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.

From Publishers Weekly
It would be tempting to call these highly personal and uninhibited essays painfully honest, except that Burroughs (Running with Scissors; Dry) is so forthright about his egocentricity that the revelations don't appear to cause him much pain. He approaches his material with a blithe tone that oozes sarcasm and crocodile tears. But the palpable humor of the writing itself endears listeners to him enough that they won't be completely repelled by even Burroughs's ugliest moments (which include his less than gallant reaction to accidentally stepping on a toddler's fingers in a store). His performance is off the cuff, but even when he's at his least humane, he still comes across as all too human. He adopts the same openness that made his previous memoirs—dealing with his bizarre upbringing and battle with addiction—so successful; now, however, he's focusing on less serious subject matter and displaying failings that are more vain. Burroughs excels in his personifications of others, whether portraying a domineering cleaning woman or an overbearing boss. While some may secretly wish for the death of such a boss, though, Burroughs admits openly and proudly that he believes he can will it to happen. That attitude, which is accentuated by his reading, makes this audiobook a true guilty pleasure. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
A small breath of ennui chills the generally good reviews for Burroughs’s latest memoir. His bestselling debut Running with Scissors and his follow-up, Dry, were met with excitement. But the strain of keeping the shtick alive is showing. Instead of the coherent narrative of his first books, Burroughs presents a collection of true stories that provokes shock, laughter, disgust, and pity in equal proportions. The cynical critics feel that he’s prey to the psychological disorder of his title, trying to make himself more interesting just by thinking about himself. But his supporters—fans, really—point to his distinctive voice and the courage of his unflinching honesty as the continuing marks of his brilliance. Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From AudioFile
Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author of DRY and RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, offers a new collection of humorous essays searching for signs of intelligent life in his universe and, usually, not finding it. Magical thinking, according to psychologists, is the belief that one exerts more influence over life events than one actually does, and if magical thinking is a malady, then Burroughs has it. Reading with delicious irony, Burroughs explores the outrageous side of life--his life. There's the hilarious account of Augusten, star-struck teen actor, getting cut from a TV Tang commercial because he wants to "emote" and a seriously bizarre encounter by an older Augusten with an undertaker in a funeral parlor. Burroughs reads well; his perspective is witty, and his essays, appealing and agreeably shocking. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Like fellow essayists David Sedaris and Jonathan Ames, Burroughs possesses a mind-set best described as superlatively disturbed. Following his two unnerving best-sellers, Running with Scissors (2002) and Dry (2003), the self-described "alcoholic, high-school dropout raised in a cult by a crazy psychiatrist" unleashes a brand-new collection of deliciously lurid true tales. In "I Dated an Undertaker," a steamy sexual act is performed in the onetime viewing room for Rose Kennedy's wake. "Telemarketing Revenge" reveals a raunchy solution for relentless nocturnal callers. And in "Debby's Requirements," a diminutive, passive-aggressive cleaning lady takes the unsuspecting author to court. Burroughs is a proponent of "magical thinking," the belief that a person can control the world with his mind. (It's like a grown-up version of "Step on a crack and break your mother's back.") In the title story, his wish for the demise of a moody, expletive-spewing boss is granted, though not by means of a moving bus, as he would have liked. Steroid-induced cleaning sprees; prickly encounters with priests; a nerve-shredding session with a sadistic dentist's drill--brimming with bawdy language and bodily fluids, this volume by a man "made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions," offers an irresistible display of sanity hanging by a thread. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“There is a dusting of David Sedaris in Burroughs’s style, a laughing-through-your-tears candor that’s as appealing as the situations are appalling.”—BookPage

Praise for Dry:
“His performance blends self-deprecating black humor with wise-cracking confidence. His natural (or hard-learned) wit and charm keep the listener rooting for his success.”—AudioFile

“There’s an emotional truth that comes through here, along with a vivid prose style and a nice talent for reading in the voices of various participants in the tale. All together, it makes for a memoir well worth listening to.”—The Providence Journal

