Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person

I would have rated this book 5 stars if it hadn’t included the “Mommy Wars” tirade. I felt undeservedly sucker-punched. It truly comes out of nowhere.Shonda Rhimes says motherhood is not a job. That’s she’s a mother and has a job. Yet she hires a nanny to raise her kids. Now it’s true I don’t get paid a wage, but I sure AF am working my backend off all day caregiving. If you’re going to strip me of my position, then validate my hard work. I already go unseen 98% or the time; no I have no accolades to boast, and no colleges will invite me to speak. I made sacrifices too.She says stay at home moms either are rich or have someone to “take care of them.” But it cheapens a woman’s choice to stay home with her kids. A one income budget doesn’t often go far in the real world.Shonda Rhimes is upset that mommy and me classes are during the day when she has to work.She’s outraged? Missing the point more like. These classes are for moms who are isolated day in and out — terrorized by tiny humans. Did she ever consider we need the moral support and structure, somewhere to be during the day, a rare place that can welcome screaming, wild toddlers?I have never judged other women for working. I am not you. Do not mid-book begin ranting about how you are too busy to bake cookies with your kid. Maybe your school wanted your child to feel included in the bake sale, yet it’s more important to make it a moral issue; now it’s inconsiderate (at best) and a judgement on women who have real jobs.Look, I get that to be very successful — as Shonda Rhimes duly is — that you must put yourself out there and put yourself first again, and again, and again. I admired her for that. I love her writing in all forms.However it is unkind the way she did us SAHMs dirty. I tried to justify her words for days in my head and no. I won’t do it. No excuse for it. It’s not a Mommy Wars book I was trying to read but an uplifting, woman-empowering story.This isn’t it. I am sorry I purchased this book. It has wounded me despite her best intent to deflect it as “pro-working mom” arguments.I know she wouldn’t care. I know a lot of people will love this chapter. But for those who have chosen sacrifice to stay home, who have not had help, who have gone without, who struggle to make ends meet but are not at all bitter about it because your job is pretty great in spite of it all — and as equally validating as any corporate or creative project someone gets payment for — this review is a warning. Read at your own risk, but for some of you expect the cruel punch to the gut bc that is “Mommy Wars.”Ya know, I’m a writer too. But I came out of a horrible, abusive home. I had no Ivy League or parents who cared when I graduated university. I have no caregiving help. No opportunities have presented themselves to me in the last couple decades since I graduated.However, I’ve chosen my kids and absolutely do not begrudge anyone who chooses anything they wish for THEIR lives because it’s THEIR choices, their lives. I trust they know.I sometimes wonder how my life could be better if I chose myself more, put myself first more, sought out those creative opportunities. But I’m no martyr anymore than you’re the executioner. I accept that my projects go unexplored for now, and I live with my choices. Don’t tear me down in your book Shonda Rhimes then say you solved the Mommy Wars.Yes, well done you.

I absolutely love this book and will definitely be recommending it to friends to read. I love how down to earth Shonda is throughout the book and she made so many fantastic points that left me thinking and highlighting.

Shonda is one of my favorite tv show writers and I appreciated getting the inside look into her life and struggles.

What an Amazing ❤️ read . I needed this. Starting my Year of Yes, my forever 🙌🏾. Thank you for sharing

