Reviewed by Renée Bosman, Reference Librarian for Government and Public Affairs
Operating Instructions is novelist Anne Lamott's quirky and unflinchingly honest documentation of her early days of motherhood. In her candid and unique voice, she chronicles both the difficulties and joys of parenting an infant, particularly as a single mother, detailing issues ranging from sleep deprivation and colic to excitement about her son's development and her overwhelming love for him. "Sam's so beautiful," she writes, "and I feel such a desperate love and protectiveness that my chest tightens with it." Such sentiments, balanced with passages regarding postpartum confusion and, at times, fury, make this an insightful read about motherhood and parenting. Yet this book is able to appeal to a wide range of readers, thanks to the broad scope of Lamott's musings, which span her recovery from addiction, politics, faith, a friend’s cancer diagnosis, and life in general.
