Summary

In the chapter entitled “The Overly Sensitive Child,” Lamott indicates that she never felt comfortable in the world as a child. She and her brothers were given no religious teaching but were instead introduced to books which Lamott writes were her source of solace. She explains that books, like other forms of art, bring this sense of “home” because they immerse the reader in something great. She says a search for meaning will often include whatever art form the person most enjoys. For Lamott it was books. She argues that beautiful music, art, or great books are all outlets that can lead a person to meaning in his life. Lamott next shares that no one had told her how the trials of life would affect a person like her who had a gentle spirit. She had been taught that her success...