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Rating: 
Summary: Snarky in a good way
Review: ...Seriously, I have worked with Jason and count him as a friend, so I can say with authority that he is one of the brightest, most talented young men I've ever met and he knows of what he speaks. He is down-to-earth, compassionate, literate and snarky --- great traits for a writer. You will find nothing but good stuff in this book and I highly recommend it for every young person you know. Just be sure to read it before you give it away. ...
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Summary: Ooh! I can make a smoothie!
Review: I'm actually 21, transitioning to another new school, and only beginning to realize that, statistically speaking, I only have 9 more years of life before entering adulthood. This book managed to be informative while catering wit to my short attention span. What's great about the author is his very casual, almost big-brother tone. I found some of the chapters perfectly answered the EXACT questions I usually think about (like an FAQ for 21-year-olds: dating, finances, and smoothie-making) and others to be things I hadn't thought about, but were equally compelling ("the value of stories" and "what marriage isn't"). A lot of my friends are starting off in their own apartments for this upcoming year, and they've thumbed through it and found helpful advice as well. I highly recommend it for people looking for a twenty-anything birthday gift, or a college graduation gift.
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Summary: Amusing, Educational, Uproarious!
Review: Jason Boyett was interviewed on a local radio station here in San Francisco ... and I was the lucky recipient this Quarter-Life Mini-Manual during a Giveaway contest. I just got it in the mail yesterday, couldn't put it down, and have been laughing 'til my ribs hurt. Shared it with my morning carpool (a typically lazy 9th grade student who later mentioned to me, "That's a Cool book"). Brought it to school to show some teacher-colleagues. Even brought it with me to show some friends last nite at a mellow Edwin McCain/Sister Hazel concert. Some of the practical advice Boyett gives makes me whimper with shame, mostly because I didn't know I should've known it by now. But upon jumping around (you are encouraged to browse the book), I decided to read the EPILOGUE early and was impressed by Boyett's conversational, casual, disarming, and never-condescending voice as a writer, Christian, and caring soul. We need more of these kinds of writers who are willing to bring practical faith into a practical world.
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Summary: Where was this when I needed it?
Review: Ok, my 26 year-old son is reading this book, so I pick it up and flip through it. Two hours later, I'm yelling, "Why didn't I have this book when I was 25?" Guests who came for the holidays fought over it, read chapters aloud and repeated my question. It's an easy, witty read, packed with common sense and good information. More important, the author has his life together, yet he lacks the arrogance of many older humans who think they have life figured out. The book is refreshing, honest, funny, and as a bonus, it's helpful to those of us trying to understand this generation. The author is courageous to include the last chapter, which explains the source of the humilty, freedom, creativity and security he exudes. I appreciated that greatly. It takes guts to openly explain one's spiritual values in a world that says everything's relative. Maybe that's why Boyett sounds like a guy you'd like to sit down and have coffee with at Starbucks... he's honest and open and pretty darn secure!
Rating:
Summary: Where was this when I needed it?
Review: Ok, my 26 year-old son is reading this book, so I pick it up and flip through it. Two hours later, I'm yelling, "Why didn't I have this book when I was 25?" Guests who came for the holidays fought over it, read chapters aloud and repeated my question. It's an easy, witty read, packed with common sense and good information. More important, the author has his life together, yet he lacks the arrogance of many older humans who think they have life figured out. The book is refreshing, honest, funny, and as a bonus, it's helpful to those of us trying to understand this generation. The author is courageous to include the last chapter, which explains the source of the humilty, freedom, creativity and security he exudes. I appreciated that greatly. It takes guts to openly explain one's spiritual values in a world that says everything's relative. Maybe that's why Boyett sounds like a guy you'd like to sit down and have coffee with at Starbucks... he's honest and open and pretty darn secure!
Rating:
Summary: Things You Should Know By Now
Review: Okay, so I'm a relative, but also a published writer and poet. I don't think this is a biased review. Jason is but one of my grand-nephews, in a family large enough to make us little more than distant acquaintances. Admittedly, his Pawpaw was my hero long before WWII made the one whose story (part of it) appears in Things You Should Know By Now. I do recognize my big brother's legacy in Jason's wit and willingness to share what he knows - and what he believes - with memorable humor and without the off-putting dogma that, in my estimation, does more damage to Christian beliefs than evil ever could. Although long past "quarterly-aged," I took Things You Should Know By Now on vacation, and sandwiched chapters between grandchildren's games, beach naps, and trips to the zoo, ice-cream parlor, and tourist shops. (Yes, I could put it down, but picked it up again at every opportunity.) Even in bits and pieces, Jason's sense and sensibility impressed me tremendously. It is good evidence that pockets of moral intelligence still exist between the two coasts, where a younger generation can be instilled with enough gumption to figure out for themselves what it takes to survive in, and contribute to, an everchanging world. (I'm just sorry Jason didn't include my pet peeve in his English grammar chapter. Mrs. Yeargan - my 8th grade English teacher - must spin in her grave whenever I surf the internet, where "it's" has pretty much usurped the role of "its" as a possessive pronoun.) Good work, Jason. Keep it up!
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Summary: Sane in a cool way
Review: The school of hard knocks, so often lauded by its graduates, is vastly overrated. Better to preempt those thorny lessons and enjoy more roses along the way, and Boyett dishes up some essential wisdom and joi de vivre in an accessible way in this book. He writes with an intelligence, compassion, literacy and a certain snarkiness that is at once sensible, engaging and cool. I particularly like the way he lightly underscores some precepts with a few biblical examples without the usual dogma, goosebumps or smarmy condescension. Buy a copy of this book with confidence for every graduate and young adult you know. And for your own benefit, be sure to read it yourself before you give it away.
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