Running With Scissors

All members of my book club agreed that Augusten Burroughs is a good writer, but reading Running With Scissors was difficult.  Some descriptive adverbs used included:  unpleasant, disgusting, and painful.  One member offered analytic praise, citing the use of themes and other literary devices, but questioned the authenticity of the experiences the author described. 
 
"He must have exaggerated quite a bit," another suggested.  Maybe.  Maybe not.