The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do

THE EXPERTS’ GUIDE TO 100 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO: Samantha Ettus: Clarkson Potter: Nonfiction: 326 pages

As a mother of five teens/young adults, I have frequently tried to teach them how to do something “the proper way”. Samantha Ettus has now provided me with the authoritative explanations to support my teaching/preaching.

Ettus, founder and president of a talent and brand-management firm and newspaper columnist, began collecting a list of skills she had never acquired – her “Personal Knowledge Gap”. After determining that others had similar “black holes of skills”, she set about getting 100 nationally recognized experts in their field to write some “Cliffs Notes to life”.

The book is divided into five sections: Morning Life, Work Life, Home Life, Weekend Life, and The Big Life. Each article is a 3-4 page explanation by an expert on one topic. Tracey R. Henderson, executive housekeeper for Holiday Inn explains how to make a bed. Exercise guru Kathy Smith gives instructions on how to correctly do push-ups and sit-ups. Lawn mowing methods are discussed by Fenway Park Director of Grounds, David Mellor. Local expert, Stephen Covey discusses managing your time, while Debbi Fields covers how to bake chocolate chip cookies properly. The articles range from the practical (how to change a baby and pick produce) to the abstract (how to breathe and read body language), but all are concise and informative. There’s something for everyone and a great opportunity to get practical advice from the experts!

DB