“As effective as the printed books are, the audiobook editions—which Burroughs himself presents—offer an even more sublime personal mixture of humor and revelation.” —Audiobookstoday.com

Praise for Running with Scissors:
“Burroughs’s account of his deranged adolescence is clear-eyed and often wildly funny. To hear it not only in his own words, but in his own voice in this fine production
is ideal.” —AudioFile

“The writing is exceptional, fast-paced and captivating. Ditto the narration.”—Kliatt

Augusten’s narration of his previous books received universal acclaim. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called Running with Scissors a “flawless audio adaptation of his alternately riotous and heartbreaking memoir,” describing Burroughs’s voice “as mutable and unique as his unconventional childhood.”


Book Description
From the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Running with Scissors and Dry comes a collection of true stories that confirms Augusten Burroughs’s position as one of our top satirists and memoirists

Augusten Burroughs’s break-out bestseller Running with Scissors reinvented and redefined the memoir. Dry proved that he could do it again. And now, with this collection, he sets a new standard for the personal essay. Whether he’s describing a contest of wills with a deranged cleaning lady, the simultaneous thrill and self-disgust that comes from killing a rodent in your home, or the instinctive desire for fifteen minutes of fame in a Tang commercial, these stories give voice to thoughts we all have but dare not mention. What makes the collection so original is Augusten’s sharp-eyed observations about things that are unique to him, but somehow universal to us all. Magical Thinking is contagiously funny, heartwarming, shocking, twisted, and absolutely magical.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Augusten Burroughs is always prepared for the worst. When Running with Scissors came out, he expected it to sell "about seven copies." Instead, this meandering self-exploration turned into a national bestseller. Even Burroughs gained optimism: "It was just great. It allowed me to continue writing and not have to publish myself at Kinko's." By the evidence of Magical Thinking, Kinko's has permanently lost a client and we have gained an engaging author. Burroughs himself describes these true stories as "weird things that have happened to me." The weird things include an epic contest of wills with a deranged cleaning lady; a story about the emotional complexity of rodent annihilation; and a cautionary history of failed first dates. Touching; twisted; absolutely magical.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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 drives a mini-van. 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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

It would be tempting to call these highly personal and uninhibited essays painfully honest, except that Burroughs (Running with Scissors; Dry) is so forthright about his egocentricity that the revelations don't appear to cause him much pain. He approaches his material with a blithe tone that oozes sarcasm and crocodile tears. But the palpable humor of the writing itself endears listeners to him enough that they won't be completely repelled by even Burroughs's ugliest moments (which include his less than gallant reaction to accidentally stepping on a toddler's fingers in a store). His performance is off the cuff, but even when he's at his least humane, he still comes across as all too human. He adopts the same openness that made his previous memoirs-dealing with his bizarre upbringing and battle with addiction-so successful; now, however, he's focusing on less serious subject matter and displaying failings that are more vain. Burroughs excels in his personifications of others, whether portraying a domineering cleaning woman or an overbearing boss. While some may secretly wish for the death of such a boss, though, Burroughs admits openly and proudly that he believes he can will it to happen. That attitude, which is accentuated by his reading, makes this audiobook a true guilty pleasure. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, July 12). (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Like Burroughs's earlier books (Running with Scissors; Dry) these humorous stories draw on the author's unstable childhood, work in advertising, struggle with alcoholism, and quest for fulfillment as a writer and a gay man. They treat a wide range of topics, from a gay couple's search for a summer home to homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood. Whether writing about the prevalence of steroid use by gay men or the murder of a mouse in the bathtub, Burroughs uses the same light touch. While his stories may at times shock or even disgust readers, they are redeemed in the end by laughter. Like the narrator in the title story, Burroughs wants to believe he has some control over the universe, or at least a tenuous connection to a higher power. A gifted satirist, Burroughs offers hilarity in the face of despair, and loyal readers of his earlier best sellers will welcome this new collection. Recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/04.]-William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib, CUNY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile