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

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12540.Operating_Instructions_A_Journal_of_My_Son_s_First_Year?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166504427m/12540.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12540.Operating_Instructions_A_Journal_of_My_Son_s_First_Year?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7113.Anne_Lamott">Anne Lamott</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9723861?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 3 of 5 stars<br/>OK, so maybe I am a little bit of a hater.  I recently put down "Inheritance of Loss" and complained about similes galore, but this book has the same thing (in many ways much worse) and it drove me a little crazy.  Anne Lamott was writing similes like she was getting a nickel for each one.  When I was reading the book it was like I was traveling with someone who felt that every building or sight was a reminder of somewhere else---and I was being told about it without being able to enjoy what I was already seeing.  Yes, some were witty (unfortunately I already returned the book, so I can't quote) and I definitely laughed at times, but for many of the similes it was like she was trying to impress with what two things she could tie together with a "like" and often felt, to me, like a reach.  
<br/>  The book also feels dated, even more than the 17 years or so ago it was written.  For example, it is cringe-inducing when she discusses the "black church" she attends and refers to one of the "blackest women" she knows---like she was trying to be rebellious in hanging out with people that don't look like her.  Something else that really stands out is that Ms. Lamott really loves her some Jesus and likes to remind the reader on nearly every page that this is the case.
<br/>  So those are the complaints.  What does make this book an enjoyable read is when you can ignore her simile tricks, her repeated love for Jesus, and her "black church" comments and listen to a mother tell what it is really like that first year with a kid.  The ups, the downs, the fears of giving in to the impulses of throwing the crying child against the wall, the simple joys, etc.  It seemed a very honest look at what one goes through when dealing with this thing that has so recently popped out and is stuck with you for some time to come.  For that, the book is worth reading.
<br/>  In the end it was a quick, pleasure-reading book, and perhaps the fact that it had all of the things I complain about makes it a more valuable book as it seems a very real self-portrait based on her journal writings without having been cleaned up too much.
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/174753?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Damon's review
rating:

recommended for: those recently with or soon-to-be with child
status: Read in December, 2007

OK, so maybe I am a little bit of a hater. I recently put down "Inheritance of Loss" and complained about similes galore, but this book has the same thing (in many ways much worse) and it drove me a little crazy. Anne Lamott was writing similes like she was getting a nickel for each one. When I was reading the book it was like I was traveling with someone who felt that every building or sight was a reminder of somewhere else---and I was being told about it without being able to enjoy what I was already seeing. Yes, some were witty (unfortunately I already returned the book, so I can't quote) and I definitely laughed at times, but for many of the similes it was like she was trying to impress with what two things she could tie together with a "like" and often felt, to me, like a reach.
The book also feels dated, even more than the 17 years or so ago it was written. For example, it is cringe-inducing when she discusses the "black church" she attends...more OK, so maybe I am a little bit of a hater. I recently put down "Inheritance of Loss" and complained about similes galore, but this book has the same thing (in many ways much worse) and it drove me a little crazy. Anne Lamott was writing similes like she was getting a nickel for each one. When I was reading the book it was like I was traveling with someone who felt that every building or sight was a reminder of somewhere else---and I was being told about it without being able to enjoy what I was already seeing. Yes, some were witty (unfortunately I already returned the book, so I can't quote) and I definitely laughed at times, but for many of the similes it was like she was trying to impress with what two things she could tie together with a "like" and often felt, to me, like a reach.
The book also feels dated, even more than the 17 years or so ago it was written. For example, it is cringe-inducing when she discusses the "black church" she attends and refers to one of the "blackest women" she knows---like she was trying to be rebellious in hanging out with people that don't look like her. Something else that really stands out is that Ms. Lamott really loves her some Jesus and likes to remind the reader on nearly every page that this is the case.
So those are the complaints. What does make this book an enjoyable read is when you can ignore her simile tricks, her repeated love for Jesus, and her "black church" comments and listen to a mother tell what it is really like that first year with a kid. The ups, the downs, the fears of giving in to the impulses of throwing the crying child against the wall, the simple joys, etc. It seemed a very honest look at what one goes through when dealing with this thing that has so recently popped out and is stuck with you for some time to come. For that, the book is worth reading.
In the end it was a quick, pleasure-reading book, and perhaps the fact that it had all of the things I complain about makes it a more valuable book as it seems a very real self-portrait based on her journal writings without having been cleaned up too much....less

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