Reviews

And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood by Rachel Friedman

spauffwrites's review

3.0

For any former “gifted” children or people with creative pursuits, the author’s dilemmas will feel familiar. No great revelations here, but some good takeaways. True creatives enjoy the practice as much as the output and the accolades, and there are lots of ways to be creative in life, even if you don’t have the dream creative job you wanted as a kid. And everyone feels lost and mourns the unlived life a little bit. The book made me want to read more into creativity and how to get better at making space for creative flow in my job.

andrearbooks's review

4.0

And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood by Rachel Friedman is a book that hit me with a wave of nostalgia and emotion I wasn't unexpecting. That wave was also something I didn't know I needed. The author was once a dedicated violinist. She spent her summer at a fine arts camp, and she had aspirations of doing something big with her talent. Then, plans changed. Now on another road, she is reflecting on what might have been. She also decides to reconnect with other campers who had similar talent and aspirations way back when. Each of their stories is so fascinating as they describe their own paths, and the author also parses out her own lessons and reflections from where they are. As someone who played violin through college, this was a book made for me. I miss playing in an orchestra so much, and this book was affirmation I need to pick my old friend back up even if just for me. This book was just a wonderful reflection that our creativity and art can (and should) evolve. This energy never goes away, and there is power and purpose in finding new ways to channel this in our life. This was so much a book for me. It spoke to the past and present version of me, and I just loved there was something so intentionally dedicated to a world I knew and still know. At times I was teary, other times I smiled, and overall, I left this one with a wave of nostalgia and inspiration I so needed.

spideog's review

Couldn't pay attention to the narration

pixisox's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

meganpbell's review

5.0

For anyone who grew up gifted but ditched violin or poetry (hi!) or sculpture after college and has always wondered, “What if?” Now you’ll be wondering, “Where has AND THEN WE GREW UP been all my (adult) life?” As a child, Rachel Friedman played viola so skillfully she made it into the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp, but she left her bow behind amid the pressure cooker of college. Now she’s a freelance writer in NYC plagued by old questions about what creative success is supposed to look like. Where are all those fellow campers now? Did they all achieve their childhood dreams? In tracking these former child prodigies down, Friedman discovers a vast range of creative engagement, from a screenwriter in Hollywood to a Pilates instructor in Denver. Interweaving these interviews with passages from sages like Elizabeth Gilbert and Pema Chodron, she finds an acceptance and appreciation for creativity in all its forms and gives us all the much needed encouragement to make peace with the possible selves of our pasts and rediscover the creativity that was with us all along.

*Also there’s several paragraphs meditating on the ending of Harry Potter so yeah, this book was made for me.

margereadsanotherbook's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

ellenorr's review

fast-paced

2.5

de_alexa's review

3.0

This memoir explored the author's journey with creativity and potential, and in doing so, managed to condense several other books' ideas on the topic* (the relationship between creative success and talent). I found this mixture of ideas interesting, and it did encourage me to reflect on a few things. In addition, I did like Friedman's critique of some of the self-help books-- those that make it seem like quitting or failing is always either a problem or an action proving you're one step away from true success.
Although I was sympathetic towards the author's dilemma, I did feel like sometimes she came off as whiny/privileged or overly envious (I'm not trying to act all high and mighty like the rest of the world has never felt a twinge of jealousy before, but in some instances it did make me feel a bit uncomfortable. I don't mean to seem very judgmental of the author's character, especially since I don't know her, but sometimes her moments of jealousy caught my attention because I would personally not react like that towards the accomplishments of people I know).

* If you want a more complete and in-depth analysis of this topic, however, you should look elsewhere; this discusses only a portion of everything there is to understand.

kadengrace's review

inspiring reflective slow-paced

2.75

i finished the book, but more out of a sense of obligation than anything else; like it would bug me sitting there unfinished. someone with a background in music may find more in this book than i did.

misscbingley's review

4.0

1) I really enjoy Friedman's writing. I selfishly hope she continues to write and publish.

2) The topic of this book is so very up my alley.