Adulthood Review

Synopsis from Edelweiss:

As any current or former 20-something knows, adult life can get a bit weird because no one tells you what to expect. Many of us spend a decade or more figuring out how the world works, hoping that by age 30 our friends are too old to remember what happened.

Unfortunately, Andy Boyle does not have it all figured out. But the funny and useful advice and observations in this engaging book will help any newly minted adult get through the hard parts faster, guaranteed. (Note: not literally guaranteed.)

Topics include:
Empathy, or why Nickelback fans are the best
Making dates suck less
What Would Tom Hanks Do?
How not to be an asshole
Should you get back together with your ex? (No)

About: Adulthood for Beginners: All the Life Secrets Nobody Bothered to Tell You is a funny self-help book written by Andy Boyle. It will be published on 5/2/17 by TarcherPerigee, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, paperback, 272 pages. The genres are humor and self-help. According to Penguin’s website, TarcherPerigee was established in 2015 through the merger of two Penguin’s imprints, together publishes “award-winning books aimed at helping readers Learn, Create, and Grow.” Their core publishing areas includes self improvement, creativity, parenting, spirituality, and gift/inspiration. Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading Adulthood for Beginners: All the Life Secrets Nobody Bothered to Tell You on 4/23/17 and finished it on 4/30/17. This self-help book is truly an awesome read! The introduction is hilarious and already had me laughing out loud. This book started out with a list of 12 points, among them, my favorites are “Regardless of your past, you can always change yourself for the better” and “Everyone makes mistakes and you shouldn’t be supershitty to people because of it.” I am guilty of doing both and this book is a great reminder not to repeat it.

This book focus on how awesome you are, including putting a post it note on your mirror that says you are awesome so that you can see the note every time you look at yourself in the mirror. There are advices for your inner self, social, dating, work, body, and next-level. Some of my favorites are to develop empathy for others. This is when someone looking very impatient behind you at the supermarket checkout lane or honking their horn on the road. You just think that they have a sick person at home waiting for them to get home and that’s why they are rushing and having a foul mood. I like the advice on making achievable goals. It’s very easy to understand.

In each section, I love the conclusion of mostly good rules to live by. I like this rule, “Just because you were an asshole, it doesn’t mean you still have to be.” I like tips on how to make friends and I have shared these tips with a friend who just moved. Great advices on handling social media and what to and not to post. This book has amazing advices on how to party and even how to deal with a hangover. There are advices and dating and ideas on places to go.

Great advices for handling yourself in the workplace. I like advices on how to develop a reputation you want at work and one of the reputation you want is to be nice and not to be shitty in emails. I am guilty of that because when I’m busy trying to get things done and people keep on badgering me for something, I lost my cool and sent an ugly response which I regretted later. I like the list of things that you think don’t matter at your job but do, especially how messy my desk is. I have to make a point to toss my piles of papers to the cabinet when I get to work Monday 🙂

Awesome advices on exercise and eat less crap to feel better. I utilize the drink more water immediately. I love the simple calculation and my son is drinking his water as I type away this sentence! When you realized that a celebrity only looks beautiful because they have a whole team of talented professionals to make them look beautiful, you won’t feel so pressure to look as beautiful as them. I like those advices about not hanging your favorite art with thumbtacks or tape when you no longer live in the dorms. I didn’t mention this in the paragraphs above, but I really LOVE the HUMOR and funny ways the author describe the advices. There isn’t many easy to read self-help books on the market, but this one is my top choice because the humor written from a comedian makes improving yourself much more fun and less of a chore. There is really no dull moment in this book. The advices are amazing and attainable! I highly recommend everyone to read this book and I can already see myself reading this book again.

Pro: funny, tell it like it is, matter of fact, great honest personal tips, easy to read, page turner, fast paced, useful tips, interesting, (some foul language, so I would recommend readers ages 13 and up),

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Grab yourself a copy here: Penguin Website or Buy here for free shipping: Book Depository

About the Author:

Andy Boyle is a writer, comedian and web developer. His work, including a viral piece about giving up drinking has been in Esquire, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The St. Petersburg Times and The New York Times Regional Media Group, where his work was cited in the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. When he’s not teaching a class in digital storytelling at Columbia College Chicago or working on screenplays, he performs comedy wherever he can, usually in venues that shouldn’t allow comedy. He lives in Chicago with his way-too-fluffy cat Tiberius. (Info obtained from Edelweiss and photo obtained from the author’s website).

A Conversation with Andy Boyle, author of Adulthood for Beginners

What prompted you to write this book?

I have been fortunate to give lots of talks during my career, because I have somehow tricked people into thinking what I have to say is worth hearing. But repeatedly, after I would speak, younger folks would come up to me and ask questions that generally had nothing to do with the speech. They were basic life questions — How do you negotiate a salary? How do I ask someone out? Should I decorate my apartment with posters of aliens smoking weed? So I set out to write a book that would answer these questions and more, based on my decade-long experience of being what some would call an adult.

Do you have a favorite topic in this book? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite topics are abut learning how to treat people better, and how it makes you a more positive and happy person. I think if more people were nicer from the get go, we would have many fewer problems in the world. When someone cuts you off in traffic, if instead of swearing and giving them the finger, you think, “I bet that person is having a hard day,” you will be less angry, and have a much lower chance of that person later punching you.

Has there been a definitive moment when you realized you were finally an adult?

When I sat in a room with lawyers and real estate agents and signed paperwork for buying my home. I had to sign my name a million times, all the while a lawyer is explaining to me how I now own a physical part of the world. They don’t usually let a 12-year-old own part of the world, unless you’re Bruce Wayne. (RIP Bruce’s parents.)

What has been the most challenging moment of adulthood for you so far?

Watching my parents get older. I love them very much, and as they age they do lose a bit of the physical spring in their step, and just knowing my dad can’t put me on his shoulders and walk me through a theme park is kind of a bummer. But what’s still funny is imagining my 6’2″ frame on my 70-year-old dad’s shoulders, trying to order cotton candy at a carnival.

What has been the most useful piece of advice you’ve personally received since graduating college?

The best one is that your career is just what happens while you’re trying to pay rent. You can’t necessarily plan it, it just happens. So don’t get too worried if things don’t go according to plan, because nobody’s career is truly planned. The second best is whenever you get the opportunity, use the restroom.

If you could tell the graduating class of 2017 one thing, what would it be?

Empathy is the most powerful tool you have. If you care about others, not only does it make the world a better place, it allows you to relate with others and understand them better, which means you can solve problems and connect with people better. It also means you’ll probably be less of a jerk. It’s way easier to get a job if you’re not a meanie.

What sets your book apart from other advice books?

I make lots of jokes and tell you incredibly embarrassing and cringe-worthy stories about bumbling through life, from which you can learn from. The whole idea is that I was an idiot, so you don’t have to be.

What do you hope people will take away from this book?

Rarely will you ever regret going out of your way to be nice and kind.

More Information about Tarcher Perigee

Web: http://tarcherbooks.com | Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarcherPerigee | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TarcherPerigee | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarcherperigee

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine