Year of Yes

Author: Shonda Rhimes

Rating: ⭐ 4/5

Date Read: 2016/04/06

Pages: 352

I have been unapologetically watching Grey’s Anatomy since it premiered during my freshman year in college. I loved it when it was critically acclaimed, and stuck with it even when it got a little…ridiculous. It’s now one of a handful of shows that I actually keep up with as it airs. I expected this book to be a fairly light read, because, despite all the disease and drama, I consider Grey’s Anatomy to be a fairly light show. I was incorrect.

Turns out, Shonda Rhimes is an intelligent, eloquent woman with a unique voice. It also turns out that she’s written a book in which she’s allowed herself to be vulnerable, which is something I respect deeply. This books tells of her realization that she rarely says yes to anything. Indeed, she had been turning down opportunities without actually realizing it, choosing to focus mostly on work. Her Year of Yes project was a personal project to say yes to opportunities that scared her. It worked out well.

I needed this book at this time, even though I don’t think that my life would be improved by saying yes more. I actually think it would be better for me to say no more, or, at the very least, to say yes to the right things. However, I found this moving and inspiring, and I’ll definitely be thinking about it for awhile.