Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith -- Anne Lamott, Paperback

Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows are: Help me, help me, help me and Thank you, thank you, thank you. She has a friend whose morning prayer each day is Whatever, and whose evening prayer is Oh, well. Anne thinks of Jesus as Casper the friendly savior and describes God as one crafty mother.

Despite--or because of--her irreverence, faith is a natural subject for Anne Lamott. Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans have been waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life are like beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers--her friend Pammy, her son, Sam, and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcome return to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness.

Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers. At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.

Author: Anne Lamott
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: 02/15/2000
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 8.15h x 5.22w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9780385496094

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 02/06/2000 pg. 28
Entertainment Weekly 03/10/2000 pg. 65
Commonweal 06/15/2001 pg. 24

About the Author
Anne Lamott is the New York Times bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow; Small Victories; Stitches; Some Assembly Required; Grace (Eventually); Plan B; Traveling Mercies; Bird by Bird; Operating Instructions, and the forthcoming Hallelujah Anyway. She is also the author of several novels, including Imperfect Birds and Rosie. A past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, she lives in Northern California.