I had purchased Year of Yes on audio way back in August 2016. It sat quietly in my audible library waiting on me to finally say YES to it. And, well, that didn't happen until December 2017. Year of Yes was my last listen of 2017 as well as my first of 2018. I had been going through what I call a funk during October and November. I didn't really want to do anything or go anywhere. I wasn't depressed; I was just sort of burned out on life. In December, as I was scrolling through my library, I came across this audiobook and realized I had not listened to it yet. And maybe, just maybe, it would be the motivation I needed to help me get over my funk.I first became aware of Shonda Rhimes because of Grey's Anatomy. From the first episode I was hooked. A few years ago I became a fan of How to Get Away With Murder. Side bar: Viola Davis is a master of her craft and she deserves all the awards! I still have yet to watch Scandal, but somehow I know I'll love it as well. So it's safe to say Rhimes knows how to write killer television series. And despite her epic dramas and phenomenal writing skills it was the title of her book that grabbed my attention: Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.One of the reasons the title grabbed my attention is because I had been saying no a lot. No to nights out with friends. No to events. No to my family. I felt overwhelmed by my responsibilities: work, school, mom, wife, trying to be everything to everyone. It's exhausting. Also, I'm an introvert. Which means I basically want to hide in my hobbit hole for days at a time. My husband is an extrovert as well as one of my children. And I think it's hard for them to understand why I need downtime. But I also felt guilty. Am I spending enough time with my kids, my husband? Should I be saying YES more?So, on a cold December day I started Year or Yes. Shonda (I feel like we should be on a first-name basis now) describes how one little comment made by her sister led her to start her year of yes. Saying yes to things, especially things that scared her, was a liberating experience. It literally changed her life, her attitude, her way of living. Shonda doesn't hold back. She talks about her amazing family and friends, and how they helped her on her path to yes. No man or woman is an island and she gives credit where credit is due. I also like how she pointed out that sometimes we say yes to things by our actions that we should really be saying no to. By the end of the first chapter I was ready to start saying YES to more things in life. Now, I don't have Shonda's resources, so I still have to be choosy about when I say YES. Because this girl needs her sleep!Year of Yes was narrated by the author as well. And I'm glad it was. Shonda has an easygoing conversational manner about her as if she's a friend about to give you some epic advice. So you might want to pour yourself a glass of wine and get comfortable. Year of Yes is inspirational, especially if you're not really feeling it these days. Shonda's vulnerability, humor, and journey will help you find the courage to say YES to life.

Terrible book. I had expected it to hold nuggets of wisdom for mere mortals wishing to open up a bit more in their lives, but she really should have just kept this as a personal diary and not bothered sharing it with the world.We constantly hear how successful she is, how great her family is, how many wonderful opportunities come her way. It is basically how she overcame her fear of public speaking, nothing more than that. She doesn’t try anything else at all! So unless you are a successful screenwriter with a fear of public speaking, this book will be meaningless to you.And for a screen writer her writing style is shocking.It’s like.Totally like.Shocking.I know right?Omg.It really was.Like.Awful.

I heard a bit of this Yes story from various interviews with Shonda Rhimes so I was hoping this would be a good read. It wasn’t unfortunately, not for me anyway. I found the way it was written - like a fiction book with way too much dialogue - very distracting & hard to engage. I didn’t read it all but the bits I did skim read seemed like an overly-detailed account of the significant yeses she took on in this year of yes. Shonda is no doubt a great writer but this book of Yes gets a no from me.

If you need a bit of uplifting inspiration in your life, then I would highly recommend picking up Shonda Rhimes' incredible memoir. Although she seemed to 'have it all', writing & producing three hit network TV shows whilst raising her daughters, a throwaway comment from her sister made Shonda realise that she was deeply unhappy. She was stuck in a habit of saying no out of fear, so she made a vow to say yes to every opportunity that came her way for a year.From speaking engagements to TV appearances and simply just playing with her kids every time they asked, it was a transformative year - and a huge inspiration for anyone who feels like they're stuck in a rut. There's a reason Shonda Rhimes is one of the most famous TV writers in the world - her humour, honesty and ability to give you all the feels are very much present in this book and I fell totally in love with her way of writing, and with her. I didn't want this book to end, but I left it on a total high - the perfect kick up the butt for a depressing time of year!

Being a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, it was eye opening to read about the brains behind these productions. Just say Yes! It may be hard at first, it may even be a little frightening, but if you just say Yes you open up the imaginary doors to the pathways that will lead you to the right people to make things happen. Shonda Rhimes didn’t just wake up one morning and decided to start writing TV productions but by saying Yes and using her imagination it attracted people who could bring her productions alive to the screen. And she raised a family on her own as well as a single mother. Amazing woman. If you’re feeling like you need some kind of uplift because you’re at a crossroads with this book

I have to agree with some of the more negative reviews on here. Greys anatomy is my all-time favourite show and I know that Shonda has created and written many other amazing shows, so I was really looking forward to reading this. However, her writing talent is definitely not at all reflected in this book- it is very repetitive and contains within the first half, two of the speeches (now given many many years ago) which I just find a bit odd.. I could have just watched them online rather than have them regurgitated to me. Also, I would say that the book only really appeals to someone of an older age group as she talks a lot about how to balance work life with being a mother which is great, just not for me. If you love Shonda, stick to watching her great shows and avoid this book.