Blog 4 by Ruthie Heavrin

Anne Lamott is a truth teller. Her honesty with the reader is presented in a light mood through humor. With this tactic, the reader is able to develop trust with Lamont's voice, but they do not become burdened with her baggage. Not that alcoholism is merely baggage and is indeed a serious disease, but it is hard topic to swallow in six mere pages so the humor is like a spoon full of sugar to help the point of the piece be taken without a heavy drape of depression. The first piece, “Thirst,” is driven by the author's commitment to stop drinking and her apparent failure. It shows a different side of alcoholism – it doesn't seem like a problem while it's happening. In the moment, it was completely normal for Lamott to be drinking over 32oz of beer along with her sleeping and pain pills. The light hearted take on the issue really shows the reader that the alcoholic doesn't consider their actions and habits to be that of an alcoholic. It becomes normal, even funny and that's the scariest part of this piece. The second piece, “The Aunties,” depicts a stage in Lamott's life that is post-alcoholism. Although she does not say this, it is clear she has overcome tribulation in her life through her voice and constant reminder that beauty is in the mind, not the be-hind. The spiritual message is not blatant like in the placating stories found in Guide and Insight but is told through raw humor. Perhaps this is the reason behind Sari's choice in this week's reading. Stories with a Biblical or spiritual message do not necessarily have to be heavy and tear jerking. Lamott makes us laugh. My favorite section is on page 187 of “Thirst” which reads, “It only took me one more year to admit that I could no longer control my drinking. And finally on July 7, 1986, I quit, and let a bunch of sober alcoholics teach me how to get sober, and stay sober. God, they were such a pain in the ass.” In this excerpt, Lamott does three major things that we as readers should adopt: she is honest, she is specific, and she is ridiculous. The specific date shows that it was apparently a very important day for Lamott because she remembers it and shares it. That makes the day important for the reader as well. Admitting she can't control her drinking is honest and vulnerable – this creates trust with the reader. Saying that sober alcoholics helped her stay sober is ironic and ridiculous, but it creates an image or at least an idea that sticks. If only Adventist forums let us publish works that call sober alcoholics a pain in the ass. Until that day comes, we can still be honest and vulnerable and ironic and humorous in a real way that speaks to our audience. If our audience is going to focus more on a certain word choice than the overall theme of our pieces, then we must work around that and be creative. Lamott speaks to her readers in a real way and so must we.