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A review by sde
Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son by Sam Lamott, Anne Lamott
3.0
I don't know if I would have enjoyed this book if I hadn't read Lamott's previous books, especially Operating Instructions. I felt like she was writing a series of letters to friends - us, the readers - and that we were supposed to know about her background - raising son alone, her church community, extended family, etc. I DID know all this because I have read all her non-fiction, but I'm not sure how well the book would work as a stand-alone if I hadn't.
I didn't like this book as much as Operating Instructions. She is more sappy and less irreverant in this book, which is what I suppose a grandmother is like. Parts of it read like the typical grandmother gushing over her first grandchild, and I skimmed those parts. I am a mother, but not a grandmother, so maybe if I read this book when (if) I become a grandmother, it will be more meaningful.
I actually enjoyed the section on her visit to India the most, which had little to do with the main plot. Perhaps this is because my daughter is planning a trip to India, so I found the details helpful, but maybe it's also the spot where she does the least amount of gushing.
This book, like all her books, contains self-effacing humor, which is always enjoyable. I also appreciate her incorporating her spirituality into the text of her everyday life. It is a nice change from overly pious memoirs where religious people don't even seem real. Lamott shows that you can be devout and still be multi-faceted.
I didn't like this book as much as Operating Instructions. She is more sappy and less irreverant in this book, which is what I suppose a grandmother is like. Parts of it read like the typical grandmother gushing over her first grandchild, and I skimmed those parts. I am a mother, but not a grandmother, so maybe if I read this book when (if) I become a grandmother, it will be more meaningful.
I actually enjoyed the section on her visit to India the most, which had little to do with the main plot. Perhaps this is because my daughter is planning a trip to India, so I found the details helpful, but maybe it's also the spot where she does the least amount of gushing.
This book, like all her books, contains self-effacing humor, which is always enjoyable. I also appreciate her incorporating her spirituality into the text of her everyday life. It is a nice change from overly pious memoirs where religious people don't even seem real. Lamott shows that you can be devout and still be multi-faceted.