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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Great read. Enjoyed hearing the author read this book. Inspiring as well.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
What an amazing read. Shonda Rhimes is so engaging. The old liar's story is the best.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
I was a little worried that this would be a book about an introvert finding out how wonderful it is to be an extrovert but I love Shonda Rhimes’ shows so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did. This is not about saying yes to all the parties, this is about saying yes to who you really are. Speaking your truth, loving yourself, being your strongest advocate. It’s a book about being mindful. Be. That’s all you need to do. Be.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is a delightful and inspiring true story about a New Year's resolution that changed a life. Shonda Rhimes (writer and executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," "Private Practice," and "How to Get Away with Murder") seems to have it all -- an amazing family, beautiful children, an Ivy League education, and an incredibly successful career. She has won an astonishing number of awards including a Golden Globe and was part of Time magazine's "100 People Who Help Shape the World." And yet, she is somehow unhappy, unfilled, and afraid of taking risks.
She reflects, "My earliest memories are of sitting on the floor of the kitchen pantry. I stayed there for hours... I had a wonderful childhood, but I lived so deep in my imagination that I was happier and more at home in that pantry with the canned goods than I ever was with people. I felt safer in the pantry. Freer in that pantry. True was I was three years old. And somehow even more true at forty-three."
After a Thanksgiving Day discussion with her sister, Shonda realizes how many opportunities she passes up because of fear, and she resolves to say "Yes!" to everything that comes her way in the upcoming year. She says yes to speaking at Dartmouth's commencement ceremony, to appearing on talk shows, and to attending events. She says yes to playing with her children more and living in the moment. She says yes to her health and her body, and loses over 100 pounds in the course of the year. (Go Shonda!!) And throughout the book, "yes" develops a new meaning, a sort of connecting force. "Yes" evolves from parties and events to being yourself, to making decisions that others may not agree with and standing up for yourself. And dancing. And being happy.
"Each time I said yes, I gained new friends and new experiences and found myself getting involved with projects that I never would have dreamed I could be a part of. I laughed more. I was bolder. I was brazen."
I love that she included her speeches from the Human Rights Campaign, Dartmouth commencement, and others. I also really loved that she discussed the beloved Grey's Anatomy character Cristina Yang (who is no longer on the show) and what she represented to Shonda. The color photos in the back of the E-book were a beautiful addition as well.
There were times that I disagreed with her, such as her denial of any aspect of luck in her success, and I also felt overwhelmed by the humor at times and would have liked a greater balance with more sentimental moments, but overall the book was delightful. It was honest and entertaining, and the tone was consistent.
"I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don't call me luck. Call me a badass."
She reflects, "My earliest memories are of sitting on the floor of the kitchen pantry. I stayed there for hours... I had a wonderful childhood, but I lived so deep in my imagination that I was happier and more at home in that pantry with the canned goods than I ever was with people. I felt safer in the pantry. Freer in that pantry. True was I was three years old. And somehow even more true at forty-three."
After a Thanksgiving Day discussion with her sister, Shonda realizes how many opportunities she passes up because of fear, and she resolves to say "Yes!" to everything that comes her way in the upcoming year. She says yes to speaking at Dartmouth's commencement ceremony, to appearing on talk shows, and to attending events. She says yes to playing with her children more and living in the moment. She says yes to her health and her body, and loses over 100 pounds in the course of the year. (Go Shonda!!) And throughout the book, "yes" develops a new meaning, a sort of connecting force. "Yes" evolves from parties and events to being yourself, to making decisions that others may not agree with and standing up for yourself. And dancing. And being happy.
"Each time I said yes, I gained new friends and new experiences and found myself getting involved with projects that I never would have dreamed I could be a part of. I laughed more. I was bolder. I was brazen."
I love that she included her speeches from the Human Rights Campaign, Dartmouth commencement, and others. I also really loved that she discussed the beloved Grey's Anatomy character Cristina Yang (who is no longer on the show) and what she represented to Shonda. The color photos in the back of the E-book were a beautiful addition as well.
There were times that I disagreed with her, such as her denial of any aspect of luck in her success, and I also felt overwhelmed by the humor at times and would have liked a greater balance with more sentimental moments, but overall the book was delightful. It was honest and entertaining, and the tone was consistent.
"I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don't call me luck. Call me a badass."
inspiring
medium-paced
I would probably give this a 2 if I didn't enjoy listening to Shonda's voice so much. The writing style was not my favorite, there wasn't a coherent narrative to the book. I did like the speech recordings interspersed throughout, those were well written, but I'm sure they had a larger impact on me because I listened to the audiobook.
I will say though that this book did a great job of making me want to watch Grey's Anatomy.
I will say though that this book did a great job of making me want to watch Grey's Anatomy.