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With memoir-style short stories, author Vivian Olodun’s debut “Stumbling Through Adulthood” is superb storytelling with an interactive twist!
Stumbling Through Adulthood: A Guided Journal for Failing Forward is a series of short stories in an interactive journal for those struggling to find purpose in their failure.
From an impromptu date gone awry to being hustled by a sibling, author Vivian Olodun pens memoir-style entries from her own personal journal in hopes of inspiring young readers—particularity women of colour—to get out there and achieve their dreams.
Superb Storytelling with an Interactive Twist!
Easy to read with a young and conversational voice, Stumbling Through Adulthood is formatted as an interactive journal sectioned into five different areas. (1) School & Education, (2) Friends & Family, (3) Love & Relationships, (4) Jobs & Adulting and (5) Lifestyle & Success.
Illustrated by Nicole Guerrero Benitez, each section begins with four short stories that fit into their respective category. At the end of the fourth story, the reader is prompted to reflect back on each story with simple questions to guide them through their own thoughts and takeaways.
Complete with lined journal pages and all, it’s a bold new approach to storytelling that I haven’t come across before.
At first I thought going from story to story and section to section was going to be too disruptive for my brain to process. We’re so used to linear storytelling with a beginning, middle, climax and fairy tale ending.
But the more I read and leaned into the characters, the more I become charmed with the young author’s take on the perils of being an adult.
From making tough decisions to standing up for yourself, Stumbling Through Adulthood reminds us that adulthood is a complex roadmap, that without a compass, can be hard to navigate.
“Stumbling Through Adulthood” available on Amazon
“It’s called Tiffany Blue”
My favourite section of the book and the one that I could relate to the most was the “Jobs & Adulting” section.
Without giving away any spoilers, the first short story in this section reminded me of my own work life scenarios in which I’ve had to deal with passive aggressive comments from co-workers, been “questioned” about something I was wearing at work, and having to push back on a salary offer that was too low.
After reading through this section of short stories, I landed on the journal questions at the end. “Is being a victim a choice?” it asked me. My answer: Yes. Being a victim is a choice.
Some of us might be young, new to the work force and learning all the tricks of the trade as we balance career, relationships, money, friends and a whole host of other challenges, struggles, wins and milestones.
Others might be deep in the game with the battle scares to prove it. But we all get kicked down by life, punched in the gut with unfair circumstances and drowned by crushing defeats.
We all get our fair share of crosses to bear. What matters is that we get back up and make a choice to win the next round. We choose to keep going. We choose to beat the odds. We choose happiness, glory and to rise.
Pictured: Author Vivian Olodun (right) and illustrator Nicole Guerrero Benitez (Ieft)
It was a great question. One that I am glad this book forced me to answer. In doing so, I felt an immense wave of gratitude, strength and perseverance bubble up inside of me.
Yes, yes, yes to reading Stumbling Through Adulthood. Make it your next #bookclub discussion. Perhaps it could prompt you to discover something new about yourself or the courage that lays deep within you.
