Synopses & Reviews
In
Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott enters a new and unexpected chapter of her own life: grandmotherhood.
Stunned to learn that her son, Sam, is about to become a father at nineteen, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax's life.
In careful and often hilarious detail, Lamott and Sam — about whom she first wrote so movingly in Operating Instructions — struggle to balance their changing roles with the demands of college and work, as they both forge new relationships with Jax's mother, who has her own ideas about how to raise a child. Lamott writes about the complex feelings that Jax fosters in her, recalling her own experiences with Sam when she was a single mother. Over the course of the year, the rhythms of life, death, family, and friends unfold in surprising and joyful ways.
By turns poignant and funny, honest and touching, Some Assembly Required is the true story of how the birth of a baby changes a family — as this book will change everyone who reads it.
Review
“If there is a doyenne of the parenting memoir, it would be Anne Lamott.” Time
Review
“[Lamott’s] crisp writing and self-deprecating honesty ring charmingly true.” People
Review
“[Some Assembly Required is] full of Lamott’s trademark neurotic spirituality, and it’s one Lamott’s fans will want.” The Washington Post
Review
“Wonderful...[with] Lamott’s trademark sharp wit and self-deprecating humor....Like so many of Lamott’s books, [Some Assembly Required] leaves readers with new insights.” The Associated Press
Review
“[Lamott’s] typical combination of astuteness and wit....As always, Lamott’s ‘raggedy faith’ is central to her, and whether you share her concerns or not, you appreciate her candor.” NPR
Review
“The story of one year in a woman’s life, a year that happens to include the arrival of a blanket-bundled gift for Lamott and her longtime readers.” San Francisco Chronicle
Review
“[Some Assembly Required] highlights the trademark humor we've come to expect from Lamott, with laugh-out-loud one-liners that are both self-deprecating and wise…a welcome addition in the larger Gospel of Lamott.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
“Funny, insightful, irreverent…filled with humor and the author's quirky faith....Bound to do for grandmothers what the earlier book did for mothers — bring them insight and sanity in the midst of chaos.” The Denver Post
Review
“Anne Lamott’s singular gift for bringing readers into the intimate circle of her life flows effortlessly in this new memoir, mixing the absurd and sublime with her usual alchemical genius…you’ll be seduced by the darkly comic tone, self-deprecating wit, and relentless honesty; she somehow makes the bumps and joys of her life intensely relatable. She can capture the bliss and beauty of tiny emotional events in a few perfect words, then skewer her own worst impulses with brutal hilarity.” Bust Magazine
Synopsis
In Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott enters a new and unexpected chapter in her own life: grandmotherhood. Stunned to learn that her son, Sam, is about to become a father at nineteen, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax’s life. In careful and often hilarious detail, Lamott and Sam — about whom she first wrote so movingly in Operating Instructions — struggle to balance their changing roles. By turns poignant and funny, honest and touching, Some Assembly Required is the true story of how the birth of a baby changes a family — as this book will change everyone who reads it.
Synopsis
Look out for Anne's next book, Hallelujah Anyway, coming April 2017.
"If there is a doyenne of the parenting memoir, it would be Anne Lamott."--Time
In Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott enters a new and unexpected chapter in her own life: grandmotherhood. Stunned to learn that her son, Sam, is about to become a father at nineteen, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax's life. In careful and often hilarious detail, Lamott and Sam--about whom she first wrote so movingly in Operating Instructions--struggle to balance their changing roles. By turns poignant and funny, honest and touching, Some Assembly Required is the true story of how the birth of a baby changes a family--as this book will change everyone who reads it.
About the Author
Anne Lamott is the author of the
New York Times bestsellers
Help, Thanks, Wow; Some Assembly Required; Grace (Eventually); Plan B; Traveling Mercies; and
Operating Instructions, as well as several novels, including
Imperfect Birds, Rosie and
Crooked Little Heart. A past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, she lives in northern California.
Sam Lamott is an inventor, designer, entrepreneur, and artist who lives in San Francisco.