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I've been a huge fan of Anne Lamott ever since my wife introduced me to her books about four years ago. Our family spent several years going through a very difficult time--my oldest son's addiction--and reading Anne's books has been like therapy to me. This may sound silly, but I often times consider Anne to be my higher power. Her writing is so honest, thought provoking, and profound, full of themes like hope, faith, grace, family, and gratitude. (She is the reason I have "HOPE" and "FAITH" tattooed on my arms.) She also has a wicked sense of humor. For me the connection to Anne is there on so many levels.
"Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace" is a collection of new essays and selected pieces from Anne's older books. Through these essays Anne assures us that we can prevail over the pain and suffering in our lives, and that these small victories change us--for the better--along the way. While the stories she tells are about her own life, so much of what Anne writes resonates with me. (I went through almost a whole pad of Sticky Notes marking passages I don't want to forget.) Her take on the world is so refreshing and she writes about spirituality without making you feel like you're being hit over the head with a Bible.
For example, in "Forgiven" Anne writes:
"The Scripture reading came from the sixth chapter of Luke: 'Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.' Now, try as I might, I cannot find a loophole in that. It does not say, 'Forgive everyone, unless they've said something rude about your child.' And it doesn't even say, 'Just try.' It says, If you want to be forgiven, if you want to experience that kind of love, you have to forgive everyone in your life--everyone, even the very worst boyfriend you ever had--even, for God's sake, yourself." Amen, Anne.
You will find yourself thinking hard about a lot of lines/passages in this book. In "Trail Ducks," I found myself reading this line over and over again: "Getting found almost always means being lost for a while." In "Dad," this one really hit home: "Addicts and alcoholics will tell you that their recovery began when they woke up in pitiful and degraded enough shape to take Step Zero, which is: 'This s*** has got to stop.'"
Of all the amazing words in "Small Victories," though, I think this passage from "Mom--Part One: Noraht" might be my favorite: "Grace means suddenly you're in a different universe from the one where you were stuck, and there was absolutely no way for you to get there on your own. When it happens--when you stop hating--you really have to pinch yourself."
In "Market Street," Anne describes how she feels after praying: "I don't feel so alone. I feel better." That's exactly how I feel after reading an Anne Lamott book. And "Small Victories" is no exception. Thank you, Anne Lamott. Your words heal me and your books are like little treasures. "Small Victories" is no exception. It's a little first-aid kit between two covers.
"Right this minute, we understand that this is all there is, so let's really be together." --Anne Lamott
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Riverhead Books; 1st edition (November 10, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1594486298
- ISBN-13: 978-1594486296
- Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 494 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#25,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Self Help for Catholics
- #129 in Essays (Books)
- #291 in Short Stories Anthologies
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