21st Century Coming of Age
Coming of age… what does that even mean? As someone with Mexican heritage, I wince at the semi coming of age ceremony at my quinceanera. From a shiny tan, bedazzled black-bow pair of flats to 6-inch sparkly silver diamond heels.
*Cue Beyonce’s 6 Inch*
Just kidding, I could barely walk in those things, much less like “nobody’s business.”
According to Cambridge dictionary, someone’s coming of age is the time when that person legally becomes an adult and is old enough to vote.
Well, in the United States that’s 18 years old.
I think that describes the ‘coming of age’ period pretty well. Being considered a “adult” at the age of 18… that’s more questionable. Most 18-year-olds, in my opinion, don’t yet understand how to balance a checkbook or do their laundry properly.
Now, what makes 18 a year of becoming, lies in the fact it’s usually an age for discovery, freedom, and releasing of the high school training wheels.
My first book, that’s in the process of being published has the phrase,
‘Coming of Age: From Girl to the Real World’
So, I thought it would be appropriate to write a blog post on what the heck ‘Coming of Age’ means.
According to the Stanford Daily, a coming-of-age story,
“focuses on the development of the protagonist(s) from youth to adulthood, with an emphasis on personal growth and mental cultivation.”
I would add, that a good coming-of-age story proves to be cautionary. At least mine is ;)
My book is intended for young men and women either interested or currently in college. To expose some untold truths and uncover realities about adulthood we don’t talk about enough.
Enticed, yet?
Well, stay tuned my friends… the tenative release date is in June, with pre-orders happening in May.
