Synopses & Reviews
From the million-copy bestselling author of
Running with Scissors comes Augusten Burroughss most provocative collection yet.
This audiobook is approved for consumption by those seeking pleasure, escape, amusement, enlightenment, or general distraction. This audiobook is not approved to treat disorders such as eBay addiction or incessant blind dating. In studies, some people reported inappropriate, convulsive laughter, a tingling sensation in the limbs, and sudden gasping. Fewer than 1 percent reported narcolepsy. Doll collectors may experience special sensitivity, as may discourteous drivers, candy-company brand managers, and nicotine-gum users. This audiobook has been shown to be especially helpful to those with parents, grandparents, life partners, and incontinent dogs. People with dry, cracked skin have responded well to this audiobook, as have people with certain heart conditions. Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this book, until you know what effects it may have on you. This audiobook is contraindicated in those suffering from certain psychiatric disorders, including---but not limited to---listeners afflicted with anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure. Ask your doctor about Possible Side Effects.
Review
"Oh, that boy is trouble. Augusten Burroughs offers more tales of his dysfunctional family and his ill-fated forays into polite society in his outrageously funny new collection of essays, Possible Side Effects... tart, smart, and wicked fun." O The Oprah Magazine
Review
"Delightful...This book is yet another testament to his wild imagination and could keep the readers up at night as well as help the author gain a whole new legion of fans....Sure to enthrall....A memorable book; highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Autobiographical essays and sketches that consistently entertain....You can almost see the child from a disturbed home dancing frantically about in these pages, doing anything to ward off the darkness. It brings a grimace with the laughter....Meaningful and heartfelt." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"(H)ilarious, wildly fanciful reminiscences...[H]e makes good, snarky company even with nothing serious in mind...Mr. Burroughs does get away with stunts that would sink more timid writers." The New York Times
Review
"These essays aren't for the faint-hearted. You won't be hearing them on NPR alongside David Sedaris; Burroughs is rougher and raunchier." Oregonian
Review
"[C]onsistently banal....This is a terrible book: shallow, poorly written and worst of all, boring..." Los Angeles Times
Review
"[H]e somehow manages to lure you in time after time with his unique way of describing things that could have happened to anyone, but didn't at least not quite this way." The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Review
"Burroughs's breezy, clear-cut writing style is perfectly matched to his subject matter: prose-y when necessary but highly conversational, fluid and frank...something wonderful and new to savour." Toronto Star
Review
"Endearingly neurotic...he hooks you into a story better than anybody." Entertainment Weekly"
Review
"One of the most compelling and screamingly funny voices of the new century." USA Today
Review
"Brave, dark, and screamingly funny, this book is so engaging it'll leave you craving more." Harper's Bazaar
Synopsis
This book is approved for consumption by those seeking pleasure, escape, amusement, enlightenment, or general distraction. This book is not approved to treat disorders such as eBay addiction or incessant blind dating. In studies, some people reported inappropriate, convulsive laughter, a tingling sensation in the limbs, and sudden gasping. Fewer than 1 percent reported narcolepsy.
Doll collectors may experience special sensitivity, as may discourteous drivers, candy-company brand managers, and nicotine-gum users. This book has been shown to be especially helpful to those with parents, grandparents, life partners, and incontinent dogs. People with dry, cracked skin have responded well to this book, as have people with certain heart conditions.
Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this book, until you know what effects it may have on you. This text is contraindicated in those suffering from certain psychiatric disorders, including but not limited to readers afflicted with anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure.
Ask your doctor about Possible Side Effects.
Synopsis
National Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Augusten Burroughs's most provocative collection of true stories yet. From nicotine gum addiction to lesbian personal ads to incontinent dogs, Possible Side Effects mines Burroughs's life in a series of uproariously funny essays. These are stories that are uniquely Augusten, with all the over-the-top hilarity of Running with Scissors, the erudition of Dry, and the breadth of Magical Thinking. A collection that is universal in its appeal and unabashedly intimate, Possible Side Effects continues to explore that which is most personal, mirthful, disturbing, and cherished, with unmatched audacity. A cautionary tale in essay form. Be forewarned--hilarious, troubling, and shocking results might occur.
Synopsis
From the million-copy bestselling author of
Running With Scissors comes Augusten Burroughs's most intimate and transcendent collection of stories yet
Synopsis
From the million-copy bestselling author of
Running with Scissors comes Augusten Burroughs's most provocative collection yet.
