Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman

by Judy Sheindlin

Judge Judy has heard enough.As a family court judge in New York City and now in her successful TV courtroom show, she has listened to thousands of excuses, complaints, and tales of woe from women of every background, and she's ready to rule. Women, she states with her trademark frankness, need to wise up, stop subjugating who they are, and stop making stupid decisions in the name of love. They hide their talents and opinions so they won't offend. They tiptoe through life letting others take credit for their ideas because they would rather be liked than respected. They spend their lives trying to please everyone but them-selves, and then they wonder why they feel so frustrated and unfulfilled.

Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever presents Judge Judy's ten hard and true lessons for happiness:



Beauty fades, dumb is forever.


Don't crawl when you can fly.


What goes up must come down.


Denial is a river in Egypt.


Master the game--then play it.


You're the trunk of the tree.


You can't teach the bull to dance.


Failure doesn't build character.


Letting go is half the fun.


You can be the hero of your own story.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Humor, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Biography

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Judith Susan Sheindlin , professionally known as Judge Judy, is an American prosecution lawyer, former Manhattan family court judge, television personality, television producer, and author. Since September 1996, Sheindlin has presided over her own successful 3-time Daytime Emmy Award–winning arbitration-based court show series, Judge Judy, produced by CBS Television Distribution.

Sheindlin passed the New York state bar examination in 1965 and became a prosecutor in the family court system. In 1982 New York City Mayor Ed Koch appointed her as a judge, first in criminal court, then later as Manhattan's supervising family court judge in 1986.

It was reported in mid-2012 that Sheindlin was the highest-paid television personality, making $123,000 per day, or $45,000,000 annually for the 52 days per year that she tapes her show. In October 2013 it was reported that Sheindlin was still the highest paid TV star, earning $47 million per year for Judge Judy.

The series has earned her the honorific of "Court Show Queen". Sheindlin is the longest serving judge or arbitrator in courtroom-themed programming history, a distinction that earned Sheindlin a place in the Guinness World Records.

Reviews

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I believe that I personally already got the "gist" of the point that Judge Judy was trying to make, I do believe that this should definitely be a "must read" for girls (and even some older women) who feel that their self worth is based on their looks or how many men they can attract. The truth is clear: Physical beauty is temporary, so you'd better know how to get by in life on more than just a pretty face or a "kickin' bod". Learn to love yourself for who you are, not for what you look like or who loves you. You have to be able to do for yourself, and pat yourself on the back, because no one else will do it for you. Also a good read for boys and men who tend to think that women are possessions rather than individual creatures with minds, or males who think that women were put on this earth merely to cater to their whims. She doesn't attack men, but rather puts a factual and humorous spin on things...and reminds us that we don't have to silently be subserviant to get anywhere in this world.

[شيماء السلطان · Rating 5 out of 5]

هذا الكتاب على كل امرأة في الوجود أن تقرأه. من الكتب التي تقرأ باستمتاع بالغ وبامكانه تغيير الكثير من أفكارك. عن نفسي أحببته جدًا. يتحدث الكتاب عن مشاعر المرأة ومكانتها وعن الطريقة التي يجب أن تتعامل معها مع نفسها أولاً ومن ثم مع الآخرين. يأتي الكتاب في عدة فصول يتحدث كل فصل عن طريقة تفكير معينة تخص المرأة وتؤثر على حياتها. الكتاب مليء بالقصص التي تسردها الكاتبة من خبرتها في محاكم الأسرة وخبراتها الحياتية بأسلوبها الفكاهي اللاذع.

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Judy I'm so sorry that the patriarchy made you feel this way

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as feisty and funny as the author on her show, Judge Judy. It's about how to be happy, independent and resourceful; speaking up for yourself, instead of trying to please others. The book is full of interesting anecdotes explaining Judy's rise as a lawyer and judge in a male dominated world and how she survived, using her intelligence and humor. It was a story that anyone could appreciate, especially if you've ever tried to succeed.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this in a pile of discarded books at the senior center, so I decided to give it a chance. After a quick read-through, I returned it to the pile. Judge Judy’s recipe for happiness is a sure-fire route to misery: Put yourself first. Make sure nobody ever takes advantage of you. Don’t sacrifice yourself, ever! If you want this philosophy in a nutshell, take the greatest sermon ever given, and turn it on its ear. Don’t go the second mile. Don’t turn the other cheek. Don’t give away your coat, or your cloak. And this advice is supposed to make women happy? At least I can agree with the second half of her title: Dumb is Forever.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of her no-nonsense attitude. I finally decided to read one of her books. This should be a must read for all women...more than once!!!!

