Genre: Self-Help/Humor
Published: 2018 (updated version)
Pages: 316
Snagged from the "For Graduates" table at Barnes and Noble
An Adventures By The Page 2018 Best Book Nominee
2018 Best Non-Fiction Winner
Sometimes being an adult is hard. Or even just being a human. Never fear, Kelly Williams Brown is here! She's the one who invented the term "adulting" and she's here to give her suggestions on how to act like one. From party etiquette to basic cooking to dealing with difficult situations, this guide will tell you all you need to know about being a functional adult. Flowcharts and illustrations included.
I know what some of you are thinking.
"ADULTING? Are millennials now so INCOMPETENT that they need to make very basic life skills an ART FORM? One that's KITSCHY and TRENDY? Give me a break! We were self-sufficient when we were kids. And that's how it should be done!"
But if you would kindly put aside your snobbish, I-am-the-best attitude for a second, you'd realize we all need these skills. Where did you learn how to cook? Do you know every secret to keeping house or knowing ahead of time when your car might need maintenance? Do you always remember to send a thank you note? Really? Anyhoo, I really doubt that you woke up one day and magically learned everything you needed to know.
(And I don't want to hear it about your generation being the best. Can't we all learn how to get along and not butt heads because these people aren't you?)
We've all learned how to be an adult from somewhere. Usually that's our parents. But for those of us who aren't so lucky, there are books like this one.
So this book is split into chapters, or subsections. They include: getting into the right mindset, domesticity, job stuff, money, how to talk to people, maintaining things that need maintenance, dealing with tough times, dealing with family, friendships, and relationships. All worthy categories. Kelly lists the tip, which is then followed by an explanation of various amounts of paragraphs. Sometimes they're accompanied by flowcharts or cutesy graphics. The flowcharts are funny because they're true and actually work. What I could have done without were some of the information boxes; some of them existed for no other reason than humor and tried too hard.
I especially enjoyed the specific suggestions. Kelly provides lists of things like lists of spices to get, everything you need for your kitchen, or what to look for in an apartment. I.e. you might not want one next to where there is a practicing high school marching band. This was a very good point-- when I read that, I realized that one I was considering just so happened to be near a practicing high school marching band, and now I should reconsider. Thanks Kelly! Case in point, a lot of the advice is practical, but other helpful hints are also things you never would have considered.
This is especially true in chapter 4, which has a ton of insight on talking to people. I found some real gems here. One that stood out to me was that you shouldn't comment on what people are, but instead what they do. I couldn't agree more. I get so many inappropriate comments on what I act or look like and I'm glad Kelly agreed with me on that one. Readers should also pay attention to her tips on how to talk politics- very few adults act like adults in that area. She is a liberal who tries to be respectful of other points of view or at least understand both sides of an issue. You go, girl!
Of course you might not use all of her advice. I'm a Christian, and I don't feel like I'm going to take her advice of "you'll never know if you like one night stands until you try them!" Similarly, she goes into detail about how to find dating online, yet doesn't really say a whole lot about how you meet people in the real world. I would have liked a few hints on that, especially since I don't really believe in online dating. To me, dating should be organic. But hey, if that's your thing, then there's great advice for you in here.
Most of Kelly's advice is very helpful for adults, although she may also point you in other directions. For example, she provides a list of cookbooks you should buy, which falls into the category of advice you can take or leave. I wish she wasn't afraid to get even more specific about how to do things sometimes. My general thoughts? It's fun and quirky and not necessarily a straight-up guide. Rather, it's fun and might make you realize some things you haven't thought of. Why not have a little fun with your life and make adulting into an art form? And ignore the naysayers; if they don't want to make it interesting, they're not worth talking to anyway.
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