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Binding: Paperback Format: Bargain Price Label: Picador USA Manufacturer: Picador USA Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: October 01, 2005 Publisher: Picador USA Sales Rank: 211213 Studio: Picador USA
From the number-one bestselling author of Running with Scissors and Dry comes Augusten Burroughs's most eagerly anticipated collection yet: true stories that give voice to the thoughts that we all have but dare not mention.It begins with a Tang Instant-Breakfast Drink television commercial:"Yes, you, Augusten. You were great. We want you." I can now trace my manic adult tendencies to this moment. It was the first time I felt deeply thrilled about something just a fraction of an instant after being completely crushed. I believe those three words "We want you" were enough to cause my brain to rewire itself, and from then on, I would require more than other people....- from Magical Thinking's "Commercial Break"A contest of wills with a deranged cleaning lady. The execution of a rodent carried out with military precision and utter horror. Telemarketing revenge. A different kind of "roof work." Dating an undertaker who shows up in a minivan. This is the fabric of Augusten Burroughs's life: a collection of true stories that are universal in their appeal yet unabashedly intimate, stories that shine a flashlight into both dark and hilarious places. With Magical Thinking, Augusten Burroughs goes where other memoirists fear to tread.
Amazon.com Review: It’s best to know this from the start: Augusten Burroughs is mean. Augusten Burroughs is also outrageously X-rated. If you can get past those two things, Burroughs might just be the most refreshing voice in American books today, and his collection of acerbic essays will have you laughing out loud even while cringing in your seat. Whether he is stepping on the fingers of little children or giving you the blow-by-blow on a very unholy act, Burroughs manages to do it in a way that fills conflicted fans with both horror and glee.
Spanning from the surprisingly Machiavellian portrayal of his role in a Tang commercial at age seven to his more recent foray into dog ownership, Burroughs has what seems to be an endless supply of offbeat life experiences. Much like earlier David Sedaris collections (Barrel Fever or Naked), there are occasional fits and starts in the flow of the writing, but ultimately, Magical Thinking is worth reading (and re-reading). If you’re familiar with Burroughs's memoirs, Running with Scissors, and Dry, you may find parts of Magical Thinking repetitive, since these essays bounce around in time between the other two. In fact, in an ideal world, this collection would have come first, as it offers an excellent introduction to Burroughs's fascinating life. --Vicky Griffith
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Graphic Animal Torture is Comedy?
Ooookay. I'm glad I checked this one out of the library instead of wasting money on it.
I've previously enjoyed Burroughs' work. (Sellevision, Dry, Running With Scissors.) So I recognized the first chapter, with the admen for Tang coming to Burroughs' school) as something previously published in another book. I feel a little ripped off when I invest money and/or time into consuming the same content in multiple works.
And then came the "Rat/Thing" chapter, in which Burroughs describes torturing a white mouse which was unfortunate enough to find itself in his apartment. ... Read More
Rating: - Very good book
I bought this book for my boyfriend and he LOVED the book, of course his sense of humor is close to the authors, but if you like the author you'll love the book!
Rating: - Works Comedic Magic
I was standing in the bookstore aisle plucking books from the shelves and flipping pages when I came across 'Magical Thinking' and this line, "The year I snuck an interracial lesbian couple into the background of an American Airlines ad..." I read some more. I could have read the entire book while standing there. But, my whooping laughter would have disturbed my fellow readers. Burroughs puts on paper what most folks block from conscious thought. He presents such a can't-make-this-stuff-up life that one moment you don't believe it, then you wish you had been there to see it. Ever been intimidated ... Read More
Rating: - Intriguing, a little disturbing
Augusten Burroughs does not come across as what you'd call a "nice person," but he's so very honest, funny, and sometimes self-deprecating that the reader can't help being on his side, as he battles a crazy cleaning lady, kills a mouse in his tub, and moves in and out of quasi-relationships with gorgeous, but unsuitable men. And frankly, he appeals to that deep, dark, mean corner we all have suppressed inside, that place where we want to make a snide comment about someone's fatt butt or stupid hairdo. I adore how he hated sickeningly perfect Raoul on their first date, and his description of his ... Read More
Rating: - as good as the others.
If you enjoy his writing, you will enjoy this one. It made me laugh out loud and giggle after wards.
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