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Quick answer: If you liked Running with Scissors, read Augusten Burroughs's Dry and A Wolf at the Table, then Me Talk Pretty One Day, The Glass Castle, Angela's Ashes and Let's Pretend This Never Happened. All are funny, shocking memoirs about odd families, hard childhoods and surviving with humour.
Augusten Burroughs's 2002 memoir recounts his adolescence living with his mother's eccentric psychiatrist and his family, where the household is chaotic and the rules are bizarre. It is darkly comic and very frank. The books below share its mix of humour and pain, unusual family lives and unflinching voices.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | more Burroughs |
| Possible Side Effects | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | essay collection |
| A Wolf at the Table | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | darker family memoir |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day | David Sedaris | Adult | comic essays |
| Naked | David Sedaris | Adult | funny and strange |
| Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | David Sedaris | Adult | family comedy |
| The Glass Castle | Jeannette Walls | Adult | hardship and resilience |
| Angela's Ashes | Frank McCourt | Adult | Irish childhood |
| Fun Home | Alison Bechdel | Adult | graphic memoir |
| Let's Pretend This Never Happened | Jenny Lawson | Adult | comic memoir |
| Girl, Interrupted | Susanna Kaysen | Adult | memoir of hospitalisation |
| Born a Crime | Trevor Noah | Adult | funny and moving |
| Bossypants | Tina Fey | Adult | comic memoir |
| Educated | Tara Westover | Adult | memoir of education |
| Wishful Drinking | Carrie Fisher | Adult | Hollywood memoir |
1. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Burroughs recounts his time in rehab and recovery from alcoholism. Funny and raw.
Best for: more Burroughs.
2. Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs
Short, comic essays about his life and the people around him. Light and sharp.
Best for: essay collection.
3. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
Burroughs writes about his father and his childhood. Quieter and sadder.
Best for: darker family memoir.
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Sedaris writes about family, languages and odd experiences. Light, funny and humane.
Best for: comic essays.
5. Naked by David Sedaris
Sedaris recalls odd jobs and a childhood in North Carolina. Dark and witty.
Best for: funny and strange.
6. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
Essays about family, mostly funny, sometimes sad. A fan favourite.
Best for: family comedy.
7. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
A woman recalls growing up poor with eccentric parents. Compelling and honest.
Best for: hardship and resilience.
8. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
McCourt recalls poverty in Limerick. Heartbreaking and funny.
Best for: Irish childhood.
9. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Bechdel explores her relationship with her father in a graphic memoir. Brilliant and moving.
Best for: graphic memoir.
10. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Lawson writes about her strange childhood and anxiety. Funny and warm.
Best for: comic memoir.
11. Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Kaysen recalls her time in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s. Short and haunting.
Best for: memoir of hospitalisation.
12. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Noah recounts growing up in apartheid South Africa. Humorous and humane.
Best for: funny and moving.
13. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Fey recalls her career and the comedy business. Funny and sharp.
Best for: comic memoir.
14. Educated by Tara Westover
A woman raised off the grid teaches herself and goes to university. Powerful and moving.
Best for: memoir of education.
15. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Fisher writes frankly about fame, addiction and bipolar disorder. Funny and honest.
Best for: Hollywood memoir.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Running with Scissors: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more Burroughs choose Dry, Possible Side Effects or A Wolf at the Table. For comic family essays pick David Sedaris. For hardship with humour read The Glass Castle or Angela's Ashes. For graphic memoir try Fun Home. For celebrity comedy read Bossypants or Wishful Drinking. Many of these include abuse and substance use, so check content notes before you read. Memoirs like these are best read with an understanding that they are one person's version of events, and several have been debated by family members or critics. A useful way to choose is by tone. For dark comedy, pick Sedaris. For hard childhoods with hope, pick The Glass Castle or Angela's Ashes. For comic celebrity stories, pick Fisher or Fey. For visual storytelling, pick Fun Home. Audiobooks read by the authors add timing and humour. Because the memoir is so dark, many readers balance it with lighter books in between.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Running with Scissors about?
A teenager's years in the chaotic household of his mother's psychiatrist.
Who wrote it?
Augusten Burroughs.
When was it published?
2002.
Is it a true story?
It is presented as a memoir, though the family involved disputed parts of it.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 2006 film adaptation.
Is it funny?
Yes, in a very dark way.
Is it suitable for teens?
It is for adults, since it contains abuse and sexual content.
What should I read next?
Try Dry or Me Talk Pretty One Day.
Did Augusten Burroughs write other books?
Yes, including Dry, Possible Side Effects, A Wolf at the Table and Lust & Wonder.
Is Running with Scissors accurate?
The author stands by it as his experience, while the family disputed it.
Is Running with Scissors a good audiobook?
Yes, Burroughs reads it himself with sharp comic timing.