[Mary]

I've got to be honest: I didn't finish this book, so I don't feel right about giving it a rating. Nevertheless, I'll tell you why I didn't finish it.

I love Judge Judy. I just finished reading a book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and I was hoping this would be similarly inspiring. My first mistake was in assuming this was a biography. It's not. It's more of a self-help book for young women. There's some good advice in here regarding building confidence, not deferring to men when it comes to decision-making, etc. But the reason I couldn't finish this book is because it was full of gender stereotypes. Men only want sex, women only enjoy sex when it's emotional, women who care about their looks are stupid, etc. It's disappointing because she did have some decent advice, but I just couldn't comprehend it through the inaccuracies of her stereotypes. To be fair, this book is almost 17 years old, so it may have read differently to its original audience. I guess I need to find an actual Judge Judy biography to remedy the bad taste this book left in my mouth.

[Christi]

Her advice is sexist, but the stories about her private life are hilarious.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty. Laugh-out-Loud funny.

[Kelly Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Judge Judy book for this year, I'm starting another one tomorrow. Folks, read this book. I believe it's directed towards women, but my husband and I both read it together and both learned from it.

In this book, Judge Judy talks about respecting yourself. She talks about making smart choices. Beauty fades, dumb is forever. How true is that?! If I could be beauty or brains, I'd choose brains all the way.

I don't care who you are, read this book. Thank me later.

[Grace Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judge Judy's full frontal personality is fully shown and truly inspiring throughout this autobiography. She goes into great detail about her personal life, up and downs, failure and successes, but she never falters at the mention of any of them. As an example, she talks about her up and down marriage and how it took 2 divorces to get to her happy spot in love. One of those divorces was even with her now husband! Judge Judy shows women that it's okay to have faults and that to admit that is mature. This book has made me want to be a stronger woman, but also taught me to love myself more as I am now. I would 100% recommend this book to any woman.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite different than her book I read a few days ago. That one was about the judicial system, and how people manipulate it.

THIS book was, in short, a self-help book. Maybe that's not what it's shelved as, but that's how I took it. Judge Judy lays down her 10 rules women need to follow, and I absolutely agree with them all. The stories she used from her own marriages (all 3 of them - 2 to the same man) were really interesting. She is just a human being, struggling to be happy like we all are. You forget about that watching her on TV.

[Jivan]

I am a huge fan of Judge Judy, so when I saw this book on the shelf I just had to have it. It definitely lived up to my expectations, and it was a book i could not put down. In fact I read it all in the first day. It is a very easy read, and Judge Judy has some excellent advice for women out there. Although I think of myself as smart woman, I definitely think I learned from this. Pick this up, you will not be disappointed!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly really enjoyed parts of this book. Judy has some good, straight forward advice for young ladies. However some parts of it felt like it was written by your annoying friend who is purposefully overly brassy and thinks they are hilarious (when they're really eye roll inducing). Ah well. I didn't expect much so I was pleasantly surprised!

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love watching Judge Judy Sheindlin on TV, she just makes me laugh when she is not impressed with a person. The book is good, the circumstances and the advice she gives is quite good.

[عائشة السلطان · Rating 5 out of 5]

قراءة هذا الكتاب واجبة على كل امرأة تسعى لإدراك قيمة ذاتها

[Patrick Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel so much more confident as a young woman, having read this.

[Khair Jalees]

This book was read by "Emleed" group in the Khair Jalees book club.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight forward and common sense....

[Christina Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the most uplifting, honest, and realistic books I’ve ever read.

[Connie Hua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought at Stand for $1, exceeded expectations.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love her in Judge Judy, you will most definitely love her in this one! She made me laugh out loud many times at her personal anecdotes. A feel good read.

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a little lending library that my husband made for my birthday. Someone left this and I was intrigued. This woman is great on so many levels. She’s successful, wicked smart, funny, and sarcastic and now I know she can write. At least I assume she actually wrote this. The stories were all personal in nature, so if she didn’t really write it, she certainly told it!

My husband likes to watch her show, so I’ve seen a few episodes in passing. She will never replace Judge Wapner in my heart, but I feel almost as if I know her now, so I am sure I will enjoy the snippets of her show that I see more than I would have before.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came across this at a neighbourhood book exchange and I read it a while back and forgot to mark it off.

Don’t be put off by the fact she’s a tv star or the crap book cover.

