Disturbingly honest--and disturbingly funny
584103
When he was a teenager in Massachusetts during the 1970s, Augusten Burroughs kept daily journals recording everything that happened to him. "Running with Scissors" is a result of those journals, but it's unlikely that anyone who suffered experiences like his would need a journal to recall them. Instead, his diaries both gave him the therapeutic outlet he needed while growing up and supplied this book with the rich detail that makes it, at times, so unbelievable.

Burrough's mother was a struggling poet who wanted to be like Anne Sexton, and, lacking any talent, she instead suffered Sexton's psychotic episodes. The father, unable to deal with his wife's instability, drank himself out of the relationship. Eventually, Burroughs is abandoned by his family and adopted by his mother's psychiatrist, a certifiable lunatic who dispenses drugs and sex far more diligently than sound advice and who believes discipline is an evil to be avoided at all costs. To complicate an already disastrous situation, other members of this adopted family include several deeply disturbed individuals, including a pedophile who finds a ready victim in the 14-year-old Burroughs.

I read this book two months ago, and, while I found it simultaneously appalling and enjoyable, I didn't know what to make of it. Since then, I've read several press reports that address some of the rumors generated by this book's publication. No, none of the people described in this book have sued (or threatened to sue) the author for libel. True, no child with the name "Augusten Burroughs" ever lived anywhere near Northampton--because Burroughs legally changed his name when he was 18. In sum, I've read nothing to indicate that Burroughs is making it all up.

Yet there are two criticisms of the book I don't understand. Unfortunately for Burroughs, the back cover includes a single blurb comparing him to David Sedaris, and many readers, unable to think for themselves, contrast the two authors and find Burroughs lacking. Other than being gay and funny (and it's insulting that that is all it takes for people to link the two authors), Burroughs and Sedaris have nothing in common--each has his own writing style and a unique sense of humor. It would be just as pertinent to compare him to Ru Paul.

The second criticism is that Burroughs reproduces conversations verbatim from thirty years ago. Putting aside the fact that he was able to consult diaries to refresh his memory, this technique is not uncommon. J. R. Ackerley, Annie Dillard, and Philip Roth--to name just three I've read recently--all use the same conceit in their classic memoirs. Burroughs is not as good as these three writers--his prose is a bit austere, and the book teeters on the edge of John Waters-inspired camp. Nevertheless, criticism of "recreated" dialogue seems gratuitous: any detail in any autobiography can be censured on the same grounds. Burroughs quite successfully recreates for the reader certain episodes of his life--episodes no human being would have been able to forget--and the exact wording of recalled dialogue matters as much as the exact color of the polyester shirt he was wearing at the time.

Regardless of its faults (both real and alleged), the book is vivid proof that Burroughs emerged from his past with a profound sense of dignity. In a recent interview, he said of the older man who sexually abused him: "Mostly I still feel an incredible rage that he would do that to a young person, but just as much as I feel that rage I feel sorry for him, because he was someone who was mentally ill and had the most atrocious therapist possible." This quote alone displays his uncanny ability to step back and reflect detachedly on his experiences and to be both empathetic and sympathetic even towards those who deserve his venom. Some readers will be disturbed by Burroughs's ability to laugh (and make us laugh) at what happened to him. Yet the book probably would have unbearable otherwise--and, if it weren't for his sense of humor, it's unlikely the author would be around to tell us his story at all.
4563320
Many times during my reading of this book, I nodded in recognition and thought, "Me, too."  Cynthia Kaplan is the best friend I never met.  She articulates the sad and funny aspects of being female. Some of the essays are better than others, but she is honest even when being honest does not put her in the best light. She describes with great clarity her foibles and awkward actions: finding herself on the dangerous side of the river during a rafting excursion, waitressing, auditions, bad boyfriends, disloyal girlfriends, stubborn grandparents, and more. Her confidence in her own wit makes her human and likable.  She knows on some level her experiences are only unique in that they are her's -- otherwise, she is all of us. Life is never ideal, but it can be pretty funny.
1610536
I'm a guy, so why would I want to read "Can't Think Straight," which is undoubtedly one of the most brutally honest and "putting yourself on the line" books written about a woman's experience that you will ever read.  The men you meet in Kiri's sardonically humorous descriptions of the NYC dating scene aren't exactly inspiring role models, at least for me.

