Dry: A Memoir
Summary
You may not know it, but you’ve met Augusten Burroughs. You’ve seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. At the request (well, it wasn’t really a request) of his employers, Augusten lands in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey, Jr., are immediately dashed by grim reality of fluorescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click, and that’s when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan life-and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that’s as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is real. DRY is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power. Dry was an instant New York Times bestseller. In paperback, it remained on the bestseller list for over six consecutive months.
(Summary taken from www.augusten.com)
My Review
In his second memoir DRY, Burrough was able to tackle the difficult subjects of addiction, love and recovery with his genius humor and uncanny wit. His candid observations of New York City night life, rehab and 12-step groups gave the audience an exclusive sneak peek in to some of the most notorious sectors of society and had me laughing out loud on many occasions. Without giving too much away, the book takes you side by side with Burroughs as he faces the crazy rollercoaster that is life and love. I definitely enjoyed this book better than the first. Though Running With Scissorswas funny at times, some of the subject matters (i.e his relationship with a pedophile as a teen) were disturbing and at times detracted from the fun. I personally enjoyed the older Augusten and the wisdom he gained in the 10 years following Running with Scissors. Not only will I recommend this fabulous book to others, Augusten has now officially become a “friend in my head” – and on Twitter!
Closing Remarks: Fabulous, Fun & Quick Read! I highly recommend it!
Drink of Choice: Jungle Juice with a dash of NyQuil (Don’t ask!)
Additional Information
Click here to purchase “Dry: A Memoir” on Amazon.
