It's not like she's the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman's life.

Reviews

Magazine columnist and novelist Lamott ( All New People ) captures both the poignancy and comedy of her first year as a single mother in this wonderfully candid diary. Her quirky humor steadily draws the reader into her unconventional world as she describes her friends and neighbors in northern California, her participation in a local church, her experiences as a recovering alcoholic and--best of all--her infant son, Sam, born in 1989. She covers maternal emotions from rapturous bliss to bare fury (``In the middle of the colic death marches, I end up looking at the baby with those hooded eyes that were in the old ads for The Boston Strangler ''). Throughout, she airs her strong political and religious beliefs. And when her best friend, Pammy, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Lamott conveys her anguish with the same depth of feeling and sense of the absurd that characterize her observations about her son, God, recovery, writing, Republicans, men and life as usual. Even non-parents will enjoy this glowing work. (May)

This account is much more than a parent's chronicle of her initiation into parenting. Lamott, a 35-year-old novelist (e.g., All the Right People , LJ 8/89), recovering alcoholic, and single parent, here shares her humor, faith, friendships, and irreverence. Her descriptions alternate between joy and despair as she tells of nursing her young son and watching him grow. Lamott also describes what it means to be a single parent, the sobering reality of being alone with financial responsibilities, and the trials of life as an older parent. Intertwined with the parenting account is a parallel story of the serious illness and impending death of the author's best friend. Operating Instructions is enhanced by Lamott's colorful and expressive language, her philosophical reflections, and her descriptions of many eccentric friends. Although this book may not appeal to all readers, those who enjoy diaries and first-person narratives will savor it. For most collections.-- Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, Md.

"An enormous triumph. . . . Charming. . . . Powerful. . . . Funny." -"San Francisco Chronicle"
"A funny, self-mocking, vivid account." -"The Washington Post
""Smart, funny, and comforting. . . . Lamott has a conversational style that perfectly conveys her friendly, self-deprecating humor." -"Los Angeles Times Book Review
""Lamott is a wonderfully lithe writer. . . . Anyone who has ever had a hard time facing a perfectly ordinary day will identify." -"Chicago Tribune
""First class all the way. . . . Lamott, along with her novelist's eye and often poetic prose, has a terrifically black sense of humor. . . . Deeply honest." -"The Detroit News
""Wonderfully candid. . . . Even non-parents will enjoy this glowing work." -"Publishers Weekly
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"Lamott here shares her humor, faith, friendships, and irreverence. . . . Operating Instructions""is enhanced by Lamott's colorful and expressive language, her philosophical reflections, and her descriptions of ma