Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Anne Lamott

Anchor Books, Feb 1, 2000 - Biography & Autobiography - 275 pages

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.

What people are saying

Review: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

User Review  - Vanessa Noonan - Goodreads

This is a FANTASTIC memoir. I laughed until I cried. TWO BIG THUMBS UP!!

Review: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

User Review  - Lynley - Goodreads

This book was incredibly well written. Lamott has a way of drawing you in and tangling you in her web of words--reading the web makes you want to spin your own. I did find the flow (or perhaps lack ...

About the author

Anne Lamott is the author of Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, and of five novels, including Rosie and Crooked Little Heart. She lives in northern California with her son.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
• Author: Anne Lamott
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Anchor Books, 2000
• ISBN: 0385496095, 9780385496094
• Length: 275 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Literary; Biography & Autobiography / Religious; Biography & Autobiography / Women