Review of YEAR OF YES by Shonda Rhimes

2 Stars

Let me begin by stating that I had never heard of Shonda Rhimes, and though I have heard of her television shows, I do not watch them.  I also do not tend to read either memoirs or self-help books so this book is not my usual reading.  I read it because it was chosen by my book club. 

Shonda decided that she was going to spend a year saying yes to all the things (like speaking in public) that terrified her.  She spends the book discussing what she learned and how these things changed her life. 

If you are looking for gems of wisdom, don’t look here.  There is nothing new, just simplistic platitudes you have undoubtedly heard before:  conquer your fears and go outside your comfort zone; cultivate true friendships but say no to toxic relationships; accept compliments and be unapologetic about your abilities and successes; maintain a work/personal life balance; love yourself and speak up for yourself.

There is no doubt that Rhimes is an intelligent, talented, hard-working woman who has accomplished a great deal in her chosen career, but sometimes this book is more self-promotional and self-congratulatory than self-help.  Rather than stimulating thought in the reader, she focuses on a few of the challenges she faced in a year:  appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, delivering a convocation speech, being interviewed by Oprah.  Including the full text of three speeches she delivered seems self-indulgent.

The writing style will appeal to some people.   It is conversational in tone with lots of one-word sentences and one-sentence paragraphs.  I, however, found it became very annoying after a while because of its repetitiveness.  Everything is said at least three times:  “I’m competitive.  Not normal-people competitive.  Not friendly competitive.  Scary-psychotic competitive” (31) and “I lean in.  I lean all the way in.  I lean so far in that sometimes I’m lying down” (31) and “He heard me the first time.  You know he did.  I know he did.  We ALL know he did” (60).  The book is a fast read but it could have been much shorter with some judicious editing.  Rhimes learned to speak up for herself but doesn’t seem to know how to express herself succinctly!

Some would consider this my failing, but because I do not watch Shonda’s television shows, there are many references in the book which mean nothing to me.  What is the Chocolate Factory scene in Grey’s Anatomy?  Why does Sandra Oh have to hold a slippery fish so her character on Grey’s Anatomy can regain what she’s lost?  Who is Kerry Washington?  Rhimes goes on and on about the character of Dr. Cristina Yang:  “Cristina Yang was the walking validation of my dreams” (247); this discussion explains nothing to anyone like me who didn’t watch Grey’s Anatomy.  The book was written only for followers of Shonda’s productions? 

There are sections that left me confused.  When beginning her year, Rhimes determined that “I am miserable. . . . I am miserable. Truly, deeply unhappy (23).  Six months later, she tells graduates at her alma mater that “I am truly happy” (85)?  She claims that as a kid she was “way too chubby” (233), but none of the photos show her this way?  In the prologue, she repeats, “See, I am an introvert.  Deep.  To the bone.  My marrow is introvert marrow.  My snot is introvert snot” (xxv).  How, then, did she manage to sell her shows to television executives? 

I wish I had said yes to not finishing this book!