So I finished this book about a month ago at this point…I really need to start writing these reviews quicker so I can be more thorough! As it is, it isn’t difficult to appreciate the beauty and guidance of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.  I was introduced to Lamott’s work, specifically this one, back in my Master’s Degree program, by the wonderful Dr. Barbara Price.  Though we read pieces, we never read the entire book, and when focusing on how to teach writing to others, it isn’t necessary to read the entire memoir.  However, I do recommend it.

Bird by Bird is exactly what it states: part instructional guide for the would be writer, and part memoir.  Several parts are easily quotable: snippets to pull out and put on an embroidered pillow, or an internet meme.  But there is really marrow beneath this fragile bones.  Lamott is a gloriously funny writer, willing to bare her pains and mistakes and successes so that her readers may learn from them.  Through her experiences, the reader discovers insight to the self as well as the page.

I wish I hadn’t waited so long to write this review. I also wish I had a physical copy of the book (something I”ll remedy) since I read this through an audiobook.  This is the type of book I would scribble endlessly in the margins, dogearing the most important pages, and sending poignant sections to those around me.  It made me want to write more and provided the tools to start (which I promptly ignored if you can tell from my semi-absence on this blog).  Still, I’m glad I listened to it.  I’m going to use it as my occasional “self-help” book..something for a bit of motivation and inspiration.

Thanks Anne Lamott. I promise to do better by you, even if it isn’t by much. Thank you for your words.