Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year

Operating Instructions is written by Anne Lamott, a mother, who gives birth to a baby boy, Sam, in her mid-thirties. She decides to have the baby and raise it without the support of the father and describes her struggles as she was authoring this book. The book is thus a chronicle of the first year after Sam's birth and how she copes up with the pressures of parenting. Apart from being honest and hilarious it is also very touching. Anne, in a most humorous way, tries to support her family through her writing. She is able to manage on account of the tremendous support of the wonderful people around her, her friends, family and Church.

The book has vivid personal details and insights into a mother's life. It is a book of how to take life at its stride and enjoy it at the same time. With the heart-rending disclosure of the fact that Anne's childhood best friend Pammy is having metastatic breast cancer and is going to die, Anne now experiences a deep sense of loss after reveling in the glory of a valuable life-time gift in the from of Sam.

This book would be an excellent choice to gift to your beloved mom and take her back to the days of nursing you at your infancy. With a hint of humor and cynicism, exhaustion and desperateness, eccentricity and religiosity this book is a loving mixture of varied emotions. This book covers the bigs and smalls, ins and outs, ups and downs of a woman's life. Sweet reminiscences of mothering would definitely make her day special, very special.