Running with Scissors

Augusten Age 10

I went to a feedback session to review the neuropsychological evaluation of one of my clients a few weeks ago, and got a very nice surprise. One of the staffers at the facility, Glenda, was getting rid of a load of books that had been swapped among the staff members until everyone that wanted to, got a chance to read them. So that day, I went into the office to meet with an unstable, bipolar client to give her the bad news that there is nothing I can do for her until she gets her medication adjusted and she's stable (which is highly unlikely because she has been trying for more than 10 years without success), and I walked out with a bag of books. It turned out to be a really lucky day for me, the client was already thinking that she wasn't ready for work (so she wanted her case closed) and I got books. This was a major coup because the bag contained a book that I have been meaning to read, Devil in the White City (Matt loaned me a copy, but Marilyn snatched it while I was finishing Hillary Clinton's Living History, enjoyed it BTW).

The wonderful bag of books also contained about 12 books on serial killers (some of which I never heard of before) and a book called Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs. I started this book before Devil in the White City, (not sure why) and I really enjoyed it. I would have to compare Burroughs to David Sedaris, because his book is a memoir of a gay man and it's very funny. The difference between Burroughs and Sedaris is that Burroughs is well acquainted with mental illness (family, friends, boyfriend and adopted family), so his work is darker than Sedaris'. In spite of the darker side to his work, I think Burroughs is one of my new favorite authors.