I read it because I have heard the coping stories from many women that I have met over the last 8 years that have been married to, engaged to, or otherwise in a long-term committed relationship with a gay man.  These women have all gone through this experience of your life partner coming out to you, either voluntarily or through catching them lying, and sometimes both.  I am a man who was married to a lesbian who came out voluntarily after 15 years of marriage.  Believe me whether you are a man or woman, when this happens to you, it rocks your world.  It leaves you questioning what is real and what is illusion in every aspect of your life.  "Can't think straight" is an apt description of the experience. As part of my local straight spouse network group support process, we listen to each others' stories and we support each other while we figure out what we need to do for ourselves to move forward and find a new normal.  Everyone's story and path forward in this circumstance is unique, so, I was curious to hear Kiri's "story" and how it compares to other stories I've heard.  I was also curious to hear how she's doing and how she was adjusting.

I enjoyed Kiri's writing style very much, which was solid, entertaining, fast-paced and pulling no punches in calling it like she saw it.  I found the book an enjoyable fast read, and it was illuminating from a man's perspective to gain some understanding about how women experience the single life and dating experience from a woman's viewpoint.  This book should definitely be rated R, for adults only, due to raw language and sexual content. So if those things offend you and you read it anyway, you will probably be offended.  The raw language Kiri used in expressing her thoughts and describing the one-liner flirtatious phone-sexting and emailing can be shocking to anyone who hangs onto traditional values and are still holding any illusions about "nice girls."

It seemed to me to be an incredibly courageous honest account of the reality of attempting to adopt a lifestyle of hooking up for sex in "booty calls" with no emotional entanglements that was told with a high dose of humor thrown in.  When you've been hurt being in a committed relationship, it does have a certain perverted logic to it.  If you're going to be lied to by your partner in your most trusted relationship then you might as well enter the world of continuous lying where there isn't any expectation of genuine trust or connection.  At least you might find some good sex, or at least some form of sex, especially if your gay partner wasn't a particularly enthusiastic sexual partner.

It was interesting to me to see that despite the intention of hooking up without emotional connection, the desire for emotional connection still keeps popping through occasionally, despite the intention that it shouldn't.  If you read it carefully, there is the other story between the lines of what is written, but it's not overdone.  No pity parties here, just the numbed out, fast-paced, exhausting action and raunchiness of the NYC single woman's life, as she is coping and trying to adjust to her new reality.

