Opinion

In my library Anne Lamott

Motherhood snuck up on Anne Lamott. At 35, she found herself pregnant after a one-night stand; when the baby’s father wanted no part of the deal, she resolved to raise the child herself, writing about her struggles and joy in the moving memoir, “Operating Instructions.” Some 20 years later, that baby, Sam, told her he was about to become a single father, at age 19. Together, mother and son wrote “Some Assembly Required” about the first year of that new surprise baby, Jax. “Some days went better than others,” Lamott says of their collaboration. “Sam had school, a full-time job and an infant, but then his material would come in by e-mail, and it was so beautiful, all was forgiven!” Here’s what she thinks should be in every mother’s library.

The Bean Trees

by Barbara Kingsolver

It was the first Kingsolver novel I read, and began a long love affair with her books. It’s the story of a woman who’s trying hard not to put down roots and ends up with a 3-year-old Native American girl named Turtle. Barbara Kingsolver is such an elegant but never show-offy writer with a beautiful sense of humor.

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

It was one of the first real chapter books I read, and I got lost in this story of a strong, compassionate mother trying to raise four distinctly different daughters while their father was away ministering to soldiers in the Civil War. I was a tomboy, and here was feisty Jo March — a free spirit and very protective of her young sisters.

The Lifeboat

by Charlotte Rogan

It takes place two years after the Titanic on a smaller luxury liner. The narrator, who may or may not be a golddigger, has gotten a seat on a lifeboat, and it’s clear there are too many people in it. The story is she wanted to be a writer but stayed home to raise triplets. Every literate mom will love this book!

Beyond the Beautiful Forevers

by Katherine Boo

This is a terrifically written account that reads like a novel, about a slum in Mumbai, India. It’s about survival, transcendence, unspeakable loss, small miracles — and acting with grace and humor in situations in which I think I’d shrivel up and die. It’s about mothers and children, and it’s another perfect gift for Mother’s Day.