A few weeks back, I started a new series of posts called Adulting 101 directed at helping young professionals segue from college life to adult life. In the spirit of inspiration, I decided to Google if anybody had written any books along similar lines and happened to stumble across Kelly Williams Brown's book, Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps. I actually drew direct inspiration in the first Adulting 101 post where I complemented her list of necessary tools to own with a list of non-obvious tools you should also own.
Okay, enough with the self-promoting. We're here to talk about Kelly's book. Without further ado, let's get into it!
As somebody who is a self-proclaimed horrible reader, I loved how Kelly structured her book. The title of the book is quite literal: the book is segmented into 468 "steps". They aren't chronological, of course, but it makes it super easy to jump in and out of the book whenever. Only have time to read one or two steps? No problem. Not that I read this book in the bathroom, but this would make a good book for bathroom material. (I mean that as a compliment!)
Kelly also writes in a way that is very relatable. She writes in a way that I would expect her to speak, which makes for an easy flow to follow. Think of her writing style as if you were talking with a close friend. It doesn't have to be super formal. It can be relaxed and even fun at times. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes in the book is regarding using credit cards for shopping sprees: "Debt is the Voldemort to financial responsibility's Harry Potter, which is to say, no good, very bad, all-powerful, doing awful things." Kelly is not afraid to include fun but very relevant illustrations throughout the book, like the one below on small talk:
VERY PRACTICAL ADVICE
The practicality of this book is unmeasured. Whereas many books I read build around one central idea, Kelly's book is all over the place. This is a good thing, though, as being an adult is equally all over the place. She provides advice on cooking, social etiquette, and more. I don't necessarily agree with 100% of her advice, but that's not going to stop me from recommending this book.
Some of the tips she shares in here have long since been forgotten by my generation, so it was a breath of fresh air to see them in here. A good example of this is the importance of thank you notes. (And for my regular readers, you might recall my first reader challenge was centered around this same idea.) Another specific example is her encouragement to commit to attending things and not being flaky, which has tragically become the norm amongst my fellow millennials.
While I don't necessarily suggest doing so, this book easily lends itself to being skipped around. If you're not interested in learning about cooking, you can skip past it right into the next section without necessarily missing anything. This is perhaps a better suggestion for somebody like me who is well versed in some adult things but not all of them, which brings us to our final section...
VARYING VALUE ACROSS VARYING AUDIENCES
Where the other books I've reviewed on this blog hold equal value to all audiences, this one is a bit different. And it's supposed to be that way. I highly doubt Kelly was intending to write this book to folks in their twilight years. Before delving into the precise reasons (or, more specifically, audiences) for each audience, I must say that I loved this book. It's fun, it's easy to read, and it offers a lot of practical advice. When you read the stuff below, keep that thought in mind because I, in no way, think this book is bad.
For you recent college (or even high school) graduates, I give this book top honors. It will most definitely add a lot of value to your life, teaching you things that the classroom just doesn't teach you. For guys and girls alike, this book is worth its weight in gold. (And if you're a parent or close friend of somebody that falls in this audience, it'd make a great graduation gift!)
For folks like me who have been out on their own for a few years, you still might want to pick up this read. We have a decent handle on adult matters, but there are still things to be learned. Things that our generation has downplayed but Kelly encourages for our own benefit. The book won't add as much benefit as if you were immediately coming out of college, but it's still a good read.
And finally, if you have kids that are already in college or beyond, you probably don't need to read this book. You might learn a thing or two, but the wisdom you've gained over the years is probably beyond the scope of Kelly's advice. Sure, it's a fun read, but this last audience might want to spend their time reading a different book instead.
That wraps up this review! I enjoyed reading Adulting a lot, and it gave me a lot of stuff to think about when writing upcoming Adulting 101 posts. Hope you all liked this review, and if you did, be sure to check out my other reviews on #GIRLBOSS, How Google Works, and The Dip.
Disclaimer: I read this book cover-to-cover prior to publishing this review. This book was purchased using personal funds.
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