Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: Review
Welcome to my review of Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes! My mom recommended I read this in 2021, so I decided it would be a good book to read at the beginning of this year.
Title: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Author: Shonda Rhimes
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: 09/13/16
Description
The instant New York Times bestseller from the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder shares how saying YES changed her life.
She’s the creator and producer of some of the most groundbreaking and audacious shows on television today. Her iconic characters live boldly and speak their minds. So who would suspect that Shonda Rhimes is an introvert? That she hired a publicist so she could avoid public appearances? That she suffered panic attacks before media interviews?
With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms: You never say yes to anything. Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.
This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.
Review
I love the idea behind the Year of Yes. As someone who’s a homebody and has been doing less and less, I can see the value in doing the things you’re too comfortable to do. Doing the things that would require more out of you.
It took me several chapters to get into the book because Shonda has a very particular voice and sense of humor. But once I was drawn in, I had an enjoyable time reading her observations and storytelling. I’ve never seen more than a few episodes of any of her shows, so it was interesting getting an inside view of something I wasn’t familiar with.
There were a lot of things she said that I vibed with, like her take on dreams and luck and marriage. There were also a lot of things that I probably would have been able to appreciate more if I had experienced them before, like motherhood.
My mom recommended this book years ago, and I’m glad I finally took the time because there are some insights that I’d love to take into and apply to my own life.
Author
Shonda Rhimes is CEO of the global media company Shondaland. With a focus on innovation, Rhimes’s company approaches storytelling through brand partnerships, merchandise, and content for film, streaming, audio, digital, and editorial. In her career, Rhimes’s work has been celebrated with numerous awards including induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She has shifted the entertainment industry’s business model and changed the face of television.
Where to Buy
Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
