Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - A Review

 What it's About:
Shonda Rhimes is the brains behind ABC's Thursday night tv line-up but she had lived much of her life saying no to everything she feared.  She missed out on some amazing opportunities, until she decided to spend a year saying "Yes!" to everything.  Her life was changed forever.

What I Thought:
Before I read this book, I had never heard of Shonda Rhimes.  

Crazy, I know.  


I don't watch the Thursday night line-up on ABC.  I can't watch medical shows (they make me queasy), so I have never even attempted or thought about watching Grey's Anatomy.  I did not know about Shondaland or any of the amazing firsts that Shonda Rhimes was responsible for (even though I have been know to use the word vajayjay; I had no idea it was her invention!).


I decided to read this book after seeing it on a list of inspirational books on Pinterest.  The cover (which I conveniently forgot to take a picture of before I returned it to the library) pulled me in immediately.  It is beautiful, inviting, and empowering.  It made me want to start saying "Yes!" immediately (even though Oprah had already taught me the power of saying "No!").

I read the book in one day.  I could not put it down.  Shonda Rhimes captured my attention on the very first page.  Her writing voice made me feel like we were having a conversation over coffee.  She welcomed me into her life and taught me how important it is to say "Yes!" to the things I fear.

Shonda Rhimes inspired me.  She inspired me to watch four seasons of How to Get Away with Murder on Netflix.  She inspired me to start watching Scandal (I am watching an episode while I am typing this).  She inspired me to make 2018 my year of saying "Yes!" to the things I fear.  She inspired my words of the year for 2018.  She inspired me.

What does that mean for you, dear reader?  Well, one of my fears is putting myself out there.  It sounds weird to say that out loud (write that out loud?) since I have multiple blogs, work as a teacher, and dream about being a published author, but I do have a fear of putting myself out there.  I agonize over every single post.  It has made it difficult to keep a blogging schedule because I doubt every single word I post.  I end up sounding artificial, fake, not like me.

So, dear reader, my year of yes means that you will get more blog posts to read.  Heck, you might even get some video content.   Who knows what might happen when I start saying "Yes!"

Have you read this book?  Are you a fan of Shondaland?