Permission Slips: Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break

PERMISSION SLIPS Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break Sherri Shepherd Grand Central Publishing $24.99 - Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-446-54742-0 Reviewer: Annie Slessman Okay, I admit it...I may be the only person alive who has not watched an episode of The View. I didn't know the name, Sherri Shepherd or how famous she was for her comedy abilities. However, I will say that after reading her new book, PERMISSION SLIPS, Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break, I am a fan. Providing a guide for women who take their lives to seriously, Sherri Shepherd, has written a book that every woman who takes her life and her responsibilities so seriously that she cannot give herself a break occasionally, needs to read. Shepherd takes readers through her life to date and the problems, challenges and experiences that have made her the person she is today. Each segment offers not only some good advice, but laughs as well. The ability to laugh at yourself is probably one of the greatest Permission Slips that anyone - woman or man - can give themselves in life. And, laughing keeps the definition lines in your face at a minimum. Frown lines really do make deeper grooves in your face than laugh lines. Because of a new career, I had to read this book one segment at a time. Each segment gave me a reason to laugh, reflect and yes, give myself a Permission Slip to not stay awake at night in order to finish this book. Sherri would be there for me tomorrow with a laugh and some good advice in hand. Thanks, Sherri; it has truly been a pleasure spending some time with you.

Sherri Shepherd's PERMISSION SLIPS is a hilarious take on learning lessons from your mistakes. Sherri takes you through the journey of her childhood, her struggle to pursue her dreams, and even her divorce. At the end of each blurb, Sherri encourages women to give themselves a permission slip when something does not go the way they intended. She addresses her addiction to food and her struggles with diabetes. Her permission slips are funny but laced with truth. Such as giving yourself permission to eat a slice of chocolate cake, only if you promise to make a doctor appointment to get checked for diabetes. Laurie Kilmartin, the co-author, does a great job capturing Sherri's voice. This will have you laughing and crying at the same time. Sherri's pure honesty is so refreshing. She gives it to you in her tell-it-like-it-is kind of way. And the message is good. Women, look after yourself first. You cannot make anyone happy until you are truly happy. I highly recommend this book. Donnica Copeland APOOO BookClub Sista Talk Book Club

Have your tissue ready for this one. She will have you laughing until you cry. Sherri Shepherd declares, in Permission Slips, that no matter what a woman does, or how well she does it, she can't make everyone happy. So why not give ourselves permission to be ourselves, and make some waves, or at least, some ripples in our lives! She shares with the reader some of her own permission slips and how she celebrates life. Some chapters in the book are: Doing Everything Wrong; Permission to Date, Love, Marry, and Divorce the Wrong Guy; Permission to Pursue Your Dreams; Permission to Get Better as I Get Older; Permission to Be Less Than Perfect; and much, much more. Her book is sensitive, honest, inspirational, spiritual, and one of the funniest books I've EVER read. Several times I laughed out loud until I cried!!! It is such a good read. I highly recommend it!!

'Permission Slips' by Sherri Shepherd is not only an intimate peek into the life of this 'View' cohost. It grabbed my attention from the first page, made me laugh throughout, made me anxious reading about the things that went wrong during her pregnancy and the challenges her premie son faced, and it taught me a few things. Most importantly though, Ms Shepherd gets the point across that we HAVE to give ourselves permission to be real people, to accept that we aren't perfect and will mess up, but that it's okay and not to beat ourselves up about it. I think Sherri deserves the 'Every Woman' crown (Opera's using a different theme song now so I think it'd be okay). She's a star, but she clearly has so many things in common with the average woman, including myself, that I think every woman reading her book will be able to relate. This is a great book and I recommend it.

This is not the sort of book I usually read, but the title caught my attention. I wholeheartedly agree with Shepherd's assertion that women generally are too hard on themselves -- expecting too much, stressing too much, not allowing themselves to enjoy life as much as they should. The idea of giving yourself permission to be human, accept yourself, and relax a little is a great concept. Chapters cover such topics as "Doing Everything Wrong," "Permission to Date, Love, Marry, and Divorce the Wrong Guy," "Permission to Pursue Your Dreams," and "Permission to Be Less than Perfect." You get the idea -- Shepherd is telling women that stuff happens, deal with it, clean up the mess, and do better next time. And don't forget to laugh about it. This is a fast and enjoyable read. It's funny and candid and surprisingly insightful. It's light enough that you can take it to the beach with you, but you will also garner some valuable life messages from it. I didn't know if I would be comfortable with the religious references in the book, but she doesn't hit you in the face with her beliefs. She presents them in a way that makes them apply to just about everyone regardless of their religious beliefs. I plan to give this book as a birthday present to a friend of mine who needs to give herself permission to be human. Most women will be able to find themselves in some portion of Shepherd's book. And they'll be posting little permission slips based on Shepherd's advice on their refrigerators and computer screens.