Imperfect Birds

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This is the first book I've read which uniquely illuminates the difficult and messy juxtaposition of the generations, who are struggling with addictions, affluence and ungrounded spirituality each in their own age perspectives. I know to trust that Anne Lamott will offer up an unvarnished look into human relationships. The fact that this book's title includes "bird" harkens me back to the first book of hers I read, her seminal book about writing, "Bird by Bird". The connections seems obvious, that each subject, each person has to be taken one at a time. The reader is walking step by step through narratives to arrive at a conclusion. "Imperfect Birds" is written partly in the voice of an anxious middle aged mother and partly in the voice of the 17 year old, out-of-control daughter. Other voices include the girl's stepfather and other characters in the town. The story is set in the attractive, educated, affluent region of Marin County. Remember the song school kids recorded, "Marin County, California, that's my home..."? I was a school kid when that song came out, and I was jealous. I wanted to be a California girl and live in a cute picture perfect place. Fast forward 30 years, to spoiled, drug addicted kids, who think stealing jewelry and underwear is an innocuous pastime, and seeing a concert and taking ecstasy is about like tea and cookies. The overall effect is disconcerting at first. Lamott drives you deeper into the disconnects between the generations, and what brought them to their dysfunctions. I think anyone reading this book might see a little of themselves, their kids, their parents... and the dilemmas of our times. Lamott is a spiritual person, and so always offers redemption in the long run. I highly recommend this for children and parents who are caught in the web of love, tough love, and the insidious malaise which affluence has made possible.