At the end of the book, as it was turning a hopeful corner, I found myself wanting to hear more about how things are turning out.  When is that sequel coming out Kiri?  Looking forward to it...
4087475
A grieving man's desire to understand leads him to question everything - quite literally.  The result is a bizarre, sad,  yet hilarious oddessey through an America obsessed with itself, as told in Ron Currie's unique way: Frank, but compassionate, narrative.  Bittersweet; sensitive; searing.
Currie's keen and blunt observations are on a par with Joyce and Vonnegut.  A wickedly Waughish romp through Hollywood provides comedic highs (including spot-on impersonations of Bill Maher and Nancy Grace) in a storyline which is frequently poignant by contrast.
 Comparisons to other greats are meant solely to guide the uninitiated.  Loyal readers know this great contempoary author's sttyle can only be described as "Currian".  Both groups will be deighted with "The One-Eyed Man".
2814355
I found this collection of little parables engrossing, funny and deeply moving. Yes, the humor is not of the same variety as some of Sedaris' past "fell-off-the-chair-laughing" works such as "Me Talk Pretty One Day". But this one will have you cracking up sardonically in commiseration (recognizing people you know in these awful animals) and horror (recognizing yourself in these awful animals) -- and there is something to be said for that! It is odd to see so many people who say they are fans of Sedaris express surprise and shock at this "new" side of the author as Sedaris has sprinkled grimness and cynicism through plenty of his past works. The "gore", by the way, is really the least of it: beyond the blood and puss and plucked eyeballs lie the more disturbing and tragic brutalities of the condition of the human animal: narcissism, hypocrisy, stupidity, indifference towards others. Some reviewers have complained that there is no justice at the end of the stories. True, but fables are never about fairness! They are lessons about the harshness of the natural world and the treacherousness of its occupants! In exposing the short-sighted pettiness and self-delusion of people, Sedaris is not misanthropic, just profoundly disappointed. He is not "hating on" humanity, he is sharing his pain for it, which makes some of us very, very uncomfortable. This is the power and benefit of great art! Sedaris is a versatile, complex person and author and can't play the safe, funny-Ha-Ha clown all the time, he needs room to be the glum truth-teller. Even in this role, he still somehow manages to retain his customary spark of kindness towards his pathetic characters. Furthermore, he succeeds in staying away from judgmental moralizing, which is a very difficult thing to pull off!

Evidently, this book is not for everybody. It does require a bitter kind of sense of humor, a tolerance for delving into the ugly scenarios of social life and a penchant for the discomfort of having to turn the mirror on self. There is no point in trying to argue its merits to those who simply have different tastes, motivations for reading as well as life experiences. It may be that it takes a few of life's "burns" (with some hefty force-feedings of humble pie along the way), to enjoyably relate to this "modest bestiary". If the negative reviews made sense to you and you know you are looking for something lighthearted, you are not likely to love this piece. This is not a conventional "happy ending" variety of book, though the final two stories are quite uplifting :) And so, If you are no stranger to experiencing sadness and laughter in the same breath AND are not put off by metaphorical violence against metaphorical animals, you might just enjoy it very much.
944375
I know that's a clich&eacute;, but this book had me in stitches one minute, in floods of tears the next. I don't advise reading it on the subway, where such mercurial moods tend to elicit funny looks -- not to mention the looks you get if somebody happens to glance over your shoulder at some of the more risqu&eacute; pages. I do strongly advise reading it somewhere else. The outlandish events of protagonist Geoffrey Doyle's childhood are a hoot, and the author's way of drawing living, breathing characters makes even the elephant-in-the-pub episode somehow believable. Geoffrey's bizarre family relationships are both infuriating and poignant.
In a way, A Relative Matter is really two books. The tone changes so much when the scene shifts to Geoffrey's adulthood that I could hardly believe I was reading about the same guy. His often self-inflicted crises and frustrations occasionally made me wish he had never grown up -- but I still couldn't put the book down.
2447728
The only downside to this book is that I wanted to read it as fast as I could but also to read it slow and savor it. An unflinchingly honest story, never shying away from the highs of potential to the fear of losing one's body. The experience is raw and brings you right in with it. Throw in a lot of very legitimate laughs and this a book I'd recommend to anyone, not just baseball gamers. Enjoy!
710070
It's not that Geraldine advocates methods to wreck your marriage, although she details myriads of ways she's attempted to wreck her own. In fact, she includes a "don't try this at home" style disclaimer. My brain wakes me up insanely early, sometimes. And to keep peace in my own bed, I quietly reach for the Kindle and read until my lovely wife's eyes flutter open at a more reasonable hour. The uncontrolled laughter that startled her awake at 4:30AM, however, is Geraldine's fault. Not mine.

