Tuesday, March 15, 2005

ANNE OF MEAN LABELS

I went to hear the very good writer Anne Lamott read from her new book tonight. Packed into the Beverly Hills Duttons with a few hundred other folks, I spent the night milling between the shelves, listening to Anne's wonderful turns of phrase, and marveling at the relationship between having a really screwed up life and being a great writer. (I used to think sin was necessary to making a great writer. But, then, a good woman I met in Ohio straightened me out, saying, "It isn't sin that makes someone deep, but rather suffering. It's just that the worst kind of suffering is that which has the aded burden of remorse.")

The coolest thing about Lamott is how much she loves Jesus. He's perpetually just a thought or two from her frontal lobe, and so keeps slipping into every anecdote, as the other half of the inner dialogue Lamott lives in.

I thought, as I leaned into the foreign language book shelf, "There aren't a lot of writers I would stand around a bookstore listening to for a couple hours." It gets more impressive when I add that I couldn't even see Lamott from my vantage points at the outskirts of the crowd.

Still, I wonder if Lamott's work will last. Her writing is so reliant on pop-culture references and on having some kind of understanding of the historical anomalies that all come together in her prose: the baby-boomer's clawing through the last half of the 20th century, flailing around protesting everything, going on marches, doing drugs and having lots of unmarried sex. I would like to think that in a few decades, people won't "get" Lamott, because we'll be past the groundless search for meaning that propels Lamott's musing and ranting.

But, regardless, her writing is wonderful. Fabulous eye for detail combined with self-effacing vulnerability.

That's why it almost physically hurt me, when this woman - my sister in Christ - and someone whose craft I absolutely admire - started raging against "right-to-lifers" and ridiculing "rightwing Christians." She animatedly detailed her hatred for the President at nauseating length, noting that she spent weeks after the election choked with such antipathy, that it almost drove her to a kind of madness. But she really seemed to enjoy the madness. When she gave herself over to her disdain of religious conservatives, Lamott morphed from being a compassionate and attractive disciple, to being a cliched, bitter paradox. It made me very sad, because unfairness and ridicule are awkward on her.

Lamott is great now, but she will be fabulous as soon as she gets honest about abortion. She aborted one or two of her kids in her pre-Jesus years, and she keeps obsessing over it, mainly trying to convince herself that she did the right thing - "I had to do it! Pro-lifers only care for fetuses and not for starving poor unloved children who would be born without abortion!" Her self-defense here fuels her gnashing of teeth political diatribes. If she lives long enough to confront the fact that abortion is evil, the BIG ONE, in her hit parade of personal mistakes, Lamott could be a great saint.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey you have a great blog here about christian home business. I'm definately going to bookmark you.
christian home business. Come check it out when you have time.

Webmaster said...

Interesting blog about [make money online]. I like to find more info on [make money online] for my professional money making businessblog.

Anonymous said...

Imagine Thousands Of Links Back To Your Web Site From Other People's Blogs!

Anonymous said...

Intresting Post
Feel free to visit
Advanced Business Marketing
For mor tips.
Feel free to leave your Comments.

Anonymous said...

I have seen a lot about home based business work.

See how a 33 yr old ex-bouncer replaced his income and learned even more about home based business work

Seriously, It only took about nine months. There is a lot of hype out there about home based business work so don't get overwhelmed.

It's real though. A sixty year old industry that does $100 Billion a year in sales. Isn't that worth ten minutes of your time?

Click Here Now

Anonymous said...

Think that will drive you some extra traffic?

Unknown said...

Great Blog interesting discussions on dropship why not check out my dropship site / blog and let me know what you think. There are loads of Posters, Calendars, DVDs and CDs on offer and if you want you can join the Reseller / Affiliate schem and sell the products your self. Go on have a look at http://dropship.postercash.co.uk and treat yourself!!! Regards Jay

Anonymous said...

GROW IT YOURSELF!

Anonymous said...

I was just browsing various blogs as I was doing a search on the phrase successful home business, and I just wanted to say that I really like what you've done with your blog, even though it wasn't particularly related to what I searched for. I appreciate your postings, and your blog is a good example of how a blog should be done. I've only just recently started a successful home business website - feel free to visit it when you get a chance if you wish. Much success, Eric.

Anonymous said...

Would The Thought Of Thousands Of Other Web Site's All Displaying Your Content,

Chuck Reynolds said...

add credit link repair MyOpp is the first portal to activate a complete portfolio of income streams with one click!add credit link repair

Anonymous said...

You aren't going to believe this website! If you really like chloe teen topanga then this is even bigger than you can imagine!

Twins Twins Twins! Free sample pic here at my blog:
Milton Twins !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And feel free to post at my blog too.

Anonymous said...

Hey, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you!

I have a pdf ebook site/blog. It pretty much covers ##KEYWORD## related stuff.

Come and check it out if you get time :-)

Anonymous said...

sent Straight to your Inbox for your Convenience, you wont have to Search the Internet day after day...

Anonymous said...

I have a pretty cool site about Check out diet protein

Anonymous said...

Well I have to say that your blog is one of the better one on mlm r, I will have to book mark your blog. I have a site that is probably the best free generic training course in the industry. If you have time please take a look at mlm r

Anonymous said...

hey did you know you can get a free ipod pretty easily?
just go to www.getipodsforfree.com, sign up and do an offer

Anonymous said...

Unique businesses have special needs, business custom software provide the solutions.

Anonymous said...

Our Blog network has 708 Pages and Growing at a Rapid Pace!

gipedan said...

Yours By Design Heating and Cooling is a full service Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractor based in Blaine, MN
installing residential heating and air and commercial heating and air.**Heating****Cooling**permanent furnace filterpermanent furnace filter

Anonymous said...

Good post

Anonymous said...

what?

Anonymous said...

Search engine optimization, submission and highly-targeted traffic can be found exclusively at www.TheOnlinePromoters.com

Anonymous said...

www.TheOnlinePromoters.com has everything a webmaster needs to succeed online

Anonymous said...

Search engine optimization, submission and highly-targeted traffic can be found exclusively at www.TheOnlinePromoters.com

Anonymous said...

The ultimate internet marketing website is www.TheOnlinePromoters.com

Anonymous said...

The ultimate internet marketing website is www.TheOnlinePromoters.com

Anonymous said...

Search engine optimization, submission and highly-targeted traffic can be found exclusively at www.TheOnlinePromoters.com

Anonymous said...

www.TheOnlinePromoters.com has everything a webmaster needs to succeed online

Anonymous said...

www.TheOnlinePromoters.com has everything a webmaster needs to succeed online

Anonymous said...

www.TheOnlinePromoters.com has everything a webmaster needs to succeed online

Anonymous said...

hi there! enjoyed your post. free cell phone

Anonymous said...

where i get more info?

Anonymous said...

Shop online today. Forget driving to the mall when you can just click the mouse and order from your favorite store. No traffic to deal with

Anonymous said...

Shop online today. Forget driving to the mall when you can just click the mouse and order from your favorite store. No traffic to deal with

Anonymous said...

This new, Internet Shopping Mall has the hottest products. Well over ONE MILLION in all, including sears tvs.

Anonymous said...

Cool site! iCheck out mine if you want.

Anonymous said...

You are never too old and it is never too late to romance that special someone whom you love, there are so mant things to do and so many ways to do it.
Link to this site: sex relationship
http://relationship-faq.info/

Anonymous said...

There are a few desires (if any) stronger than the deep wish to be liked, the first time you realized that not everybody liked you, it was a shock.
Link to this site: teacher and student sexual relationship
http://relationship-faq.info/

Anonymous said...

Earn residual income for a lifetime.

Anonymous said...

Nice , this was cool.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hey cool Online website promotion blog! I just wanted everyone to know about this new traffic generation system. It's the BOMB! Invented my an Italian schoolteacher and unconditionally guaranteed to work. Now, everyone struggling with Online website promotion and no matter how small your website or affiliate website is, can compete with the big boys! This is like nothing you've ever seen or heard of before and it gets you unlimited targeted traffic daily to your Online website promotion blog or website. I thought I'd level the playing field for a change. Us underdogs in Internet Marketing who are trying hard to make a living online and who are really struggling at it, this is our new secret weapon! Please unite bloggers and small webmasters and get this Online website promotion . Big Dogs Take Heed....We are Coming! Thanks for your time and spread the word about this new system. We CAN succeed just like the big boys. Oh, did I tell you, you can get #1 search engine listings for your keywords and you won't get banned like the other 'lame' systems out there will? By the way, dude. Far Out, Blog, man.
For free web traffic secrets- go to: http://www.Free-Traffic-Guru.com and it is much appreciated. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I have been following a site now for almost 2 years and I have found it to be both reliable and profitable. They post daily and their stock trades have been beating
the indexes easily.

Take a look at Wallstreetwinnersonline.com

RickJ

Anonymous said...

Hi Friend! You have a great blog over here!
Please accept my compliments and wishes for your happiness and success!
If you have a moment, please take a look at my make money using site.
Have a great day!

Robert said...

We all need to realize it's about time to put google,yahoo and msn in their place.Paying for targeted traffic is way to exensive for the little people on the internet.

So why not show them where to get advertising cheaply when they ask for it.It make sense to help our affiliate's in creating Wealth from Scratch as New advertising cheaply techniques arive.
http://www.mybusinessmarketingcenter.com