Witty New Yorker's memoirs perfect for all sexualitites

Augusten Burroughs' compilation of true stories titled "Magical Thinking" is truly compelling. His personal stories are filled with the unique humor of a homosexual male trying to make a living in New York City, first working on advertising campaigns and then by becoming a writer who shares his personal life stories without hesitation for fear of judgment or criticism. \nAlthough some of the opinions expressed within the novel may seem a bit shocking or offensive at times, any negative feelings that could surface as a result are stifled under the humorous perspectives of an openly honest narrative voice. \nOne of the most enchanting chapters in the novel is titled "Magical Thinking," mirroring the cover and explaining the title of the book. It is one of the most endearing memoirs to read. \nBurroughs describes a situation that takes place during a short stint working for an advertising agency in Chicago. His humorous frustrations appear as a result of his semi-schizophrenic boss named Charlotte, who snaps uncontrollably into an offensive verbal outrage over small details. After one such outburst Burroughs writes, "I went back to the office, furious. My inner serial killer had been activated. Charlotte was going to pay." \nHe continues to describe how he "spent the rest of the year loathing Charlotte and then moving past loathing to simply wishing her dead: "I decided an emotionally abusive nightmare like Charlotte does not deserve to live. So I willed her under the wheels of a bus." \nBurroughs reveals shortly after this how his power of thought tends to affect real-life events. He calls them his "powers of magical thinking," and insists he uses them for both good and evil. Another humorous example comes from the fact that Burroughs feels "certain that conjoined twins are born so that they can later be profiled on the Discovery Channel and watched by me. My hunger for conjoined-twin stories is so powerful that I believe it actually rearranges molecules in the universe." \nImagine Burroughs as a gay version of "Sex and the City," with witty plays on words and humorous relationship outtakes heaped within a series of interesting work problems. In some situations, Burroughs even sounds like Carrie from the HBO series, saying that "And since being a published author is all that I ever wanted in life, I felt that I had never actually had a date as the real me. It was the old me that slept with one-third of the men in Manhattan." Between the two of them, that makes two-thirds of Manhattan down, one to go.\nThe novel is spliced with wonderful outlooks on life in the city as well as more in-depth looks at growing up gay in an already troubled home. Burroughs is also the author of such books as "Sellevision," "Dry" and "Running with Scissors," (which is soon to be made into a movie). If you are in the mood for a unique novel with enlightening self-perspectives, I suggest you find a copy of "Magical Thinking" right away. Since it is a very quick read, this book could be just the entertainment necessary to forget about finals for a little while.