Sure, there are travel adventures between the covers of this book, but it's also about the journey of life. Hilariously funny. Deeply human. An unforgettable read you'll want to share. I'll be gifting copies to family and friends.
2195929
A Review of Shit Ain't Perfect by Evan Bollinger

It's hard to describe this book. It's fantastically perverted, demonstratively hilarious, and a casually demented look inside the mind of a young collegian with a sharp wit and too much time on his hands. It's rare when I laugh out loud at something -- be it books, movies, or comedians (Louis CK SUCKS by the way) - but this book made my sides hurt.  Every chapter touches on a different observation or topic and they're all funny as...you know what.

Get this book and read it immediately. FIVE STARS.
1110620
Lee Woodruff hasn't had an easy life--it's been a huge juggling act with a journalist husband, four children, one of whom is hearing-impaired, and then as if this weren't enough to handle--her husband's brain injury stemming from a bomb explosion while he was covering the war in Iraq.

But this book isn't a "Poor me" book at all. It contains so many amusing stories almost any parent can identify with--the generation gap between a middle-aged parent and a teenager, the scary firsts--driver's license and college interview, a wild day in an amusement park with all four children and stories that will resonate with middle-aged moms--the attempt to keep up with fashion when sweats and sneakers hold more appeal, a stolen jewelry box that held a sentimental journey down memory lane, how swimming keeps this mom sane, how team sports leave her cold (most of the time), and how she fell in love with a dog despite her prior resistance to pet ownership.

And of course the serious stories which will require you to have your Kleenex ready--her dad's failing health and her husband's unimaginable ordeal.

I laughed, I cried. I was sometimes surprised, sometimes fascinated. I never expected to have so much in common with Lee Woodruff. I too have found solace in lap swimming. I prefer casual clothes. Team sports aren't for me. I'm in love with a dog but I don't own one (I visit like a good auntie and give him back). She was more of a helicopter parent than I was even though she has four children and I have one. But I empathized with most of her parental struggles and give her four stars for keeping me largely entertained. A couple of the chapters became a little tedious (for example, I read all I ever needed to know about pets). But all in all, a heartfelt story.
4862161
Andy Behrman thouroughly entertains with his book about the rollercoaster ride that is for many , manic depression.

This book is so many things...shocking,funny,brutally honest about himself,scary and sometimes, though rarely, sad.

His writing style cannot help but to illustrate a type of rapid fire mania all it's own. His pacing his fast and his candor is astounding.

That he dedicates this sometimes raunchy book to his Mom and Dad is additionally arresting.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who suffers from , or knows someone that suffers from depression in any of it's forms.
4857269
Ever see those people on the subway laughing to themselves like a crazy person?

Maybe they're reading this book. Because I am one of those people.

Laugh-out loud, gut-bustingly funny stories, with a great message by the end.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves memoirs, music, or just loves to laugh. Christopher John Campion is a fantastic storyteller. So wacky at times it is hard to believe some of his tales are true. Although he does preface the book with the disclaimer that for most of the stories he's recounting, he was under the influence. No less of a wonderful book, though.
3471299
This graphic autobiography is a collection of David Heatley's comics that are darkly and explicitly funny. He leaves very little to the imagination as he takes us through his sex life (and eventually his love life), his relationships, good and bad, with people of other races, and his relationship with his parents and family.

As an autobiography, the book gives us rare insight into the feelings and experience of another human being. It doesn't hold anything back, and doesn't let us as readers, either. You might put the book down in disgust after the first couple of pages, or read in mesmerized fascination as David alternately destroys and rebuilds his life. In neither case, will you be entirely comfortable. That is good. What David does brilliantly here is hold up the weakness and frailty of the human condition, then show us that it is possible to overcome it to be something more than what we were.

The book is graphic in more than one sense. It is as much about the drawings as the text. They are simple but effective, but in many cases the subject matter is very sexually graphic-about what you would expect in a book in which one section is titled "Sex." He draws his characters as real human beings with or without their clothes. This is one comic book that you don't leave out for the children to see.

