Join blockbuster memoirist Augusten Burroughs for the release of his highly anticipated Toil & Trouble; a true story of witchcraft, family history, and navigating adulthood with a secret gift. Each ticket includes a copy of the book. This event will include a talk and signing.
From the number one New York Times bestselling author comes another stunning memoir that is tender, touching...and just a little spooky.
"Here’s a partial list of things I don’t believe in: God. The Devil. Heaven. Hell. Bigfoot. Ancient Aliens. Past lives. Life after death. Vampires. Zombies. Reiki. Homeopathy. Rolfing. Reflexology. Note that 'witches' and 'witchcraft' are absent from this list. The thing is, I wouldn’t believe in them, and I would privately ridicule any idiot who did, except for one thing: I am a witch."
For as long as Augusten Burroughs could remember, he knew things he shouldn't have known. He manifested things that shouldn't have come to pass. And he told exactly no one about this, save one person: his mother. His mother reassured him that it was all perfectly normal, that he was descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies. And that this family tree was filled with witches. It was a bond that he and his mother shared—until the day she left him in the care of her psychiatrist to be raised in his family (but that's a whole other story). After that, Augusten was on his own. On his own to navigate the world of this tricky power; on his own to either use or misuse this gift.
From the hilarious to the terrifying, TOIL & TROUBLE is a chronicle of one man's journey to understand himself, to reconcile the powers he can wield with things with which he is helpless. There are very few things that are coincidences, as you will learn. Ghosts are real, trees can want to kill you, beavers are the spawn of Satan, houses are alive, and in the end, love is the most powerful magic of all.
About the Author:
AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS is the author of Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking: True Stories, Possible Side Effects, A Wolf at the Table and You Better Not Cry. He is also the author of the novel Sellevision, which has been optioned for film. The film version of Running with Scissors, directed by Ryan Murphy and produced by Brad Pitt, was released in October 2006 and starred Joseph Cross, Brian Cox, Annette Bening (nominated for a Golden Globe for her role), Alec Baldwin and Evan Rachel Wood. Augusten's writing has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers around the world including The New York Times and New York Magazine. In 2005 Entertainment Weekly named him one of "The 25 Funniest People in America."
Praise for Augusten Burroughs:
“The memoirist who wrote two of the genre’s defining titles reminds us yet again why he is an unstoppable force.”
—Booklist on Lust & Wonder
"A satisfying success story from a reliably outspoken raconteur."
—Kirkus on Lust & Wonder
“All of the wisdom he dispenses in his new book-delivered with the dark, acidic humor we've come to expect is certainly well-earned.”
—The Boston Globe on This is How
“Dry is more than a heartbreaking tale; it's a heroic one. As with its predecessor, we finish the book amazed not only that Burroughscan write so brilliantly, but that he's even alive.”
—People on Dry
“It makes a good run at blowing every other [memoir] out of the water.”
—The Washington Post on Running with Scissors
“Funny and rich with child's eye details of adults who have gone off the rails.”
—The New York Times Book Review on Running with Scissors
