Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year

Rating:
Summary: they're BOTH the modern woman's handbook to pregnancy...
Review: I too loved The Zygote Chronicles by Suzanne Finnamore, but I have to say that here I am on this site once more -- buying copies as christmas gifts of Operating Instructions for one pregnant girlfriend and a new mom as well. Yes, Operating Instructions has some political points of view but it's really nothing compared to the meat of the book: a new life and a best friend's illness, both honestly told, striking at the core of the human heart. The Zygote Chronicles has more laugh out loud moments but this one has a huge amount of heart, in my opinion. I also loved Bird by Bird, also by Anne Lamott.

Rating:
Summary: Politics a big part of this book!
Review: I received this book as a gift. I don't think the giver knew his audience very well. I was intending to read a similar book to "The Zygote Chronicles," which I WOULD recommend. This book was more about her expressing her political views than about taking you through her thoughts with her son. I found myself trying to skip around to find the information about him and not about her ranting on about how Republicans are evil and convincing her son of the same. I was sorely disappointed in this book. From someone who is coming up to motherhood in a very conservation and traditional way, this was quite offensive. However, I know that some might find this amusing. I sent it to a friend that might think differently than I did.

Rating:
Summary: disrespectful and vulgar
Review: As a mother of a toddler, I really love reading books about motherhood. This book was a huge disappointment. Perhaps Lamott wants to be witty, but her voice is that of a whiny adolescent who thinks mainly about herself. Ridden with issues and vulgar language, she makes a mockery of those who take motherhood seriously. She has issues with men, with Republicans, with the world, it seems, as she describes her first year with her son. I could not understand her choice of vulgar words when describing her baby. She seems to have tremendous support from her family, friends, and church community, yet she never seems to revel in what she has been given. Perhaps in raising her child, she will receive some "operating instructions" that could truly enrich her life.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, and Very Touching
Review: With unflinching honesty Anne LaMott loosely recounts the first year of her son's life. As a recovering alcoholic and single Mother, she vacillates between hair pulling frustration and utter awe as her son changes month by month, sometimes day by day. Surrounded by an incredible support staff of friends and family, and an unwavering faith in God she navigates the path of parenthood and life with a wicked sense of humor that leaves you laughing out loud one minute and then pricking your heart with moving eloquence.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I thought it would be
Review: I was a little disappointed. I really like the concept of the book. But, I think the author spent way too much time spewing about her hatred for George Bush and her alcholism. I think it was just distracting. I wanted to read about her son and most of it was about other stuff. I did like how honestly she reported her feelings on her son though. It was nice to see I was not the only one that ever thought they might hate their child. I probably wouldn't recommend the book to anyone simply because it wasn't what I thought it would be.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED IT!
Review: This is the 2nd book I have read from the author (Traveling Mercies) and I loved it just as much. I am not a big non-technical reader, but whenever I read one of Lamott's books, I just get lost in it until I am done. She is so witty, funny, and creative! I look forward to the next one I get my hands on.

Rating:
Summary: You'll laugh, you'll cry...
Review: Anne Lamott is amazing as she chronicles her son Sam's first year of life. She hits all the highs and lows of bringing home a new baby for the first time. By the end of the book I had cried and laughed with Anne and her family & friends and felt like I'd known her for years. I've recommended this book to all of my friends who are either pregnant or have just had a baby. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous gem
Review: I stumbled across this book at the library and was drawn to it because of the title. It was an absorbing read; Anne Lamott is an amazing writer. Even though my youngest is almost 8 years old, I could still relate to the common struggles and worries that go hand-in-hand with being a new mother. I was alternately laughing one moment and on the verge of a weepfest the next. This book has started me on a path of reading everything I can find by this author; she is truly a gifted writer.

Rating:
Summary: Operating Instructions
Review: Anne Lamott expresses both the intense beauties and frustrations of motherhood and life. Even in some of the most difficult moments she brings the reader to laughter through a humorous recognition of the same parts in our own nature or through amazement at a new way of looking at hard times. By the end of the book I felt so close to Anne and her loved ones that I cried for her losses. Her writing and insights are exquisite. I could relate to Anne Lamott as a writer and a person. If you have experienced the death of a loved one, you will probably find comfort in this book as I did.

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary effort
Review: As a new mother, I was recently told to read OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS immediately! I had never heard of Anne Lamott, but now I plan to read all her work. It was just extraordinary. The pages crackle with life and an effervescent sense of humor that compels. This book is so popular; surely the poignancy is what readers respond to, as well as the unvarnished truth of motherhood. I highly recommend this, along with THE ZYGOTE CHRONICLES by Suzanne Finnamore, which was also a great read and so moving and funny, just like OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS.