And Then We Grew Up

Praise for And Then We Grew Up In this funny, insightful book, Rachel Friedman asks hard questions and actually comes up with some answers. It's a must read for everyone who struggles to find a path, fulfill their potential, make a living, and make a life. --Emily Gould, author of Friendship And Then We Grew Up is real as hell and made me feel so seen. Friedman captures so perfectly the endless quest to be a functional happy person in the world who is also, somehow, an art monster. Searching, honest, and generous, this book is a consoling and revealing meditation on making peace with your life. --Meaghan O'Connell, author of And Now We Have Everything Advice about doing what you love often clashes with reality in midlife. In her thoughtful, generous book--a kind of The Big Chill reckoning for mid-life creatives--Rachel Friedman explores how she and her talented childhood friends reached various states of disillusionment and fulfillment. And Then We Grew Up is the perfect gift for anyone trying to reconcile a desire to write, play music, or make art with more pedestrian desires, like having a family, food on the table, or peace of mind. --Ada Calhoun, author of Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give Did you grow up pointed in an artistic direction? Did you not but wonder about those who did? Do you have kids of your own with art in their hearts? If yes on any of those, And Then We Grew Up will be of interest on a dozen levels. With candor and humor and perfect intonation, Rachel Friedman gets at one of the biggest questions of all: What happens to us as we get older? --Chris Colin, author of What to Talk About and What Really Happened to the Class of '93 An insightful, informative, and unexpectedly heartfelt look at all of the ways in which art touches our lives. Friedman reminds us that even if we hang up our dance shoes, neglect our paint set, or box up our musical instruments, creativity never really leaves us. --Geraldine DeRuiter, author of All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft In And Then We Grew Up, Rachel Friedman is a wise and funny guide through a tangle of hard questions about art, work, and life--about what it means to 'make it, ' about the many shades of success and failure, and about the search for fulfillment through creativity. Brave enough to examine her own biases, assumptions, and hangups, she provides a way forward for the rest of us who have wrestled with these questions, too. Essential reading for anyone who wonders about the role of creativity and art in their life. --Eva Holland, author of Nerve: A Personal Journey Through the Science of Fear Praise for The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost Friedman deftly moves from musings on family to specifics about working abroad to first-rate travelogue about the places she visited, striking just the right balance between personal and universal. --Publishers Weekly Friedman's coming-of-age memoir captures the excitement (and bewilderment) of testing out life's possibilities on the far side of the world. You'll laugh and empathize as you get lost with her. --Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding Curious, candid, energetic, and witty, Rachel Friedman is the ideal travel mate, and her sense of humor makes every page of this book a pleasure to read . . . beautifully written and engrossing. --Colleen Kinder, author of Delaying the Real World