It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound [Hardcover]

Terry McMillan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2006

When her son Solomon graduated from high school, Terry McMillan was asked to be the guest speaker at the commencement ceremony. Determined not to be dull or redundant, Terry thought back to when she was stepping out into the world for the first time and the things she wished people had told her. Printing up what she thought were the most important tips for these new graduates, Terry was surprised to find that not only were these homemade pamphlets a hit with the students, but their parents clamored for copies too.

Now with It's Ok If You're Clueless, Terry McMillan brings her trademark wit and sass to every son and daughter about to take their first tentative steps into adulthood. Offering such nuggets as "Sit up straight," "Don't listen to your parents," and "Bring your laundry home," as well as "See the world" and "Read anything and everything," It's Ok If You're Clueless is packed with the commonsense advice and conversational tone that have made her novels classic bestsellers. Equal parts witty and wise, It's Ok If You're Clueless is the perfect gift for the college bound this May.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's a treat to hear the often-cranky McMillan's motherly, caring side sneak out, which it does on this audiobook born of a speech she gave to son Solomon's high school graduating class. Notwithstanding Floyd's sassy sista-girl voice with a Terry-like accent, listeners familiar with McMillan's voice might feel shortchanged that she did not narrate this single disc. Otherwise, this music-free CD is perfect for a young adult attention span: short, funny, hip, yet insightful and heartfelt. After the introduction—which explains that the speech covers what McMillan wished she'd known as a high school graduate in the class of 1969—are 23 commonsense tips (from "Sit up straight and walk tall" to "Don't listen to your parents") to guide young adults through the confusing sea of hormones and homework, influences and inspirations. The nurturing tone only underscores how much more momentous it might have been if McMillan herself had narrated this important departure from her bestselling relationship-based fiction. And her money's where her mouth is: the introduction notes that Solomon graduated from Stanford University in last month.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Terry McMillan is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of five previous novels and recipient of the Essence Award for Excellence in Literature.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1st edition (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670032980
• ISBN-13: 978-0670032983
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry McMillan fell in love with books as a teenager while working at the local library. She studied journalism at UC Berkeley and screenwriting at Columbia before making her fiction debut with Mama, which one both the Doubleday New Voices in Fiction Award and the American Book Award. She lives in Northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Oh, The Places You'll Go... with a hip hop beat, August 9, 2006

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound (Hardcover)

This slim, slim book is the text of a high school commencement address given to Terry McMillan's son's high school graduation class.

It reads like it. The hardback covers are thicker than the pages.

I can "see" that this could be a popular speech with the high school graduation crowd. Take what your parents say with a grain of salt. Read everything. Travel. Have good posture. Be responsible with alcohol. Exercise.

This book is in desperate need of linking its 24 tidbits of advice with a reality check. Reading Playboy is okay for reading everything? McMillan thinks so. Parents really don't understand the world these new graduates will be facing? Yes, says McMillan.

Then there is the little matter of details. Eat right, pronounces McMillan. How? Exercise! When? Money isn't everything! So... back to the Peace Corps? [No slam to the Peace Corps intended... it isn't for everybody, but it is incredible for a few.]

This reads like a commencement speech that isn't boring, and that makes the audience laugh. I'm all for an entertaining speech. But to think that it transcends entertainment and becomes of enough value to BUY...?

Maybe this book fits into the "read everything" category (hey, it works for me!). I think Dr. Seuss was a lot more entertaining, and at least as wise.

Here is the dangerous thing. Great high school students know the entertainment value of a speech like this. Poor students may not. Maybe witty McMillan doesn't mind. Well, that's not fair... of course she minds. These (usually) witty comments just don't deserve to be legitimized in book form ("Do my laundry, Mom... I read it in a book!").

Bottom line? This book is a poor investment in the future. If you are looking for a gift for a graduating senior, how about a dictionary, a watch, a resume polishing session, or sponsor a visit to a college. This book is not even big enough for a doorstop.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 11, 2007

By 

Lee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound (Hardcover)

I gave this book to someone as a gift. She had a few ideas of what she wanted to go to college for, but was undecided which one to choose. It bothered her going into college not knowing exactly what she wanted to major in. Even though everyone around her told her those feeling were normal I guess reading it made it better. This book was perfect, it let her know those feeling were normal (like we told her) and that after a few classes it would come to her. I guess heating it from a strange made her believe what everyone around her was telling her. After her 1st year of college she decided on her childhood dream and is on her way to becoming a pediatrian. I think this is the perfect gift fo any student entering college that is undecided or scared. It gives great advice, tells how parents and students feel about the transition of leaving the "nest".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BE PREPARED, January 2, 2010

By 

salvacion mendiola ""Island Girl"" (Tinian, CNMI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound (Hardcover)

Our three teenagers are college-bound, all within a three-year period. This book is short and concise, but has valuable information for them to consider, like exercise, getting enough sleep, eating properly, etc...all basic information for the youngsters to work into their daily regimen. I liked the little 'wise' book and have already reviewed it with the first one going off. Terry wrote it for a HS graduating class in Berkeley, California, and it contains wisdom and good sense.