Adulting

March 11, 2013
A young journo mines a brief life and years of advice from friends and professionals—counselors, social workers, her car mechanic Shane—in order to create this how-to guide to becoming (or simply being) a “grown-up.” The 468 steps are more like tips than items on a checklist, and clearly labeled chapters allow readers to pick and choose their entry point. The “Domesticity” section explains, among other things, how to choose, decorate, and clean an apartment; “Get a Job” covers networking, job-specific resume-editing, techniques for salary negotiations, and includes a flowchart to determine how many drinks you should have at a company event; and “Money” walks readers through creating a budget and sticking to it, and illuminates the intricacies of 401(k)s, IRAs, and compound interest (all accompanied by Brown’s illustrative sketches of animals—e.g., Pension Panda). Also provided are kitchen tips and simple recipes, thoughts on meeting new friends, tricks for doing laundry, and Shane the mechanic’s advice on picking out a used car. Fun, chatty, and surprisingly informative, Brown’s guide—already optioned for a TV adaptation, to be backed by Fox and produced by J.J. Abrams—is perfect for the wayward 20-something, or 30-something, or... Agent: Brandi Bowles, Foundry Literary + Media.