The only reason I read this book is because my sister suggested it as a quick read and I told her I would read it. Sadly, it was a waste of 6 hours or so. Though he was not talking about this book when he wrote the title of a paper in college, Burroughs sums up this book best in his own words: "My Childhood Was More Screwed Up Than Yours". I feel like this is the reason this book was written. It was sad and tragic. Many of the reviews said it was funny and that he is humorous, but there was nothing funny or humorous about this book. It really is just a sad tragic memoir of a man who still sounds like he has no hope.
From a worldly perspective I can understand the interest in the book as the majority of it is pure shock factor. This is a book someone would read to say, "my life isn't that bad" or "Wow, I'm not the only one."
The language is terrible and I had to skip over clearly pornographic sections. It was ironic reading this while looking for a "banned or censored classic" to read for my challenge this year, as this book should be in that category for a modern book. There were several unnecessary details that really should have been left out of the book.
The one thing I did appreciate about the book was the honest feeling and emotion. I just wish Burroughs had found a better way to express it while still explaining the terrible life he grew up in.
I would not recommend this book to anyone, ever.
1.5 stars (the half is for the honesty)
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