Anne Lamott

I just finished reading Anne Lamott's new book Grace:Eventually.

I want to be able to evaluate and critique what I am reading and leave some sort of written opinion for those who care to read it. And for myself. When I am 75 years old, or ok, maybe 40 and on the verge of being senile and experiencing complete memory loss I want to remember why I loved, hated, or cried through a book. I need to judge it and then share it with you.

This is hard for me to do as an artist. An artist who just spent almost two years pouring my heart into a lot of songs that I love which are now currently being judged by anyone who feels like it. Seriously, anyone. I mean God bless freedom of speech and the blessed little internet...it's better than censorship and communism, but couldn't we insert a clause that says: you have free speech except for any negative, presumptuous, or tacky opinion against someone else's work?

This is an impossibility and if we are honest, some people's work totally sucks and we all need to be warned. For instance, music by David Hasselhoff, the movie Heartbreak Kid or any movies staring Jessica Simpson should all come with warning labels. Still, even if it is true, I feel bad saying that.

That being said...I will review yet another book.

If you are unfamiliar with Anne Lamott think ex-hippie, totally irreverent, hilarious, thought-provoking, sarcastic, spiritual woman who is sometimes two steps too self-deprecating and two steps too honest. About as honest as me. A spiritual speaker who talks about drugs, sex, abortion, assisted suicide, and a multitude of mistakes and blunt thoughts. She also dives into the ocean of faith, Jesus, God, salvation, grace, doubt, pain, beauty, birds, gardens, and other beautiful things.

The complete and utter downfall of this book is the obsessive fixation on Anne's hate and extreme anger for George Bush and the current administration. I had been warned by other friends that her previous books made frequent mentions to this topic and that it bogged the material down. I blew them off as annoyed Bush supporters.

But they were right. What started out as her opinion became a rather annoying and redundant bitter diatribe against a man that lives thousands of miles away from her. And while I understand her frustrations, I think they would be more effective in a book called, Why I Hate George Bush. And trust me, plenty of these books already exist.

She is way too artistic, witty, and beautifully spoken to ruin her rare, random, and priceless stories with constant mentions of George Bush. It tarnishes a great jewel.

Bottom line: If you like the writing style of Donald Miller, David Sedaris, or Rob Belle you will enjoy Anne Lamott. If you appreciate followers of Christ who have decided to experience their faith outside of the typical and sometimes judgemental walls of American Christianity, you will love her perspective. And if you just like a good story from a quirky person this is a good read. That is, if you can endure the endless whines over W.

My new book for the week is: The Irresistible Revolution by Shaine Claiborne.