A Wolf at the Table

A Memoir of My Father

Augusten Burroughs; Original music by Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, and Tegan Quin

Picador

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Nominated for the 2009 Audiobook of the Year

“As a little boy, I had a dream that my father had taken me to the woods where there was a dead body. He buried it and told me I must never tell. It was the only thing we’d ever done together as father and son, and I promised not to tell. But unlike most dreams, the memory of this one never left me. And sometimes…I wasn’t altogether sure about one thing: was it just a dream?”

When Augusten Burroughs was small, his father was a shadowy presence in his life: a form on the stairs, a cough from the basement, a silent figure smoking a cigarette in the dark. As Augusten grew older, something sinister within his father began to unfurl.  Something dark and secretive that could not be named. 

Betrayal after shocking betrayal ensued, and Augusten’s childhood was over. The kind of father he wanted didn’t exist for him. This father was distant, aloof, uninterested…

And then the “games” began.

With A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs makes a quantum leap into untapped emotional terrain: the radical pendulum swing between love and hate, the unspeakably terrifying relationship between father and son. Told with scorching honesty and penetrating insight, it is a story for anyone who has ever longed for unconditional love from a parent. Though harrowing and brutal, A Wolf at the Table will ultimately leave you buoyed with the profound joy of simply being alive. It’s a memoir of stunning psychological cruelty and the redemptive power of hope.

 

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Book Excerpts

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Chapter 1
Sitting in my high chair, I held a saltine cracker up to my eye and peered through one of the tiny holes, astonished that I could see so much through such a small opening. Everything on the other side of the kitchen seemed nearer when viewed through this little window.
The cracker was huge, larger than my hand. And through this pinprick hole I could see the world.
I brought the cracker to my lips, nibbled off the corners, and mashed the rest into a dry, salty dust. I clapped, enchanted.

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In Studio: Augusten Burroughs

Go behind the scenes with Augusten as he records pages for the audiobook for A Wolf at the Table.

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Augusten Burroughs discusses A Wolf at the Table

Augusten Burroughs discusses the audio book adaption of his memoir, A Wolf at the Table.

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A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs--Audiobook Excerpt

Listen to bestselling author Augusten Burroughs read from his memoir A Wolf at the Table in this audiobook excerpt. Nominated for the 2009 Audiobook of the Year, the audiobook features exclusive original songs from Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, and Tegan Quin from Tegan and Sara.

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Reviews

Praise for A Wolf at the Table

"Intense, sincere, and passionate, Burroughs offers a deeply felt, intimate portrait of the most disastrous period in his life.  He holds nothing back, and in fully giving voice to his emotions, he makes each moment immediate for the listener." - AudioFile

 

"In audiobook form, Burroughs's memoir is an unforgettable experience that will resonate with many." - Library Journal, Starred Review

 

"...There are books that were born for bells and whistles, and Augusten Burrough's Wolf at the Table is one.  This fifth memoir of abuse and excess is read, bleated, rumbled and, at times, tearfully shouted by the author himself. The audio book includes sound effects and occasional instrumental music, and it breaks new ground by presenting four songs written expressly for the productions. There is one each from Patti Smith, Ingrid Michaelson, Sea Wolf and Tegan Quin." - Washington Post

 

“I felt that because this book is different than anything I have written before, it deserved a very unique, special treatment and production.”—Augusten Burroughs on A Wolf at the Table

 

“I wanted an audiobook for the iPod generation – for people who love books but also love music and film.  I wanted to bring the book to life as fully as possible.”—Augusten Burroughs on A Wolf at the Table in Publishers Weekly

“Bestselling author Burroughs has written a brutally frank memoir about his father – his difficult, distant, miserable father – which he reads himself, effectively. Original music by Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson and Tegan Quin – composed for this audiobook – graces the final CD.” – Canada.com

 

Past Praise for Augusten Burroughs:

 

"A flawless audio adaptation of his alternately riotous and heartbreaking memoir.” —Publishers Weekly on Running with Scissors

 

“[Burroughs’s] 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 on Dry

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About the Author

Augusten Burroughs; Original music by Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, and Tegan Quin

Augusten Burroughs is the New York Times bestselling author of Possible Side Effects, Magical Thinking, Dry, Running with Scissors, and Sellevision. His work has been published in more than twenty-five countries. He lives in New York City and Amherst, Massachusetts.

Augusten Burroughs

Photo: Craig Cutler
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Available Formats and Book Details

A Wolf at the Table
A Memoir of My Father
Augusten Burroughs; Original music by Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, and Tegan Quin

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Picador
March 2009
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780312428273
ISBN10: 0312428278
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 272 pages
$14.00
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Unabridged Compact Disc

Learn more about this edition
Unabridged Compact Disc
Macmillan Audio
April 2008
Unabridged Compact Disc
ISBN: 9781427204257
ISBN10: 142720425X
Audio Run Time: 9:00
$29.95

Unabridged Digital Audio

Learn more about this edition
Unabridged Digital Audio
Macmillan Audio
April 2008
Unabridged Digital Audio
ISBN: 9781427204264
ISBN10: 1427204268
Audio Run Time: 9:00
$14.95

Hardcover

Learn more about this edition
Hardcover
St. Martin's Press
April 2008
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780312342029
ISBN10: 0312342020
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 256 pages
$24.95

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
St. Martin's Press
April 2008
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429937658
ISBN10: 1429937653
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 256 pages
$9.99
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