Adulthood is a Myth, by Sarah Andersen

We all have to grow up sometime.  Or not.  Sarah Andersen's collection of cartoons, Adulthood is a Myth, reminds us that there is more to growing than just adding numbers to your age.  She struggles with adult things, like chores, work, and relationships, but still has to deal with getting out of betting and talking to people.

Andersen's comics will best be appreciated by single women, women on their period, introverts, and book worms.  I am a married man, somewhat extroverted, and a book worm, and I really enjoyed her humor.  She did make a little fun of my favorite shoes, in her "Ugly Shoe Trend" comic.  (They're called Vibram Five Fingers, Sarah, and they're awesome.)

She also has a love-hate relationship with social media.  It is sort of odd the things people share.  Do your friends want to see the picture of the cheeseburger you had for lunch?  Really more than that, the complexities of relationships give her fodder for laughs.  Our public face and the thoughts in our heads may not always correspond. . . .  She'll try to be sociable, but her introverted self just wants to get home and get in her pajamas.  Sounds like my wife.

Fashion foibles and overeating are stereotypically feminine concerns, and they are reflected in Adulthood is a Myth.  I can't necessarily relate to her trying on a bunch of clothes and wondering "Are clothing companies even aware that bras exist?"  I do sometimes wonder why girls can't seem to wear a shirt that covers their bra. . . .  I also can't personally relate to angst about shaving my legs.  But I did like the contrast of a "bad relationship," where her boyfriend flees upon seeing her unshaven legs, and the "good relationship," where he admires them.  "Ooooo, fuzzy!"  (My wife and I have a good relationship.)

So, Andersen has lots of feminine humor that I can only appreciate only in a second-hand way.  But she hit home with me on overeating during the holidays, staying up all night reading, procrastinating, and, overall, realizing that just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm automatically going to do grown-up things.  "I still just don't feel grown up, ya know?"

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!