Helpful Score: 10
We meet a smoother more polished writer in this book than in his earlier 'Running with Scissors'. This time the story almost seems more personal to him and we follow along from the beginning when he is forced into rehab (though he doesn't believe he needs it or belongs there) through the end where he finally does become 'dry'. I would really recommend this to those who have an addict in their lives- whether their friend or family member is clean or using, this book gives us a better glimpse into the mechanics of addiction as it details and stresses the fine points of temptation that the sober take for granted and the addict probably never can.
For those who may be uncomfortable with the homosexual topics: relationships and acts are discussed however, they are not, for the most part, depicted in as blatantly shocking a manner as in 'Running with Scissors'.
For those who may be uncomfortable with the homosexual topics: relationships and acts are discussed however, they are not, for the most part, depicted in as blatantly shocking a manner as in 'Running with Scissors'.
Helpful Score: 8
I really enjoyed this book, I don't think you have to read "Running with Scissors" first, but if you do, You really need to read this book next! they are totally different but with the same great humor.
I thought in the first book he writing his experiences as he remembered them as a child and that is really different than how we would see those experiences as an adult, which is what makes it so hard for people to believe. In this book he is writing his experiences as an adult.
I find it refreshing that throughout his life and books he focuses on the positive and not the negative like so many other memoirs. He was luckily blessed with an incredible sense of humor that allows him to remain afloat in a world of crap.
I don't think he at says "look at me I have a messed up life aren't I so funny and fabulous" to me he's funny and fabulous IN SPITE of his messed up life... and I've only read two of books but I don't recall his ever thinking he was fabulous. I suppose people think that if he was beaten down his whole life he should act more like it - I'm glad he doesn't!
For people who have not had such a "perfectly normal" life his books are better than therapy! and in his books you can find "hope"
....of having a smile at the end of your worst day ever.
I thought in the first book he writing his experiences as he remembered them as a child and that is really different than how we would see those experiences as an adult, which is what makes it so hard for people to believe. In this book he is writing his experiences as an adult.
I find it refreshing that throughout his life and books he focuses on the positive and not the negative like so many other memoirs. He was luckily blessed with an incredible sense of humor that allows him to remain afloat in a world of crap.
I don't think he at says "look at me I have a messed up life aren't I so funny and fabulous" to me he's funny and fabulous IN SPITE of his messed up life... and I've only read two of books but I don't recall his ever thinking he was fabulous. I suppose people think that if he was beaten down his whole life he should act more like it - I'm glad he doesn't!
For people who have not had such a "perfectly normal" life his books are better than therapy! and in his books you can find "hope"
....of having a smile at the end of your worst day ever.
Helpful Score: 6
I liked this one MUCH better than Running With Scissors (which I thought was way too out in left field for me - sorry, I don't buy all of it). ANYWAY. This book was really well done, written from the heart and I believed every single word of it. Very well written, I laughed and I cried. I'm anxious to get to the next one!
Helpful Score: 5
I found this book to be a lot more genuine and usually more humorous than Running With Scissors. Not that Running With Scissors was bad, because it wasn't, but I found RWS more depressing than hilarious. Dry is a great follow up to it that I'd recommend to anyone who has read the first one.
Helpful Score: 3
A good follow up to "Running with Scissors", but can be read without having read the prequel.
Helpful Score: 3
Dry is a great follow up to it that I'd recommend to anyone who has read the first one. This book is all about the author trying to break his alcohol addiction ... I found it similar to Million Little Pieces without the lies and more believeable. I did tend to find his thought process just sort of go off on a tangent and really have nothing to do with the story (like his Feed The Children and Sally Struthers rant!) but I found myself chuckling more so than I did in his first memoir (Running With Scissors) with his off the wall thoughts.
The sequel to this book is Magical Thinking and is available now.
The sequel to this book is Magical Thinking and is available now.
Helpful Score: 2
I have read two books by Burroughs and will read no more. I find him a bit too precious; "look at me, I had a messed up life. isn't it funny and aren't I fabulous?" Fans of memoirs and especially RUNNING WITH SCISSORS will find this followup interesting, I am just not one of them
Helpful Score: 2
An interesting read. A compelling memoir about drinking, rehab and recovery.
