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Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
Narrator: Anne Lamott
Source: Sacramento Library
Finished: 2/2/11
Rating: 9 out of 10
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Pages: 336
Originally Published: 2005
Synopsis (from Publisher’s Weekly): To hear her tell it, neither the state of the country nor the state of her nerves has improved, to say the least. “On my forty-ninth birthday, I decided that all of life is hopeless, and I would eat myself to death. These are dessert days.” Thankfully, her gift for conveying the workings of grace to left-wing, high-strung, beleaguered people like herself is still intact, as is her ability to convey the essence of Christian faith, which she finds not in dogma but in our ability to open our hearts in the midst of our confusion and hopelessness.
Overall Impression: Anne Lamott is sort of off her rocker. And I love her so very much for this. Whereas so many Christian writers seem pulled together, even in the worst of times, Lamott is not. She struggles like the rest of us. She cries. She yells. She says things she doesn’t mean (and says mean things she does mean). She has no idea what she’s doing most of the time. Yet she still manages to practice a very real grace to those around her. She loves deeply, and practices real forgiveness. She is self-depricating yet true to herself. And I just love this about her. The essays in this book are, for the most part, excellent. Of course, some are better than others. I loved the essay on the death of her dog. As I was listening to it, I cried thinking about how we lost our dog, Phydeaux, a few years ago. How does that hurt so much? But it does, and she captured it.
My favorite quote from this book shows just how different she is from mainstream Christian authors: “Hope is not about proving anything. It’s about choosing to believe this one thing—that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us.”
Amen.
Narration: Memoir in the author’s own voice is generally the best. Lamott reads like she is reading essays in a creative writing class (see also: Joshua Ferris), and I love this. It’s so true and deep and raw and has an unfinished quality to it that is perfect for memoir. Life is unfinished and raw, too.
Pros: Lamott is a Christian for people who dislike Christians. I think a lot of people who have been burned by the church would love her. She has no platitudes or cliches. She’s messed up, just like the rest of us. She can just write better.
Cons: I thought there were too many political rants. Vitriol bothers me, no matter which side it’s coming from.
Other books I’ve read by Anne Lamott:
Traveling Mercies (mini review)
Other blogger opinions:
Laura Lee (Book Slut): “In Plan B, she follows exactly this advise written years ago — she speaks from her heart, exposes the natural flaws and strengths of her character, and in this way teaches readers great moral lessons, all the while entertaining them with endlessly funny and compelling stories.”
Dorothy (Musings at 85): “Despite the fact that her politics are not mine, her struggle with the Christian faith is real and her words honest and endearing. And even funny. Enjoyable and recommended.”
Dan (Journey with Jesus): “The problem, as I see it, is that Lamott writes as if she is always trying to be funny, and trying too hard.”