As I read through My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down, a theme emerged of needing to ask ourselves the tough questions. What is sex? What is love? Why are they different? Am I a racist? Do I really know my Mom or Dad, or even myself?

For those with an open mind, this book will help you ask these questions of yourself.

Armchair Interviews says: Thought-provoking read.
479367
There's an undeniable trend in memoirs and in first-person memoir-like novels by, about and usually for women where the flavor is more than a little self-deprecating. (Think Brigit Jones Diary). In some work this blatant self-loathing can seem contrived, peppered in to hide the flavor of an otherwise arrogant, irreverent, and self-absorbed protagonist; however, while Susan Jane Gilman can come across as all of the above in her memoir, `Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress," in no way is any of it contrived. It's real. It's brutally honest, laugh-out-loud funny and very original. I enjoyed reading every page of this well-crafted collection.

The chapters read like long columns--better yet, like short stories. Her tales start with a premise, ramble on so that you don't exactly know where they're going but you are nonetheless thoroughly entertained, and then BAM! She brings you right back to the point and leaves you smiling. I particularly enjoyed the tale about Mick Jagger and the congresswoman named "Minnie." I believe, however, her true character was revealed through "Picnic at Treblinka," where she tells the story of a week in Poland (as a reporter for The Jewish Week) visiting concentration camps--true character, by the way, that wasn't even remotely hypocritical.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.
4743987
This is the most entertaining, yet strangely edifying book I've read in a long time. I finished it in a day, which is rare for me. I confess I feel rather smug now, like I'm suddenly party to a whole host of unexpected male secrets.

Life has changed for Chad Stone. Having walked away from his marriage of 25 years (the demise of which he describes with absolute honesty... he paints himself more as the villain here than the victim), he is determined to give the singles scene his best shot. However, as he puts it, he's "new to dating in this century".

Several funny episodes involving Match.com ensue, along with some encounters in such diverse places as a salsa class, a yoga studio and a driving range. The chuckling starts as soon as you realise that Stone is not quite the Babe Magnet he dreamed he'd be, and nor is he censoring anything that crosses his mind. He switches wittily between vivid scenes of his own imagining and cold reality. Personally, I've often longed for the uncut version of what goes through the male brain. I believe it's here in this book.

The book is divided into smallish chapters, involving a myriad of women. If you don't consume it in one go, like I did, it's perfect for picking up and putting down at leisure. I cringed inwardly to recognise myself in several of the women Stone dates in the book. If you're smarting from a recent break-up, or are simply over 30 and starting to wonder when the hell "The One" is going to show up, you need to read this. Even if you're happily partnered, I still say get the book. Learn from Stone's honesty, and have a good laugh in the process.
4488175
While it made made laugh out loud about every third page, I think it a bit limiting to refer to this as a book of Comedy only. There is more truth in a lot of what Carlin says than possibly even he realizes, and certainly a  great deal more than any of our so-called leaders spout forth on a regular  basis. The negativity abounds, or at least what seems to be Negativity.  Carlin shows that what is often considered bad or unkind, is, simply put,  true. Unless you just can't stand swear words, read this book!
1459502
Pane's debut novel has depth and a solid sense of direction.  His take on Pittsburgh is hilarious and weirdly accurate, and I enjoyed the accessible way he described the odd cultural and digital landscapes his characters are navigating.

Despite a few references to tweets and musings about being a member of the Facebook generation, this novel is firmly rooted in human concerns: Michael Bishop, a subtitler and self-proclaimed nerd, deals with some haunting past failures while tangling and untangling himself from two different love triangles.

There's some degree of wit and irony, but the book has a strong sense of urgency and an almost palpable sense of sadness and betrayal.  The conversations are strange, in a White Noise kind of way, but, like in DeLillo's novel, they're both funny and thought-provoking.

This book has a weird nerdy charm, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sturdy, satisfying narrative about the various terrors and redemptions life offers us, and the various ways we succeed and fall short.