Novelists

Dry - A Memoir

5 stars (Not So Dry After All) - Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this powerful memoir is its essential kindness and good feeling for humankind, an attitude sustained through a series of dizzying life experiences which could have soured the Dalai Lama. Burroughs' cheerily ironic point of view encompasses his terrifying childhood,his surreal career in advertising, and, most powerfully, his experiences in rehab. While on this journey with him, you experience his growth through a process of discovery, as layer upon layer of denial is peeled back and his true history and true self are revealed to him and to us. The dryness of the wit lies entirely in his refusal to feel sorry for himself; and the final phase of his recovery begins when he is at last willing to open that hardest of all human doors, love. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, and read entranced on the bus, at the lunch counter, and through one very dull concert. It will certainly offer you several of the more entertaining hours of your life. 4 stars (Excellently written) - Mr. Burroughs has done an excellent job in communicating his experiences of alcoholism and the struggle of rehab and the 12 step programs. He has been able to share the reality of his experiences and at the same time show a great deal of humor and sophisticated irony. A very good book and one that I will read again. 4 stars (Very Good) - I started this book yesterday and read about 3/4 of it in one sitting. It's an interesting read - and the subject matter is a little less uncomfortable than "Running with Scissors". I can't help but compare this to "A Million Little Pieces", which also deals with someone going to rehab. I feel that James Frey's book was more upsetting but geniune. There were times that I had to put the book down because it was so graphic and heart rending. Anyway, "Dry" is a good read, and if you liked "Running with Scissors" or books in the vein a la David Sedaris, read it. ...
Picador :: Reading Group Guide :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: United States :: Personal Memoirs :: Novelists :: American :: New York (State) :: New York :: Literary :: :: Dry - A Memoir

Plan B- Further Thoughts on Faith

3 stars (I wanted to love this book, but...) - ...I got so weary of the incessant complaining about the current government administration. I would've rather she filled those pages with more stuff about her family, her mom, her son. But every time she turned around she was complaining about the government. It was the same kind of thing that really hurt Tony Hendra's "Father Joe" in my opinion, but here it's much more damaging to the flow of the book. Once I "kinda" got past that it was a great read, but not nearly as memorable as her previous memoir, "Traveling Mercies." Worth a read if you love Annie's writing, and I do, but probably to be missed otherwise. 4 stars (For Lamott Readers, But Certainly NOT For Bush Fans) - Anne Lamott is a writer's writer. And what I mean by that is that she writes on a level most writers would LOVE to make it to. She's easy to read while, at the same time, having a deep message, and a raucous sense of humor. I got hooked on her years ago when I read BIRD BY BIRD, a book that I still refer to often whenever I need to "get real" about my own writing life. I was pleased to learn that these are short memoirs of her life, a collection of short stories. The short story form seems to be making a modest comeback, and I loved the fact that a collection of them made it to the New York Times' list, too. But lets get into the meat and potatoes of the book now ... This is a look at Ms. Lamott's life through her own eyes, and she wears everything on her sleeve, including her disdain for the Bush administration, her dislike of young children, her poor motherhood skills, and her struggles with faith. Examples ... Lamott has to deal with the death of her Alzheimer's mother, pulling the urn that contains her mother's ashes out of her closet. And as she does, she reminisces about the final months of her mother's life: "Her purse was a weight, ballast; it tethered her to the earth as her mind floated away. It was also health and preparedness, filled...
Riverhead Hardcover :: Religion & Spirituality :: Women :: United States :: Spiritual :: Religious :: Religion :: Novelists :: American :: Lamott :: Anne :: Inspirational :: Faith :: Christian biog :: Plan B- Further Thoughts on Faith

Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith

4 stars (Let Anne tell her story) - God rescued Anne from a horrible situation. And the thing that broke the ice, so to speak, was something that most church-goers like myself hardly think of as a missionary outreach: the simple act of singing songs of praise to God when we are gathered together. At that point in her life, Anne wasn't much interested in hearing preaching, but the music, and then the love, drew her in. God, in his sovereign will, chose to use a Christian congregation far outside of my "box" to reach Anne. And as the story goes on, we see that Anne also has her God in a pre-conceived box. But I, from my conservative point of view, have to be merciful, remembering what God has brought Anne, and me, out of. Every Christian is in recovery, from all the crap of our past whatever it was. And with God's help, we are growing, learning to love those who don't think like we do, and slowly realizing that God is beyond any of our human boxes: totally awesome, pure, wise, loving, forgiving, patient.... Anne Lamott, I, every Christian, are "traveling" on that road to greater faith, and we are in constant need of God's "mercies." 5 stars (A real conversion experience, in all its messiness) - Salvation and baptism are for people stained with sin, people who have been walking too long on the wrong path. It's amazing that Christians, who know this about salvation, fail so regularly at depicting what a conversion experience is like. Lamott tells a lot of stories and shares a host of ruminations in this book, but her account of her conversion experience is the highlight and is more than worth the price of the book. 5 stars (We're Only Human) - Anne Lamott style of writing and style of life make this collection of essays a delight to read. She's honest, humble, humorous and spiritual-all wrapped up in a nice package. Every person reading this book will identify with the life challenges, questions about faith and quirky happenings that Anne speaks about. She ...
Anchor :: Reading Group Guide :: Religion & General :: Women novelists :: American :: Women :: United States :: Religious :: Religion :: Mothers and sons :: Literary :: Christian b :: Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith