*Summary*
In his personal memoir, Running with Scissors, author Augusten Burroughs reveals to the word, his insanely abnormal teenage upbringing. After his father and self-centered, mother divorce, Burroughs is adopted by his mother's psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. The Finch family is the exact opposite of what you may expect from a psychiatrist. Burroughs goes from living in his mother's nice and clean house, to living in a run-down, debris covered, roach infested home with the Finch's.
At first, he is completely appalled by the family and their home, but he soon adapts to the change and begins to enjoy the freedom he has living with the Finch family. In the Finch household, if you are over the age of thirteen, you are considered an adult and allowed to do whatever you please. Burroughs and the doctor's daughters, Hope and Natalie, are allowed to drink, smoke, do drugs, and even have sex. Hope introduces Augusten to Neil Bookman, a former patient and adopted son of Dr. Finch. Bookman is in his thirties when he and the young, twelve year old Burroughs first meet and start dating. When Augusten tells Dr. Finch about his relationship with Neil Bookman, the doctor gives him a warning, but does not try to end the relationship. As their relationship continues, Bookman becomes completely obsessed with Burroughs, which Augusten enjoys to a certain degree but also gets very tired of quickly. During one of their fights, Burroughs threatens to call the cops and file statutory rape charges against Bookman if he "ever got out of line" (Pg. 162). After a couple years of dealing with Augusten loving him one moment, then humiliating him and kicking him out the next, Bookman finally decides he has had enough and leaves in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again.
Burroughs becomes very close friends with Dr. Finch's other daughter, Natalie. Towards the end of the story, he and Natalie are living in an apartment together. However, when Burroughs' mother comes over claiming that Dr. Finch raped her while they were in a hotel room during one of her psychotic breakdowns, he is forced to choose between his mother and his "family". Even though he believes what his mother says, he decides to leave both his mother and the Finch's behind, and move to New York City.
*Why it was banned*
Running with Scissors has been added to the long list of banned books for many reasons. It not only contains graphic language and sexual content, but it also involves drugs, underage drinking and smoking, and a homosexual relationship between a 13 year old boy and a 33 year old man, which many consider child molestation. Some high schools across the nation have removed and banned this books from their shelves because of the content. In 2010-2011, two High Schools in Hillsborough, FL voted to ban the book from their library because "The book contained explicit homosexual and heterosexual situations, profanity, underage drinking and smoking, extreme moral shortcomings, child molesters, graphic pedophile situations and total lack of negative consequences throughout the book" (Marshall Universities Library, para. 1). It was also challenged at a Michigan High School for "strong sexual content" (Para. 3).
*Family Drama*
After publication of the book, the Turcottes (the family whom Burroughs refers to as the "Finch family" in his book), sue Burroughs for defamation of character; however the two parties settled for an undisclosed amount (Los Angeles Times, para. 1). Augusten Burroughs is quoted stating that "the book is an entirely accurate memoir, and that it was not fictionalized or sensationalized in any way. I did not embellish or invent elements. We had a very strong case, because I had the truth on my side" (Para. 2).
In his personal memoir, Running with Scissors, author Augusten Burroughs reveals to the word, his insanely abnormal teenage upbringing. After his father and self-centered, mother divorce, Burroughs is adopted by his mother's psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. The Finch family is the exact opposite of what you may expect from a psychiatrist. Burroughs goes from living in his mother's nice and clean house, to living in a run-down, debris covered, roach infested home with the Finch's.
At first, he is completely appalled by the family and their home, but he soon adapts to the change and begins to enjoy the freedom he has living with the Finch family. In the Finch household, if you are over the age of thirteen, you are considered an adult and allowed to do whatever you please. Burroughs and the doctor's daughters, Hope and Natalie, are allowed to drink, smoke, do drugs, and even have sex. Hope introduces Augusten to Neil Bookman, a former patient and adopted son of Dr. Finch. Bookman is in his thirties when he and the young, twelve year old Burroughs first meet and start dating. When Augusten tells Dr. Finch about his relationship with Neil Bookman, the doctor gives him a warning, but does not try to end the relationship. As their relationship continues, Bookman becomes completely obsessed with Burroughs, which Augusten enjoys to a certain degree but also gets very tired of quickly. During one of their fights, Burroughs threatens to call the cops and file statutory rape charges against Bookman if he "ever got out of line" (Pg. 162). After a couple years of dealing with Augusten loving him one moment, then humiliating him and kicking him out the next, Bookman finally decides he has had enough and leaves in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again.
Burroughs becomes very close friends with Dr. Finch's other daughter, Natalie. Towards the end of the story, he and Natalie are living in an apartment together. However, when Burroughs' mother comes over claiming that Dr. Finch raped her while they were in a hotel room during one of her psychotic breakdowns, he is forced to choose between his mother and his "family". Even though he believes what his mother says, he decides to leave both his mother and the Finch's behind, and move to New York City.
*Why it was banned*
Running with Scissors has been added to the long list of banned books for many reasons. It not only contains graphic language and sexual content, but it also involves drugs, underage drinking and smoking, and a homosexual relationship between a 13 year old boy and a 33 year old man, which many consider child molestation. Some high schools across the nation have removed and banned this books from their shelves because of the content. In 2010-2011, two High Schools in Hillsborough, FL voted to ban the book from their library because "The book contained explicit homosexual and heterosexual situations, profanity, underage drinking and smoking, extreme moral shortcomings, child molesters, graphic pedophile situations and total lack of negative consequences throughout the book" (Marshall Universities Library, para. 1). It was also challenged at a Michigan High School for "strong sexual content" (Para. 3).
*Family Drama*
After publication of the book, the Turcottes (the family whom Burroughs refers to as the "Finch family" in his book), sue Burroughs for defamation of character; however the two parties settled for an undisclosed amount (Los Angeles Times, para. 1). Augusten Burroughs is quoted stating that "the book is an entirely accurate memoir, and that it was not fictionalized or sensationalized in any way. I did not embellish or invent elements. We had a very strong case, because I had the truth on my side" (Para. 2).