Review: Year of Yes

Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, by Shonda Rhimes (Simon Schuster Audio, 2015)

First line: “I am a liar. And I don’t care who knows it.”

I’ve been watching Shonda’s shows since the beginning. Yes, I still watch Grey’s. Yes, I watched all of Private Practice. Yes, I watched all of Scandal. (Okay, no, I didn’t watch How to Get Away With Murder. I have no idea why.) I love her shows. I love her characters. I love her dialogue. So I hoped I’d at least like her book, and specifically, her audiobook. And friends, I did. I truly did.

Those of you familiar with her shows, with their loud and charismatic and loquacious characters, might be surprised to learn that Shonda herself is a shy person. In fact, in the heyday of TGIT Shondaland Thursdays, Shonda found herself so closed off from interviews, press tours, public appearances, and speeches, that when her sister called her out on it, she realized she was in fact miserable. Miserable, despite her crazy successful shows which allowed her to hone the craft she loves and provide for her financially. Despite her three beautiful children. When this realization struck her, she made the decision to stop turning away from things. To do those things she had her characters do, which is how she came to the Year of Yes.

Now, that’s not to say that she literally said “yes” to everything asked of her. She’s clear about that in her text. But she did say “yes” to things that were going to make her a happier, healthier person. This book chronicles that year, and beyond it.

Things that I loved about Year of Yes:

• I loved that she narrates her own audiobook. Shonda has a great voice, and is obviously a writer who writes for her words to be heard aloud. I’ve taken to listening to my audiobooks at 1.25x speed, which gives me a little satisfaction at being able to finish a book before it says I will. But NOT for this one! Shonda is a fast talker, and at parts sounded like a crazy wind-up mouse at 1.25x. I had to slow this sucker down, but for Shonda, it was worth it.
• I loved all the insider information about her shows. All her references to Ellen and Kerry and Viola. (I mean, obviously she’s on a first name basis with her lead actresses, but it still felt elite and exciting.) Also, her devotion to Cristina Yang (the character).
• I loved the writing. She’s a very clever writer, which we’ve known for years and years. But it’s fun to see it in a different context. She’s snappy and funny and honest and vulnerable.

Overall, I thought this was an engaging and surprisingly refreshing memoir. It was unexpected in a lot of ways, and those are the parts I appreciated most. Can’t wait to see where Shondaland takes us next.