It’s weird reading Augusten Burroughs at last after having listened to David Sedaris for so long; their voices are very similar. There’s a very slightly odd back and forth in the tone between being totally mordant and sardonic and being self-pitying, but he must have been very young indeed when he wrote it so I’m probably asking too much.

Definately a weird story. Worth a read.

Wow. A teen book? Hmmm. Not sure about that one. I like the title, though.

i didn’t really understand the point to this story. It was odd, it was uncomfortable at times, it was amusing.

As I was reading this, each time I came upon another outrageous scene, I’d ask myself, “wait, is this a true story?” and look at the cover. Yes, the cover says memoir… then something else absolutely unbelievable would happen, and I’d look again. Yep, a memoir. At some point I went online and read the Vanity Fair article about the real life family’s response to the book and movie. (They sued him for defamation of character, but eventually settled for something added to the beginning of the book acknowledging that that’s not the way they remember things.) Also, I understand that Burroughs is also estranged from his mother to this day.

This could have been a light and funny book, and it seemed like that’s what Burroughs was trying to go for. I could see embellishments, places where he might have told himself, “wouldn’t it be funny if it had happened like this instead?” Instead, I felt like I could read between the lines of the book to a kid in a lot of pain, and a family who, while certainly eccentric themselves, reached out to him when he had nowhere else to go. I was much more moved by that tragic and heartbreaking story than by the actual book.

Pictured are the actual sisters, and they’re pissed.

I had this book in my wishlist for a while. I have come to undestand that misleading marketing is indeed present in literature, I guess I’ve been naive.
You can tell that this book is an exaggeration, with more fiction than truth, an elaborate attempt to shock and disturb. I don’t find it believable, actually I would if it was marketed as fiction, but this is just boring, no wonder the movie was not successful.

This book makes me feel sort of “normal”. Reading about Augusten’s childhood really made me realize that maybe my family isn’t as messed up as I thought they were!

I went into this book having already read “Dry”... so maybe that’s why I liked it. I’ve grown attached to Augusten through his books… whether they ARE a real account of his life or not. I think they’re highly entertaining.

Though, I could have done with a little less detail on the sex scenes. But it’s okay, I survived.

I like Augusten Burroughs writing style and attempts at humor, even though this was a painful memoir of his childhood. This book is full of weird (presumably real-life) characters living their miserable lives. Ick.

It was painful but I’ve finished it. Why did I torture myself? I guess it’s by principle since I bought it. Have I known it would be this painful, I would’ve watched the movie or taken the book at the library.

I guess I’m not cut out for teenage angst litterature. I had also read The Catcher in the Rye and I didn’t like it either. First of all, the poor boy is very disturbed as are all the members of the family. These disturbing details of his teenage life lead us nowhere…they do not put us into context with the purpose to explain further actions. The ending is quite ordinary. Of course it’s a memoir and there is the possibility of there being no big surprising ending but I just couldn’t wait to finish it. There is no purpose. When I read a book, I have expectations…that I’ll get something out of reading the book. The book hasn’t lived up to my expectations.

There is also a controversy around the book since the actual “Finch” family is arguing that this book is in no way similar to the life Augusten Burroughs lived when with them. The article was printed in the January 2007 edition of the Vanity Fair. It get us thinking to always stay cautious when reading a memoir.

I found the book…can’t remember where. Having trouble reading it…I feel like it’s a waste of my time. Of course, it’s entertaining but I feel like I could be doing better things than this. Anyways, I’ll finish it since I’ve got 2/3 of it done. It’s actually my bath reading.

I read about half this book today.
It’s very strange, and funny. Some of it reminds me of my life…and I like it. So I’m going to keep reading it, hopefully I’ll have it finished by tomorrow.

I’ve lost the book. I actually can’t find it. Last week, I cleaned my room and must’ve put it somewhere very safe. So until I find it, I’m moving on.

I guess I didn’t like this book because I was coming into it with different expectations. I read the first couple of chapters in the bookstore, looking for light reading for a trip to a cabin in the mountains. I bought the book because I liked the author’s way of describing things and at first, the book didn’t seem all that weird. But the more I read, the more and more disturbing the book became. Maybe some people would find the episodes he describes funny, but I found it very disturbing and saddening, especially because the story is real. Only read this if you love exploring the dark side of the human mind.

This book was hilarious, strange, and disturbing all at once. Even more enjoyable knowing that it is a true story, however it leaves you wondering how this guy made it to where he is now, instead of in a psych ward. This book made me laugh out loud and shrink back in horror at other times, but being a memoir, I’d expect it to be raw and real, so no complaints here.

This book made me feel more normal and stable than my usual method of putting my life into perspective, which is talking a walk down Telegraph in Berkeley. I alternated between amazement, horror, and awe while reading this book. How anyone could emerge from a childhood like that and still be able to string together coherent sentences is a mystery to me.