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book. I felt guilty for having laughed so much at the expense of someone else's misery, but I couldn't help it. Augusten Burroughs has a talent for dark humor. After reading about his childhood in 'Running with Scissors,' its really no wonder he became an alcoholic. I'm glad he overcame his alcoholism! Dry is much better than its predecessor, a must-read!
Helpful Score: 1
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs hooked me on his life and writing. This is a book I won't forget. His struggles about quitting drinking reminded me of my struggles with food addiction. No matter what diet, eating plan, exercise, etc. - I still want to eat too much and eat what I want. When I want. I especially want to eat this way when I'm eating a strict good food plan. :-) It's just not easy. Life is complicated. My past enters in. My emotions determine a lot.
I love Augusten's views on life, relationships, love, work. He's so normal and insightful, yet thinks he's a mess. As do we all on some occasions. Augusten shuns a former boyfriend, not giving him the time this friend needs, only to find out too late how much he loved his friend. Why didn't he show him how much he loved and needed him while there was still time? One of the dilemmas of life....May of us have been there, regarding parents passed on, children, etc.
Augusten represents us all. We're all human beings. Sometimes jerks, sometimes loving, sometimes we mess up bigtime, sometimes we keep it together...just barely. LOVE, love, love his memoirs. I've ordered 2 of his other books and right now, he is all I want to read. His appalling upbringing (Running with Scissors), his work in advertising & jerks encountered, his friends - like the National Enquirer - "I want to know".
I love Augusten's views on life, relationships, love, work. He's so normal and insightful, yet thinks he's a mess. As do we all on some occasions. Augusten shuns a former boyfriend, not giving him the time this friend needs, only to find out too late how much he loved his friend. Why didn't he show him how much he loved and needed him while there was still time? One of the dilemmas of life....May of us have been there, regarding parents passed on, children, etc.
Augusten represents us all. We're all human beings. Sometimes jerks, sometimes loving, sometimes we mess up bigtime, sometimes we keep it together...just barely. LOVE, love, love his memoirs. I've ordered 2 of his other books and right now, he is all I want to read. His appalling upbringing (Running with Scissors), his work in advertising & jerks encountered, his friends - like the National Enquirer - "I want to know".
Helpful Score: 1
Really funny. I was able to relate to him.. Very interesting.. Very good. Good sequel.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful follow up to Running With Scissors!!! This is another tale of Augusten Burroughs' true life story...it is hysterical and sad.
Helpful Score: 1
Not as funny or as compelling as Running With Scissors, but still decent. On the other hand, it's definitely a more mature read. Somewhat sad ending.
Helpful Score: 1
Even though this book is about a very serious subject (alcoholism),this is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style.
Helpful Score: 1
I love reading his books. This was not as humorous, but then, there is nothing funny about addiction. Very insightful and a good read!
Helpful Score: 1
This was a very interesting look into the life of a recovering alcoholic. Less massive drama than the last book with the story of his crazy upbringing but very good and at times sad..
Helpful Score: 1
I could not put this book down. Mr. Burroughs makes it easy to become emotionally invested in him - I wanted to protect him for his hurts, slap some sense into him when he made obviously wrong choices. I really enjoyed this book following 'Running with Scissors'.
Helpful Score: 1
I liked this book just as much as 'Running With Scissors,' but I didn't find it as funny or as outrageous and interesting. It definitely had more heart-breaking moments, more moments where my heart felt anguished and I was rooting for him or crying for him. I could definitely relate to some of what he was talking about, as I used to work with substance abusers in outpatient treatment. It gave me more insight seeing an addict write about his experience in his own words. If you're going to read this book, it's a good idea to read 'Running with Scissors' first -- it gives the background of what got Augusten where he is in this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Not bad. Not bad at all..
First I read "Running with Scissors". Not the best book I've ever read, but it was definitely interesting to get an understanding of his background before reading the rest of his novels.
In "Dry", you get an idea of how his work life is affected by his drinking. Then his experience in rehab. Then his quest to stay sober after the fact. I really enjoyed this book.. it stays true to his witty, sarcastic, self-indulgent writing style that we've come to enjoy. With Burroughes, you either like it, or you don't.
Well, I like it.
The follow-up "Magical Thinking" is definitely a MUST read if you enjoyed this.
First I read "Running with Scissors". Not the best book I've ever read, but it was definitely interesting to get an understanding of his background before reading the rest of his novels.
