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A review by inkerly
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
3.5
3.5
This is part-memoir, part-motivational self help book on how Shonda Rhimes, award winning and critically acclaimed television writer and producer (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton) changed her outlook on life and fate after committing to a year of saying “Yes” to things. I was initially drawn to this book because I love her shows and as a fellow black female writer with hopes to break into tv/film herself she’s been a sort of inspiration. However the writing felt a little stilted, like one (very) long extended TED Talk, which I was not a super fan of… Then I read a review on her that said this “Year of Yes” was actually a TED Talk that she did, and it all makes sense… unfortunately.
There’s a lot of zany, cliche narrative humor that Rhimes uses that I imagine would pass as humor if she was speaking to an audience (in fact there are several clips inserted in the audiobooks of her public speaking, whether for late show interviews or graduation commencements, and while the humor is still cringe it’s an acceptable comraderie humor that the audience naturally laughs to). But reading (or listening) to this book by myself, I did not feel compelled to laugh. There is no geared laugh track in the form of professional peers when I read this book. So I’m forced to read the cringe and skim over these parts (also, it appears this kind of humor is just part of her personality ) for the sake of the “gems “ of the book
In short, break out of your introverted shell, and learn to say “Yes” to challenges, opportunities , experiences, friendships, and people in your life that mean something to you. This isn’t to say, say “Yes” to things that essentially make you someone’s doormat, in fact that’d be the opposite of the moral. The purpose is to say “Yes” to things you normally wouldn’t out of fear, and to challenge yourself with new perspectives and opportunities for growth. I was amused by some of her stories and am happy that it helped her succeed in making 3 concurrent hit tv shows , becoming a positive mother, and being her best self. I hope I’ll learn to implement some of that myself in my day to day.
This is part-memoir, part-motivational self help book on how Shonda Rhimes, award winning and critically acclaimed television writer and producer (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton) changed her outlook on life and fate after committing to a year of saying “Yes” to things. I was initially drawn to this book because I love her shows and as a fellow black female writer with hopes to break into tv/film herself she’s been a sort of inspiration. However the writing felt a little stilted, like one (very) long extended TED Talk, which I was not a super fan of… Then I read a review on her that said this “Year of Yes” was actually a TED Talk that she did, and it all makes sense… unfortunately.
There’s a lot of zany, cliche narrative humor that Rhimes uses that I imagine would pass as humor if she was speaking to an audience (in fact there are several clips inserted in the audiobooks of her public speaking, whether for late show interviews or graduation commencements, and while the humor is still cringe it’s an acceptable comraderie humor that the audience naturally laughs to). But reading (or listening) to this book by myself, I did not feel compelled to laugh. There is no geared laugh track in the form of professional peers when I read this book. So I’m forced to read the cringe and skim over these parts (also, it appears this kind of humor is just part of her personality ) for the sake of the “gems “ of the book
In short, break out of your introverted shell, and learn to say “Yes” to challenges, opportunities , experiences, friendships, and people in your life that mean something to you. This isn’t to say, say “Yes” to things that essentially make you someone’s doormat, in fact that’d be the opposite of the moral. The purpose is to say “Yes” to things you normally wouldn’t out of fear, and to challenge yourself with new perspectives and opportunities for growth. I was amused by some of her stories and am happy that it helped her succeed in making 3 concurrent hit tv shows , becoming a positive mother, and being her best self. I hope I’ll learn to implement some of that myself in my day to day.