Recommendation: Escape Adulthood
February 03, 2006
You know how sometimes you get to the end of a book, and you close it, and you just want to immediately go back to the beginning and start reading it again? That happened to me this week with the book Escape Adulthood, by Jason Kotecki. I think that it will really resonate with visitors to this site, especially those of you who are here mainly because you think that children's books are cool.
Escape Adulthood is a book about conquering "Adultitis". It's about recapturing that childlike excitement and optimism that all of us used to have. The book consists of 8 primary chapters, each discussing a "secret from childhood for stressed out grown-ups." Like "delight in the little things" and "play "and "maintain perspective". Each chapter ends with 11 concrete tips for getting started. For example:
- From Chapter 3 (Get Curious) we have tip number 8: "Make it a personal mission to learn something new every day. Read lots of books. It is well known that leaders are readers. That's why mansions always have libraries in them."
- From Chapter 4 (Live Passionately): "Even if it's just an hour a week, or 15 minutes each day, do whatever you can to try to carve out some extra time for yourself and your favorite hobby."
- From Chapter 5 (Play): "Next time you go out to eat, order dessert first."
Some of the tips are more original than this, and not all of them will be relevant for every reader, but I'll bet that everyone could benefit from following a few of Jason's suggestions. Even if you don't intend to actually follow the suggestions (you're quite happy with your own level of maturity, thank you very much) the book is still fun to read. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. It's also a short, quick read. You could easily squeeze in a chapter every night before bed. And there are comic strips sprinkled throughout (Jason is a cartoonist, with a strip called Kim and Jason).
I do have one small caveat about my recommendation of this book. Throughout this book, Jason makes regular references to God and faith and the Bible. I didn't find it overwhelming or preachy, but if you are someone who will be bothered by this, then this isn't the book for you. Stop here, and go read Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass
But if you are interested in reading Escape Adulthood, I have a special offer for you. From now until the end of February, you can get free shipping on any order from the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand (the author's website) as long as your order includes one or more copies of Escape Adulthood. Just enter the code JKRBOOKS when prompted for a discount code during your checkout process.
And I can assure that you'll be happy with the customer service from The Lemonade Stand. When I ordered my book they included all sorts of cool stuff in the package, like postcards and bookmarks and a little packet of lemonade. I also heard personally from both the "Chief Sales Servant" Jenna and from Jason Kotecki himself, thanking me for my order. All in all, I've found their customer service to be far above average.
They have other fun products on their site, too. I like the Kim & Jason Greeting Cards, but there are also framed prints candles, mugs and an Adulthood Stinks T-Shirt. This could also be a good place to get a Valentine's Day gift (like the Love Gift Set). But enough said. If you think that you might be suffering from adultitis, or if you just want a book that advises you to play more, then Escape Adulthood is just the book for you. Have fun! -- Jen
© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.