Jumia Books Year Of Yes By Shonda Rhimes, Light Blue, Relationships

Year of Yes is a 2015 self-help novel by American author and actress Shonda Rhimes. Semi-autobiographical, it serves as Rhimes’ retrospective on her development as an individual from being introverted to being an outspoken public figure. One of the main ways in which Rhimes willed this transformation into being was, according to her, to simply say “yes” whenever she was asked a question for which an affirmative response invited uncertainty or risk. Rhimes’ main argument is that by saying “yes,” individuals can gain certain extroverted traits necessary that help form self-love. The novel reached a widespread audience because of Rhimes’ prominence as an actor and minority in American television.

Rhimes begins her book by describing her past as a public figure. Famous at the time of writing for her public advocacy as well as her acting, she nevertheless states that she is, at heart, an introvert. She recalls a time when she did little to counter her social orientation, fearing her public roles as a feminist and minority advocate, to the point where she nearly buckled under the pressure to be extroverted.