Grade:

A

Splicing a feminist and a religious woman is a little like freezing a dead person. You have heard of the procedure, know it exists, it sounds interesting, but you are a little confused about how it works. Anne Lamott steps out of a cylinder of dry ice just to prove how this can be done. What seems like a dichotomy is actually a marvelous way for her to live life. And along the way, she has written all about it in "Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith."

Lamott's faith is unconventional. Yes, she belongs to a Christian church; she forces her 7-year-old to go to Sunday school and swears he enjoys it, and every once in awhile she tiptoes into her story with a phrase from the Bible. But wait a second, please. Lamott's views are unique because she is a politically liberal, middle-aged single mother with dreads. Not one sentence could have been mistaken as supercilious or damning to any reader who did not share the formality of her Christian beliefs. This book is about faith. Faith is universal.

Her stories refer to God as he or she and quote from her Buddhist and other non-Christian friends. Cussing in the name of her egotism and inept understanding splinters every chapter. When a fellow mother commented on her son's homework deficiencies, Lamott said, "No, but he makes inventions, you dumb slut, out of garbage, while your kid is an obsequious little Type-A suck!"

This woman is hilarious ÷ spit-when-you-unexpectedly-laugh-out-loud hilarious. Enough with the convincing and appeasing, this review is beginning to feel like there is a bribe involved. Lamott is a comedian with the pen.

"Some people think that God is in the details, but I think he is in the bathroom. Maybe God is in the men's room too, but I have been in so few of them since I got sober," she said.

Even the friends she writes about are absurd and amusing. A feminist friend once told her, "I've been thinking about killing myself but I want to lose five pounds first."

I cannot speak on behalf of every confused, kinda scared, want-religion-to- leave-the-room kind of person. But even the atheist can appreciate this book because her thoughts on faith are actually perspectives on patience, love, forgiveness, and even dogs, benign moles and ladders. Thoughts that are like food stuck in your teeth: They're common, but catch us off guard when people bring them to our attention.