Running with Scissors (Book)

In this unforgettable memoir Burroughs describes what happened when his mother, a delusional poet, left him in the care of a psychiatrist, a man who might have benefitted from a little therapy himself. Suddenly, at age twelve, Augusten found himself in a dilapidated Victorian mansion with the doctor's bizarre family where there are no rules, only chaos. Among the events chronicled are his growing awareness of his homosexuality and the sexual relationship he forms with another member of the household. This is a compelling and maniacally funny book. Also check out the movie version starring Annette Benning as the mother, available on dvd.

Paperback, 304 pages, orig. published 2003, this edition 2007