Operating Instructions
by Anne Lamott
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Dec 2025 on Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
The general take
Amy Poehler mentions Operating Instructions as part of Anne Lamott's substantial body of work, grouping it alongside her other well-known books like Bird by Bird and Tender Mercies. The reference suggests it's an established part of Lamott's prolific writing career, though Amy doesn't offer specific commentary on the book itself.
About
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 ....
Who said what
Amy Poehler👍 Recommends
…recommending anne lamott books and her appearance on wiser than me podcast
“If you don't know Anne Lamott's work, she is a very prolific and successful author who has written books like Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird and Tender Mercies, many, many works of fiction.”
Good Hang with Amy Poehler — Julia Louis-Dreyfusat 1:28:44
Listener reviews
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