Dry: A Memoir
by Augusten Burroughs
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Book Reviews of Dry: A Memoir
Book Review: Dry and Compelling
Summary: 4 Stars
In reading "Dry", I was able to approach it with an open mind. To be honest, I had never heard of the author and only vaguely recollected his earlier work, "Running with Scissors".
I found "Dry" to be a compelling story. Initially, the book was riotously funny. I loved Burroughs' description of being drunk in New York and being puzzled why his watch was showing European time rather than Manhattan time. Yet, very quickly, the humour fell away and the downside of alcoholism took over. It was at this point that the book became compelling. I found myself hoping that Augusten would beat his addiction. His description of his shabby living conditions was an eye opener to the non-alcoholic.
However, to be sure, the book is not some wowserish tome with an axe to grind about the evils of the drink. Augusten is too far enmeshed in the real world to fall for this nonsense. Rather, his book is simply a memoir of his life and some of the obstacles that alcohol placed before him. Read it with an open mind and you will enjoy the ride.
Book Review: It's too easy to relate to Augusten Burroughs!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't cry very often when I read a book; it's easier to cry over a movie, where there's a sappy soundtrack and lots of visual images to get the tears flowing. To make me cry over a book, you have to really touch me. The images have to be so vivid, so expertly-crafted, that they jump out at me and remind me of my own life.
That's what *Dry* did to me.
There really aren't adequate words to describe how well-written and how REAL this book is. All I can say is that if you're a gay male who had somewhat of a rocky childhood, who has ever liked chemical happiness a little more than you should, and who has ever realized he truly loved someone just a little too late, then you're a callous freak if you aren't crying by the time you reach the "gold Pighead" scene. Trust me. Buy this book and read it, no matter what your sexual orientation, gender, or background. Even if you don't "get" Burroughs' meaning, the dark humor and genuine drama alone are enough to get you hooked by the third page.
Book Review: The saga continues...
Summary: 4 Stars
If you were wondering what became of the crazy mixed up kid from "Running with Scissors," then wonder no longer for "Dry" is the next volume in what the author has promised will be the continuing chronicles of his life on Earth.
In his customarily self-deprecating fashion, "Dry" relates how Burroughs came to grips with his increasingly debilitating problems with alcohol, and his experiences in and out of a rehabilitation center.
It is appropriate that this book be titled "Dry" as opposed to "Sober" because, as those familiar with Burroughs can attest, this author marches to his own drummer. Suffice it to say he doesn't quite embrace the twelve steps and twelve traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous as designed.
About a hundred years ago Jack London wrote his brilliant "John Barleycorn or, Alcholic Memoirs." Burroughs takes this confessional genre and imbues it with gut wrenching humor. Ultimately, this volume leaves us inspired and hopeful. A triumph.
Book Review: Not So Dry After All
Summary: 5 Stars
Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this powerful memoir is its essential kindness and good feeling for humankind, an attitude sustained through a series of dizzying life experiences which could have soured the Dalai Lama. Burroughs' cheerily ironic point of view encompasses his terrifying childhood,his surreal career in advertising, and, most powerfully, his experiences in rehab.
While on this journey with him, you experience his growth through a process of discovery, as layer upon layer of denial is peeled back and his true history and true self are revealed to him and to us. The dryness of the wit lies entirely in his refusal to feel sorry for himself; and the final phase of his recovery begins when he is at last willing to open that hardest of all human doors, love. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, and read entranced on the bus, at the lunch counter, and through one very dull concert. It will certainly offer you several of the more entertaining hours of your life.
Book Review: A very good read.
Summary: 4 Stars
Burroughs is better known for his bestselling Running with Scissors. He's a funny writer. Dry. Sarcastic, with a smart, crisp style. He's also a former advertising guy, which is partly why I read this book. Being an ad guy myself, I thought it would be chock full of ad characters I could relate to and laugh at. "Ha! I know that moron! He's just like that!" But it wasn't so much about advertising. It was about Burroughs fight with his alcoholism. It's a true story. It takes you from his initial days of rehab through his recovery, temptations, lapses, and paints it all very vividly. He also pulls off some great emotional scenes without being overly sentimental or sappy. I was expecting more laugh-out-loud humor, but I was happily surprised by how much cared about the people in Burroughs' life, how much I sympathized with him, and how much I appreciated his honesty and openness. Reading Dry, you get the feeling that he holds absolutely nothing back. And partly because of that, he's a very likable narrator.