Running With Scissors

I bought Augusten Burrough's other book, Magical Thinking and thought it was hilarious and I always meant to finish reading Running With Scissors (I had picked it up in Borders one time and read some of it but never ended up buying it...)

I borrowed Running With Scissors on tape from the library and have been listening to it on the way to and from work. Again, this story is hilarious, but after reading all of the uproar surrounding it (mostly from the family he wrote about in the book, the 'Finches'), I can't help but wonder how much of it is real and how much of it is...embellished. The story is both intriguing/entertaining and severely disturbing. It's like something morbid and disgusting that you just can't help but keep watching to see what will happen next. Burroughs definitely writes for a shock value and for a reaction from people (which makes him seem a little desperate sometimes) and it's starting to remind me of James Frey's 'memoir' and how he sold it as being the truth, when it wasn't completely. I'm trying not to let the thought of it ruin the book for me, but I can't help it...That and the fact that the story can really gross you out at times and make you uncomfortable...I'm still undecided about how I feel about this book.

I do like how this book is actually read by the author, though. His voice is amusing.

I would recommend this book, but with a definite warning beforehand.