Today, May 4th, is the fourth discussion question for the Beyond Busy Global Monthly Book Club. We just finished Anne Lamott’s Some Assembly Required, A Journal of My Son’s First Son and now we will spend seven days discussing it. Anyone who has read the book can participate by commenting.
Our next book selection is the hot-off-the-presses Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. You can join our public BBGMBC Facebook group, if you would like to join us in reading one excellent quality book per month and then discussing it here.
Some Assembly Required, A Journal of My Son’s First Son is written by Anne Lamott with Sam Lamott and published by Riverhead in 2012.
Some authors travel and dive deeply into descriptions of place and history. Anne Lamott travels and dives into more stories of connections: family connections, friendships, mentor relationships, and even, and perhaps most bravely, reflections on and relationships with people who are dying.
Lamott writes most deeply and most fearlessly about the truth about her relationships. Not relationships hypothetically, but real, live, messy, complicated relationships.
Is the map of real life relationships a topic as compelling and engaging as travelogue? Why or why not?
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I don’t really have a why or why not, other than they both are engaging reads if done well. But I do fret what close family members will think of those real life stories. Someday Cheryl’s children will read of her heroin fueled sexcapades (spell check is gasping for air) and what did poor Amy think of Anne’s sometimes ruthless digs at her personal choices? I wouldn’t mind an epilogue somewhere to see if they are still residing close by. Given Anne’s life, with an only child and no significant other, it would be crushing to see them pack up and hike to another part of the country.
For me real life is more compelling. For me it causes me to look at how I manage similar issues, to reconnect with memories, some I may have tried to forget. Often the memories you try to forget are the ones you should deal with head on-in a constructive way.
For me it varies. I enjoy both, sometimes according to where I am in my life or my mood. I can see that Lamott’s approach would not appeal to all. I loved the little nuggets of wisdom she sprinkled throughout the book. I too would like to know what Amy thought through this process- and wonder how they all are today.