Running with Scissors is an unbelievable story. Nevertheless, it is a true story and it is written by the person who could tell it best – the person who lived the story. Running with Scissors is the memoirs of Augusten Burroughs who has authored other books like Dry, Magical Thinking, Possible Side Effects, Sellevision etc. Running with Scissors was #1 on the Newyork Times Bestseller list and stayed on the list for two and a half consecutive years. The book was made into a movie by the same name by director Ryan Murphy who also wrote the screenplay. The movie has been nominated for the 2007 Golden Globe award. The novel Sellevision is also being made into a movie by director Mark Bozek.

In Running with Scissors, the author tells his story as a teenager who used to be a neat freak but is forced to live in a house where they put turds on the picnic table and consider them as words from God. Augusten is gay, his parents are divorced, his mother is lesbian and she is mentally unstable and is treated by a weird psychiatrist, his boyfriend is a psycho and he lives in a madhouse where he lives an unbelievable life which is portayed in the book in the most humorous way, though dark by its very nature. The very fact that Augusten finds humor in these situations is what makes this book outstanding. I believe that for the same reason he was able to survive through his childhood without losing his sanity – seeing the humor in the dark episodes of one’s life. Augusten could have written his story in a different way – the sad story of a child facing abuse from his family and all those around him or a motivational story of a child who suffered hardships and fought his way through. But Augusten chose the best way and if we give it a second thought we can see that the story is really inspiring too. A lot of people, including me, would fare a lot better if we could see the humor in life. But we just see the melancholy, the drama, the losses, the tears – the unfair life.

I would rate this book 5 stars – it is original, humorous, thought provoking, brilliantly written and highly entertaining.

P.S. Augusten has a blog here.