This book is approved for consumption by those seeking pleasure, escape, amusement, enlightenment, or general distraction. This book is not approved to treat disorders such as eBay addiction or incessant blind dating. In studies, some people reported inappropriate, convulsive laughter, a tingling sensation in the limbs, and sudden gasping. Fewer than 1 percent reported narcolepsy. Doll collectors may experience special sensitivity, as may discourteous drivers, candy-company brand managers, and nicotine-gum users. This book has been shown to be especially helpful to those with parents, grandparents, life partners, and incontinent dogs. People with dry, cracked skin have responded well to this book, as have people with certain heart conditions. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this book, until you know what effects it may have on you. This text is contraindicated in those suffering from certain psychiatric disorders, including---but not limited to---readers afflicted with anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure. Ask your doctor about Possible Side Effects.
About the Author
Augusten Burroughs is the author of Running with Scissors, Dry, and Magical Thinking, all of which have been New York Times bestsellers and are published around the world. A film version of Running with Scissors starring Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow was adapted for the screen by Ryan Murphy. Augusten has been named one of the fifteen funniest people in America by Entertainment Weekly. He lives in New York City and western Massachusetts.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
1. In her New York Times review of Possible Side Effects, Janet Maslin writes that "somewhere along the way to his fourth autobiographical volume, Augusten Burroughs changed from a guy with a story to tell into a guy with a knack for telling stories." What do you think she means? Do you agree? What makes a good storyteller? Can you name any other writers with a similar talent for making the incidental interesting and/ or humorous?
2. As the twenty-five essays in Possible Side Effects shift back and forth in time, how are Burroughs preoccupations different before and after becoming a famous writer? In what ways are they the same?
3. On page 20, Burroughs writes: "I am prone to envy. It is one of my three default emotions, the others being greed and rage. I have also experienced compassion and generosity, but only fleetingly and usually while drunk, so I have little memory." Do you think Burroughs is being completely serious? How might essays like "Killing John Updike" and "Little Crucifixions" both prove and refute Burroughs statement? Why is Burroughss self- assessment both striking and funny?
4. "Many people assume I have a ‘funny and charming self," Burroughs states in his essay "Team Player" after being invited to speak publicly at colleges and universities. "Many people are wrong" [p 36]. Does this confession surprise you? Where do you think it would be most fun to hang out with Burroughs: a redneck rodeo, a Jean Paul Gautier fashion show, or the Westminster dog show? Why? What, if anything, do you think you can know about a writers personality from his or her work?
5. Considering the essays "The Sacred Cow," "Fetch" and "Kitty Kitty," how does Burroughs view dogs? If you have pets, would you trust them with him? What about his brother? Why do you think some people find the company of animals preferable to humans?
6. Based on "GWF Seeks Same" and "Getting to No You," do you think Burroughs would make a good host of a reality television dating show? When placing an internet ad, about what do you think it is most acceptable to lie: age, weight or income? Who do you think has the best odds when it comes to internet dating: men, women, gays or straights?
7. Reviewing his pre-celebrity resume in the essays "Mint Threshold," "Taking Tests, Taking Things," "Unclear Sailing," and "Druggie Debbie," what do you think would have become of Burroughs had he never become a successful writer? Do you he would have returned to advertising and become a bitter alcoholic, taken to the streets and become boozed-out beggar, or carved out a sober and rewarding career in some other profession?
8. Recalling his experiences in "Attacked by Heart," "The Wisdom Tooth," "Peep," "Youve Come a Long Way, Baby," and "Little Crucifixions," with which of Burroughs numerous compulsions and neuroses do you most identify? Do you think being a celebrity allows you to get away with being more eccentric? Why? If you were a celebrity, what eccentricity would you like to cultivate?
9. Do "Try Our New Single, Black Mother Menu" and "Mrs. Chang" reinforce or challenge stereotypes? Why? Do you think its possible to talk honestly and humorously about race and not offend anyone? How do some food or retail chains in your area cater to certain demographics?
10. In "Pest Control" and "The Georgia Thumper," how does Burroughs view his two grandmothers? If you could magically make any of your relatives disappear, would you? Which ones? Can you recall any nonrelatives you knew while growing that you wished were part of your family? Why?
11. How does Burroughs use humor to address the subject of mental illness in "The Forecast for Sommer," "The Wonder Boy," and "Julias Child"? Does finding the comedy in such situations make those stories more accessible and emotionally affecting to readers? Why? Do you think "Julias Child" is a good essay with which to end the book?