Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

I thought I’d finished this book last year. But, when I set it aside to return to a friend, the bookmark was still inside, two chapters before the end.

So, I only read 20 pages of this book in 2011, but it’s a good place to start the count.

Thoughts? If I’m honest, I expected to hate the book. I thought it was going to be total fluff. Maybe I’d heard a theology snob criticize it in the past and decided to hold their judgement without reading the book myself.

And since I knew that was the dumbest type of prejudice, and since one of my best friends enjoyed and owns the book, I decided it was time to get over myself and read it.

Lamott is an approachable and relatable story-teller, someone I’d love to have a drink with. Though, I remember now that she’s a recovered alcoholic, so drinking is probably not the best option. Her honesty – about the dysfunction in her family, about her own weakneses and struggles, about the difficulties of life and faith – was refreshing, though I imagine it would not have been so refreshing to me at earlier stages of my life.

Did it change my life? No.
Would I recommend it? It’s the book equivalent of meeting someone new and hearing a few wild stories of their life and lessons they’ve learned along the way. If you like that sort of thing, go for it.