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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Critics claiming ‘Dry’ is deeper and more complex than his previous ‘running with scissors’ are a breed of people I do not understand. I have read sharper, I have read more honest, and more lilting memoirs. Burroughs’ writing is honest and with that comes a certain beauty that I am not dense enough to not see, but the praise putting this among other five star books are misplaced. His sharpness becomes too much in the offensive lines thrown in throughout the piece - short anti Semitic and islamophobic quips that any editor should have seen only detract from the credibility of the piece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia
medium-paced
All in all, the book was fairly "dry" and seems to drag on for a long time without any major incidents. However, in the end, it did elicit some emotion from me so I can't speak too negatively about it. It's a relatively quick read, I made it from start to finish in about six hours or so.
This book rolled through all the star ratings. I haven't experienced that so sharply before. Burroughs did an excellent job at evolving his writing alongside his story and his self evolving as experiences occurred. I nearly quit when it was full of city advertising life and culture but hitting bottom and coming out of it, the small sparks of hope and beauty, had a power to them.
Kind of like someone you don't like that much but then you hear their story and remember compassion can soften all kinds of edges. Presenting people of other cultures and languages was effective but grim.
Reading this while in my own mild alcohol dilemma was valuable.
4 stars for the facial expressions and emotions it pulled from me. And for the wide eyed wonder of AA feelings and getting real.
Rehab feelings chart noted.
Kind of like someone you don't like that much but then you hear their story and remember compassion can soften all kinds of edges. Presenting people of other cultures and languages was effective but grim.
Reading this while in my own mild alcohol dilemma was valuable.
4 stars for the facial expressions and emotions it pulled from me. And for the wide eyed wonder of AA feelings and getting real.
Rehab feelings chart noted.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Its been a long time since I read Burroughs' Running with Scissors and this one has probably been sitting on my shelf just as long. This book ultimately picks up where that one left off and we learn about his ongoing struggles with alcoholism and drugs. When he is 24yrs old he goes to rehab for the first time and begins his new life of sobriety while trying to reconcile with his past, navigate new relationships, and desperately cling to those leaving his life. These kinds of memoirs are never easy to read as they are full of more lows than highs. Ever since reading Burroughs' first book I have been invested in seeing where his life has gone and this was an interesting foray in how he continues to battle inner demons and persevere. Some have reviewed this book poorly due to the authors use of "imaginative recreation" in writing his memories and folks left wondering how much he exaggerated and/or made up. For me, I am not bothered by that. Its not my place to weigh or judge another's experiences and to challenge their recollections and who is to say his memories aren't retold with crystal-clear precision? I am pretty sure we have all been affected by addiction, whether personally or with someone we love dearly. These types of memoirs are important to remind us that people fall, and people get back up.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Think of your head as an unsafe neighborhood; don’t go there alone, Rae once said.
This will be my fourth Burroughs in a row after which I will be kicking off the jayfader summer 08 reading season. Two intense digital years have given me a mild case of non-linear ADD. It's been increasingly hard to sit down with a good book after all these months of RSS reading, twitter twitching, IMing and blog-hopping. This summer I plan to attack a book a week and help my brain return to its original functioning.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Super interest and well written memior about the Augusten Burroughs grappling with alcoholism. A great read for anyone who has someone dealing with addiction in their life because this memior offers a silly but thorough perspective.