Synopses & Reviews
Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows are: Help me, help me, help me and Thank you, thank you, thank you. She has a friend whose morning prayer each day isWhatever, and whose evening prayer is Oh, well. Anne thinks of Jesus as Casper the friendly savior and describes God as one craftymother.
Despite--or because of--her irreverence, faith is a natural subject for Anne Lamott. Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans havebeen waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life arelike beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers--her friend Pammy, her son, Sam, and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcomereturn to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness.
Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endearsher to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather aseries of staggers. At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkestpart of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Synopsis
Traveling Mercies takes us on a journey through Anne Lamott's troubled past to illuminate her devout but quirky walk of faith: how, against all odds, she came to believe in God, and the myriad ways in which that faith sustains and guides her in everyday life. With an exuberant mix of passion and self-deprecating humor, Lamott explores whether certain behaviors will get her 'a better seat in heaven, ' perhaps 'near the dessert table, ' or whether her mistakes 'make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat disk' She writes about her family, about helping a friend through the devastating illness of her baby, about wanting but not having all the answers for her eight-year-old son.
Through the hard-won wisdom that forms the core of her beliefs, and with wit, insight, and lots of heart, she shows us how she creates a life balance of connectedness and liberation.
Synopsis
From the bestselling author of
Operating Instructions and
Bird by Bird comes a chronicle of faith and spirituality that is at once tough, personal, affectionate, wise and very funny.
With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, and humor, Anne Lamott takes us on a journey through her often troubled past to illuminate her devout but quirky walk of faith. In a narrative spiced with stories and scripture, with diatribes, laughter, and tears, Lamott tells how, against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. She shows us the myriad ways in which this sustains and guides her, shining the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life and exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.
Whether writing about her family or her dreadlocks, sick children or old friends, the most religious women of her church of the men she's dated, Lamott reveals the hard-won wisdom gathered along her path to connectedness and liberation.
From the eBook edition.
Synopsis
"Anne Lamott is a cause for celebration. Her] real genius lies in capturing the ineffable, describing not perfect moments, but imperfect ones. . . perfectly. She is nothing short of miraculous." --The New Yorker
" She is] sidesplittingly funny, patiently wise, and alternately cranky and kind." --Seattle Times
"Lamott writes about subjects that begin with capital letters (Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus). But armed with self-effacing humor and ruthless honesty--call it a lower-case approach to life's Big Questions--she converts potential op-ed biolerplate into enlightenment." --Newsweek
"Smart, funny, comforting. . . Lamott has a conversational style that perfectly conveys her friendly, self-deprecating humor."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Eloquent, detailed, emotionally honest. . . Lamott deserves praise for telling it like it is." --People
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
Combining elements of spiritual study and memoir, the author of Bird by Bird and Crooked Little Heart describes her odyssey of faith, drawing on her own sometimes troubled past to explore the many ways in which faith sustains and guides one's daily life. 75,000 first printing. Tour.
Synopsis
The author describes the lifelong process through which she came to believe in God, discussing the battles she fought with alcohol, food disorders, and the loss of loved ones, and following her search for the spiritual path.
About the Author
Anne Lamott is the author of Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, and of five novels, including Rosie and Crooked Little Heart. She lives in northern California with her son.