In "Dry", you get an idea of how his work life is affected by his drinking. Then his experience in rehab. Then his quest to stay sober after the fact. I really enjoyed this book.. it stays true to his witty, sarcastic, self-indulgent writing style that we've come to enjoy. With Burroughes, you either like it, or you don't.
Well, I like it.
The follow-up "Magical Thinking" is definitely a MUST read if you enjoyed this.
Helpful Score: 1
I love this author. His voice is very entertaining and off the wall. Not for everyone but I always leave wanting to hear more about his life.
Helpful Score: 1
Burroughs has a magnificent way of expressing/telling of his topsy turvy and often turbulent life. He lays it out plain as day, makes it easy to feel disgust, anger and compassion for all involved.
Dark and slightly disturbing, this book was strangely addictive
Great continuation of Burroughs previous memoir, but tackling different issues, therefore with a slightly different tone. This one is just as witty and very well written.
One of my favorites!
A funny, harrowing group of stories about Burroughs' struggle with alcoholism.
Good read, but not as interesting as Running w/Scissors.
Kind of glib about alcoholism in general, but still has loads of painful memories and funny observations.
A person overcoming an alcohol addiction and coming across others w/the same addiction in rehab.Very funny and inspiring to anyone who has any type of addiction or has been affected by someone who has.
Wow. I could not put this down. This author has such a wicked sense of humor but at the same time you can't help but feel his pain. It gave me a much deeper understanding of what it takes for alcoholics to stop drinking - while making me laugh too. Wow.
Just as compelling as Running With Scissors, Burroughs produced a masterpiece of humor, compassion, and truth. Dry had moments where I cried, moments where I laughed, and countless moments where I looked inside myself for my own answers to Burroughs' situations. A great memoir for readers who also struggled with addiction and loss.
I'm a pretty big fiction fan, and rarely enjoy anything that has that 'this really happened!' feel too it. That being said this was a pretty good book. It tackles addiction and relationship problems, and briefly relates too prejudice. However, Augusten (narrator, author) gets over his addiction (he's an alcoholic by the way) so quickly that you sort of wonder why it was such a problem in the first place. Of course, it's not like he could have written that he was a crazy drunk if he really wasn't. Wasn't an earth-shattering, life-altering read, but still, pretty good. Also, it's reviewed as super dark humor, and I disagree. He talks about some very dark subjects, but the jokes are few and far in between.
This was very interesting to me, laying out how the whole rehab and recovery process can go for a recovering alcoholic. It's well-written and not a total downer, although it deals with a sometimes quite sad situation.
Burroughs is a writer with a great ear for dialougue/conversation. In this book, he is unsparingly self-critical. This is a much better peek into alcoholism/rehab/sobriety than many other books (I'm looking at you, James Frey!), but ultmately it is unsatisfying. I'm not sorry I read it, but I would have a hard time recommending it.
This was a great book! I have nothing in common with Augusten or his life, but I couldn't put it down. So incredibly written. A must read!
This is quite possibly my favorite memoir of all time. Hilarious, heartbreaking,and I find Augusten Burroughs to be one of the most fascinating human beings on the planet.
Great book. If you are like me, you'll have a hard time putting it down. This was the first Augusten Burroughs book I read, and afterwards, I had to read them all.
It has a different feel than Burroughs' first book, but still well worth the read
Funny and honest. If you like Dave Sedaris you'll probably like this.
I continue to be deeply impressed and touched by Burroughs's honesty. This is a powerful read -- funny, sad, wrenching. Not for the faint of heart, but the truth never is.
Amazing writing, really good story, I enjoyed it very much.
James Frey's a million little pieces meets the screwed up world of corporate life. GREAT read! Strong writing so dont attempt it if you arent ready for more Frey-like gruesomeness.
The continuing story of Mr. Burroughs struggle to remain sane in a crazy world.
This is a poignant story of addiction and mental health, sometimes disturbing but brutally honest.
Great book, the way it's written made it so I could hardly put it down. Like a wonderful conversation I wanted it to keep on going.
Another classic Augusten Burroughs!
"Dry catches the reader off guard on every page, challenging what we've come to expect from rehab literature"..........Paper Magazine
Much more hopeful and obviously realistic than A million little pieces look at rehab.
