Book Review: "How to Be an Adult"

Author: David Richo

Published: 1991

Genre: Religion / Self-help

Page Count: 122

Personal Taste: ⭐ 5 / 5

Composition Critique: 📐 9 / 10

Average Reader Difficulty: 🟡 6 / 10

✅ Recommended for: Those far along in both their spiritual and psychological journey—specifically intuitives and poetry-lovers.

❌ Skip if: You dislike abstract concepts or are new to spirituality and/or clinical psychology.

The Book

Context: How to Be an Adult by David Richo is a lean, dense, spiritual self-help book aimed at teaching emotional maturity for adults stuck in cycles of guilt, fear, or codependency. Richo's approach reflects a melding of Buddhist philosophy, mythical frameworks, and Jungian psychology. This, coupled with his 15-year clinical experience (now 49 years), explains the book's complexity and uniqueness. The poetic and seemingly vague nature of his writing was intended for readers far into their self-discovery journey, speaking to the subconscious mind over the conscious one.

Contents: The book's three-part structure follows the "hero's journey" metaphor, which he outlines at the onset of the book:

1. Departure: The hero leaves the ordinary world in response to a call to adventure (the decision to move past suffering, complacency, or illusion).
2. Struggle: The hero faces trials, confronts enemies, and descends into darkness (the confrontation of our fears, anger, and guilt).
3. Return: The hero returns to the ordinary world, changed (the transformation in our lives from integrating our Shadow and choosing to live differently).

With chapter summaries, charts, minor exercises, and a list of affirmations, the book has a strong, cohesive, logical structure.

"Should I Read This?"

On one hand,

1. The book is mostly accessible for those far into their spiritual and therapeutic self-discovery—an immediate observation at the onset of reading.
2. Richo's prose tests the reader's holding memory; poetic syntax, winding sentences, and abstract vocabulary make it a difficult read to acclimate to.
3. The book's practical exercises are infrequent compared to the depths of Richo's insights, which may leave readers wanting more guidance.

But, on the other hand,

1. Richo's alchemizing of Buddhist, mythical, and psychological ideas is coherent and compatible, spawning insights rarely encountered elsewhere.
2. While limited to an audience farther along in their self-discovery, this book provides new considerations for those who feel their growth has slowed or plateaued.
3. Like all poetry, the use of abstract, poetic writing is to capture otherwise ephemeral states of being too elusive or complex to be expressed in precise writing.
4. Richo's voice is warm and affirming, yet clear-eyed—focused on self-healing and taking responsibility rather than assigning blame.
5. The organization of the book is lean and structured, which lends itself to maintaining momentum.

Judgment

How to Be an Adult is beautifully written. While a short read, the book's density leaves readers with much to meditate on after each chapter; rushing through this book would dilute its profoundness.

Spoke to My Soul

⭐ 5 / 5 📐 9 / 10 🟡 6 / 10