Judge Judy is funny and smart.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously if you pick up this book, you must be somewhat of a fan of Judge Judy. I know there are people who either love her brand of honesty or can’t stand it. I happen to be an avid watcher of the show, so you can put me in that camp (although I’m sure that was evident by my choosing to read this book). I was worried that this book would go over the same stories and pieces of advice she doles out in the court room on TV, but luckily that wasn’t the case. Her stories, especially the ones related to her husband Jerry, are laugh out loud funny. The advice she gives is spot on and is definitely advice that I already use in my life. However, I also found quite a few lessons from her personal stories that I’ll keep tucked away in the back of my mind in case, for instance, my future husband tries to cut out on helping out around the house.

While the book is enjoyable, it is not an all-encompassing guide to happiness for women. The book is broken up into miniature sections within chapters that only give you quick shots of advice that just scratch the surface of the issue. The author seems to be more concerned with fitting in as much advice as possible instead of really focusing in on a few different aspects of her advice. This is kind of a good thing because you get a lot of different personal stories and a variety of opinions from Sheindlin. However, it also made the book feel trivial as a full-fledged self-help book. If you really want in-depth advice on being happy, there are probably better books.

This book is probably best for fans of the TV program Judge Judy, and that alone. I think there are a lot of women and men that could really benefit from the advice she gives in this book. However, because it is so short and broad in the way the advice is presented, I’d say that only fans really need to take the plunge and read what she has to say. Anyone else might be better off just catching one of the thirty minute episodes of her show to take in a bit of Sheindlin’s wisdom.

[Ricky Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am completely biased because I have an unhealthy obsession with Judge Judy because she is perfect in every way and she should definitely be president of the United States, so of course I found this book perfect. The best way to explain it is that she gives such urgency to everything she writes that even when the topic is a total bore, it's exciting, although I think it's probably much more enjoyable from someone who won't relate to the people she scolds. Her goal of this book slaps you in the face, "Beauty fades, dumb is forever" is the lesson, and though primarily directed at women, anybody will have their internal "amen, sister" run through their head at one of her rants, because if there's one thing this judge is definitely NOT, it's subtle. In a way this is a life instruction guide for the idiots of the world.
As narrator we not only see the tough titan of the courtroom Judge Judy, but also the human, wise Judy, who lived a life full of lessons learned and hard work, a nicely surprising tender side to counteract the harshness, as welcome as it may be to the reader expecting it, although don't expect too much ooey gooey, she's still Judge Judy. The book was overall an interesting read, but I do wish there had been a bit more variety to the points she made; it was written for adults and a good number of the situations she describes are not too relatable for me, but the fact that I now know what never to do in the future makes up for it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to relish in other peoples' opinions, because hers are strong. Also if you feel like the people around you lack common sense, this book will be your bible. Unfortunately, chances are the target demographic of this novel is sadly and ironically never going to learn the wise lessons of queen Judy.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight forward advice from a no-nonsense, go-getter . Judge Sheindlin's father's advice and guidance helped make her the self assured and successful woman she is. Her mother helped too.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was browsing in the non-fiction section of my local library when I came across this book, written by none other than Judge Judy. I quite like Judge Judy; I am a fan of her television show, and this book was no disappointment. Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever was so her. I also really like the advice she had for women regarding self confidence and not being afraid to be who you are, even if that means you have to stand alone. My favorite part was the last chapter, in which she describes that you can be your own hero; you do not need anyone else to be that for you. I think that is really important and it can be quite hard for people to grasp that concept. Overall, I enjoyed this read.

[Stephanie MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think A LOT of women could benefit from reading this book. Yes this is an older book but I find that it is now even MORE relevant today than it was when originally written! This is a non-sugar coated, to the point, relatisic, no-fluff approach to help women see with their own eyes and stand on their own two feet! More women need to have someone tell them in a REAL way to see their own worth and do something with their lives. It is time for us women to take our power back! I read this book in one day, very easy to read and understand and really leaves you feeling motivated to DO SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR YOURSELF!!! Believe in yourself, what you believe you CAN achieve! Love & Light to ALL!

[Carly Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure 90% of the women that read this book are going to say that every woman and the significant man in her life should read this book. I am included in that pervcentage. Breaking through the glass ceiling and being successful for a female is, duh, attainable, and certainly not impossible; yet, the themes and struggles and compromises Judy reveals are in my opinion 100% true no matter the woman and her career goal. Even though she is from an older generation, the responsibilities of family life and entering a male dominated society remain for a young lady in general the same.