Not as good as his first book, but still good.
The first book was much better, but this one was still incredible. I could not put it down and even as you are laughing, the next page you are in tears. As you read you feel for everyone in the book and you want to reach out and help them.
I find Augusten Burroughs, in this book, to be far more unlikable than he was in "Running with Scissors." "Dry" is still well-written, however, and worth a read.
Great book if you enjoy memoirs and struggles that people go through. His first book was good.What a bizarre life this man had. It is hard to beleive it is true! The first one is "Running with Scissors". You do not need to read it first to follow this one, but I recommend it, also.
If you liked "A Million Little Pieces," you'll love "Dry." A very humorous memoir of becoming sober.
Not as shocking as "Running With Sissors", but still a great book!
honest, thought provoking, scary at times. but great all around.
One of the greatest memoirs I have ever read. It especially allowed me to relate to a member of my family who was in rehab at Betty Ford for drugs and alcohol. Stupendous read
I hust love Augusten Burroughs!!!!
This was my first encounter with Burroughs. I had the book on CD and listened to it during part of my 16hr round trip drive to Baltimore from Boston. It was utterly entertaining and the time flew, I can't wait to read more of his work! Very fun but also very real. A great read/listen!
I love this man's writing. His books are so hard to put down.
Skillfully witty, sad, and funny all at the same time. Courageous to write so openly about deeply painful episodes but the humor stops it being too sad. Very honest. A great read. I can't wait for more from him.
Fantastiic book. Iread it in two days, which I never find time to do. Very easy to relate to even if you don't know anyone whose suffered with alcoholism. Funny in so many ways.
A great book, both touching and funny. Enjoyed it much more than his first book, Running with Scissors.
A FUNNY TOUCHING TRUTHFUL BOOK THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER FOR A LONG TIME. iF YOU READ AND LIKED RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, YOU WILL LIKE THIS BOOK. IF YOU ARE IN RECOVERY YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!
Very touching and real. Though it was witty and funny at times, dealing with serious alcoholism is not funny, and hr makes that plenty clear.
Much better than 'Running With Scissors' - Augustin Burroughs actually seems to have been emotionally involved with this part of his life, where he comes to terms with being an alcoholic.
This book is haunting and hilarious at the same time. I couldn't put it down.
I adore Augusten Burroughs, and this book was no exception. Funny, sad, and hopeful.
Good book.... not as great a the first one.
A beautifully written, honest and "real" account of recovery.
I think Augusten Burroughs is one of my favorite authors, very funny.
I love all his books and find him a fascinating author. This one didn't disappoint.
There is nothing better than a book that can make you laugh AND cry, and somehow Burroughs does that to me in this brutally honest memoir of his alcoholism and road to recovery.
Enjoyed it. Burroughs writing is funny yet deep at the same time. Good book.
I loved the honesty in this book. Its less shocking than Running With Scissors and more enjoyable.
Trash. If this is literature, Obama is a Republican. Can't bedlieve that a publisher would waste his time with this book.
Well written. I liked this one as much or better than Running With Scissors. It wasn't as funny and shocking as that one, though. It was sad, but good.
Augusten Burroughs is GREAT. I loved his self-deprecating humor mixed in with his painful experiences. This is a bittersweet memoir.
This is a beautiful memoir. The subject matter is extremely compelling and the writing is gorgeous and descriptive. Burroughs tells his story with raw honesty.Sometimes it made me cringe or cry but I never wanted to put it down so I could find out what happened next. I liked this so much better than Running With Scissors.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I have become a real fan of Augusten and his wry perspective on life- he manages to take his craziness and make it understandable and real.
liked this book
I have read three books by Augusten Burroughs and found them entertaining and possibly believable, although I have had more than my fill from this author. He tells many of the same stories throughout his books but chooses to give different facts each time he tells them (ages, dates, where they met). In Dry contradicts himself within pages - Page 166: "My mother had a stroke ten years ago that left the right side of her body paralyzed"; Page 168(same book! referring to his mother): "Or another stroke like the one that took away her left side". I might have gotten too caught up in the details but even the story as a whole didn't captivate me.
This was a very compelling book. I enjoyed it much more than "Running with Scissors."
I really enjoyed this book. Much more than Running with Scissors but I am glad I read the other first.
