It's bizarre, alarming and at times appalling. But most frighteningly, it's true. Augusten Burroughs' 'Running with Scissors' is a memoir of his eccentric childhood and struggle to remain normal in spite of the insanity that surrounds him.

At age 12, Burroughs found himself living with an alcoholic father and a bipolar, mentally ill mother who gradually lets her lunacy spin out of control. In the first chapters, he writes, 'my father grew more hostile and remote, taking a particular liking to metallic objects with serrated edges. And my mother began to go crazy. Not crazy in a let's paint the kitchen bright red! sort of way. But crazy in a gas oven, toothpaste sandwich, I am God sort of way. Gone were the days when she would stand on the deck lighting lemon-scented candles without then having to eat the wax.'

And it gets better (or should I say worse?). Augusten is sent to live with his mother's psychiatrist, whose household is basically a circus haven for psychos and madness. At Dr. Finch's house, there are no rules and children are left to make their own life decisions. Augusten, for example, decides that he does not want to attend the sixth grade anymore. His mother and Dr. Finch agree that Augusten should be liberated from the confines of junior high school, but there is only one way to permanently remove a healthy 12-year-old from school: attempt suicide.

Dr. Finch provides the valium and bourbon, and his mother supplies the ride to the hospital after Augusten slips under. When he awakes, he discovers the mental institution that will become his home for the next 30 days.

Jaw dropping yet? Keep reading. Upon his return home, Augusten befriends the pedophile who lives in the backyard shed (yet another of Dr. Finch's 'adopted' patients). Though obviously destructive, no one in the Finch household intervenes on their increasingly abusive relationship. Augusten is free to make his own decisions.

In a desperate effort to be normal, Augusten discovers that his own view of normalcy is quite distorted. The story paints an incredible picture of resiliency. Few could survive the events of this memoir, much less emerge a better person from it.

'Running with Scissors' is admittedly a disturbing tale, but Burroughs' wit and sarcasm give an absurdly humorous perspective. Humor is a person's most fundamental defense mechanism, and Burroughs has certainly tapped into his resources. His ability to make even the direst situations funny is the underlying reason for his successful writing career. The book is brutally honest, compelling, and guaranteed to make you never, ever complain about your family again.