”

  purplepeace wrote this review Wednesday, February 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 5 stars

  “This is a great book that kept my interest from beginning to end. It reminded me of my own bizarre upbringing. Very off-the-wall, which is my style of reading material. Hilarius and sad at the same time. I loved it!”

  Lisa R wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 1 stars

  “Hated it!! Sick twisted people with sick twisted lives.
  ”

  monika m wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 1 stars

  “I hated this book. I found nothing funny in it. It's sad that no adults wanted to take resposibility in their lives for this boy. He laughs because not to laugh would mean he'd have to cry. Sad!”

  Sheila G wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 5 stars

  “I love this book. But at the time I read it, I was supressing my sexuality. So I said that I hated the book, but I loved every word of it. I am planning to read it agian. He had such an interesting life full of funny misfortunate events.”

  Jacob R wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink )