Operating Instructions Audiobook By Anne Lamott cover art

Operating Instructions

A Journal of My Son's First Year

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Operating Instructions

By: Anne Lamott
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
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Buy for $15.75

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of Bird by Bird brings her brilliant combination of humor and warmth to a "smart, funny, and comforting" chronicle of single motherhood (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman’s life.

"Lamott is a wonderfully lithe writer .... Anyone who has ever had a hard time facing a perfectly ordinary day will identify." —Chicago Tribune Parenting & Families Single Parents Women Biographies & Memoirs Infants & Toddlers Funny Relationships Witty

Critic reviews

"A funny, self-mocking, vivid account by a gifted novelist and journalist."
--The Washington Post

"An enormous triumph . . . Charming . . . Powerful . . . A gracious book, with dozens of lovingly drawn characters and a deep, infectious religiosity throughout. It is also funny."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Smart, funny, and comforting . . .Lamott has a conversational style that perfectly conveys her friendly, self-deprecating humor."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Lamott is a wonderfully lithe writer. . . . Anyone who has ever had a hard time facing a perfectly ordinary day will identify."
--Chicago Tribune

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Moms are some of the most resourceful, hardworking, and amazing people on this earth. And as anyone who is or loves a mom knows, they need more than a day of celebration—they deserve a supportive culture all year round. Whatever motherhood means to you, we put together a list of our favorite listens that reflect the beautiful spectrum of this foundational relationship and show appreciation to all the different moms of the world.

Featured Article The Best Audiobooks to Give and Hear This Mother's Day
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No notes. I couldn't stop listening. Anyone who has birthed a child and survived raising them for the first year must read/listen. And this might be the best read book I've ever listened to. The voice actor did an absolutely perfect job.

incredibly validating and humanizing

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Once again Anne LaMott delivers a terrific story of the first year of her baby sons life. Honest and spiritual.

Funny. Uplifting.

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Listened to this, and writing this review while breastfeeding my son. It was perfect and what I needed to hear- another women with the same thoughts as me.

Perfect book to listen to postpartum

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Honest and vulnerable writing. I felt like I got to know a slice of the author.

Raw and heartfelt

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I think this is my favorite book I've ever read. I have 3 kids, one who is just 5 months old, so that probably impacts my rating. Even the reading of it though was so darn good

best.

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