de Anne Lamott
"I am stockpiling antibiotics for the Apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen," Anne Lamott admits at the beginning of Almost Everything. Despair and uncertainty surround us: in the news, in our families, and in ourselves. But even when life is at its bleakest—when we are, as she puts it, "doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated"—the seeds of rejuvenation are at hand. "All truth is paradox," Lamott writes, "and this turns out to be a reason for hope. If you arrive at a place in life that is miserable, it will change." That is the time when we must pledge not to give up but "to do what Wendell Berry wrote: 'Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.'"
In this profound and funny book, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us that can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Divided into short chapters that explore life's essential truths, Almost Everything pinpoints these moments of insight as it shines an encouraging light forward.
Candid and caring, insightful and sometimes hilarious, Almost Everything is the book we need and that only Anne Lamott can write.
"I am stockpiling antibiotics for the Apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen," Anne Lamott admits at the beginning of Almost Everything. Despair and uncertainty surround us: in the news, in our families, and in ourselves. But even when life is at its bleakest—when we are, as she puts it, "doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated"—the seeds of rejuvenation are at hand. "All truth is paradox," Lamott writes, "and this turns out to be a reason for hope. If you arrive at a place in life that is miserable, it will change." That is the time when we must pledge not to give up but "to do what Wendell Berry wrote: 'Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.'"
In this profound and funny book, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us that can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Divided into short chapters that explore life's essential truths, Almost Everything pinpoints these moments of insight as it shines an encouraging light forward.
Candid and caring, insightful and sometimes hilarious, Almost Everything is the book we need and that only Anne Lamott can write.
Critiques-
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July 15, 2018
Another distillation of the author's life philosophy.As a gift to her grandson and niece, novelist and nonfiction writer Lamott (Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, 2017; etc.) sets out to record "everything I know about almost everything." The result is an obsessively inward-focusing hodgepodge of life stories, advice, and ramblings. Though hope is the author's tagline and even the title of her concluding chapter, readers find her struggling through virtually every life event, buried in anxieties. Lamott explains early on that she was struck to hear a child say the words, "I has [sic] value." She realized that it "would have completely changed my life had I heard and internalized [that idea] as a child." The incident serves to clarify the author's central struggle: a lifelong search for self-value. Her writing cries out for an internal peace she cannot find. In a chapter on family, she focuses mainly on conflict with her uncle, whom she once called "a scumbutt" in a moment of anger, which affected her for decades. In a chapter on God, which the author defines in a number of nebulous ways, she focuses on an atheist friend who committed suicide. Another chapter is centered entirely around dieting and body image, revealing another self-esteem pitfall, and Lamott devotes an entire chapter to her unabashed hatred of Donald Trump--though she refuses to use his name, as if she were discussing Voldemort. The author's view of life is often depressing; she refers to it as "this sometimes grotesque amusement park," and she answers the question, "how did we all get so screwed up?" with, "life just damages people. There is no way around this. Not all the glitter and concealer in the world can cover it up."Those who enjoy Lamott's consistently self-deprecating humor, vulnerability, and occasional nuggets of positivity will enjoy her latest; others will be adrift.COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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August 27, 2018
Lamott (Hallelujah, Anyway) shares wisdom on truth and paradox in this comforting book of reflections inspired by the current social and political climate. “In general, it doesn’t feel like the light is making a lot of progress,” she writes. Each brief essay explores a theme or topic such as hope, love, or faith with Lamott’s customary optimism. In the opening essay, “Puzzles,” she sets the stage for the book by considering the physics of light, which is both particle and wave, as an example of how paradox can be the seed of truth. “Almost every facet of my meager maturation and spiritual understanding,” she writes, “has sprung from hurt, loss, and disaster.” Fans of Lamott will find her deeply personal, honest yet humorous style on full display and those same fans will also recognize some familiar material, such as the “bird by bird” story that she uses to encapsulate the writing life. There is no doubt of Lamott’s brilliance, but this collection rings of speed rather than depth, with some of the essays (“Bitter Truth” and “Hands of Time”) reading like series of aphorisms and lacking narrative cohesion. Though the book is clearly written to capitalize on the present political moment, its brevity makes it a useful introduction to Lamott’s work and philosophy for any interested novitiate. -
June 1, 2018
Maybe we're "doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated" in these tumultuous times, as Lamott concedes. But she insists that things will change, joy is possible, and we can find life's sweet treasures if we keep looking. From the Hallelujah Anyway author of numerous best sellers.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
