Let It Go: My Extraordinary Story - From Refugee to Entrepreneur to Philanthropist

by Dame Stephanie Shirley CH

A moving memoir from a woman who made a fortune in a man's world and then gave it all away...soon to be turned into a film

In 1962, Stephanie 'Steve' Shirley created a software company when the concept of software barely existed. Freelance Programmers employed women to work on complex projects such as Concorde's black box recorder from the comfort of their own home.

Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads. The business thrived and Shirley gradually transferred ownership to her staff, creating 70 millionaires in the process.

Let It Go explores Shirley's trail blazing career as an entrepreneur but it also charts her incredible personal story - her dramatic arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee during World War Two and the tragic loss of her only child who suffered severely from Autism.

Today, Dame Stephanie Shirley is one of Britain's leading philanthropists, devoting most of her time, energy and wealth to charities that are close to her heart. In Let It Go, Shirley tells her inspirational story and explains why giving her wealth away - letting it go - has brought her infinitely more happiness and fulfilment than acquiring it in the first place.

Co-written with Richard Askwith, the former Executive Editor of The Independent and the award-winning author of seven books in his own name, including biographies of Emil Zátopek and Lata Brandisová.

'An extraordinary tale of creativity and resilience' - Guardian

'This engrossing story of an extraordinary life is filled with lessons in what it means to be human' - Financial Times

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Business, Memoir, Feminism, History, Autobiography

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Nadine ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als halb-jüdisches Flüchtlingskind gelangt Stephanie Shirley vor vielen Jahren nach England. Ihre Pflegeeltern sind gut zu ihr und ihrer Schwester und ermöglichen ihr ein Leben in Sicherheit. Sie ist mathematisch begabt und arbeitet sich bis zu ihrem eigenen Unternehmen durch. Doch damit ist noch nicht annähernd die Essenz des Lebens dieser faszinierenden Frau umrissen.

Sie gehört zu den 100 einflussreichsten Frauen Englands. Dennoch ist sie mir gänzlich unbekannt. Doch eine Frau die in den wilden 60igern ein IT-Unternehmen aufbaut muss etwas Spannendes zu erzählen haben.




Der Hauptteil des Buches befasst sich mit Mrs Shirleys Unternehmen. Denn dort liegt quasi ihre Basis. Von einem Wohnzimmer-Unternehmen das schon fast auf Almosen angewiesen ist entwickelt sich das von ihr gegründete Unternehmen langsam richtig Erfolgsgeschichte.

Das liegt nicht zuletzt an ihrem unvergleichlichen Konzept. Von Frauen für Frauen. Nahezu alle ihre Mitarbeiter sind weiblich. Frauen die über die notwendige Ausbildung verfügen in einem Softwareunternehmen als beispielsweise Programmierer zu arbeiten, doch aufgrund von Kindern nicht mehr in der Lage sind das vor Ort auf Vollzeit zu betreiben.

Das Konzept von Mrs Shirleys Firma ist simpel: Home Office und Teilzeit sowie auf Selbstständigen Basis. Modern eben. Und das in den 60igern.

***

Der Berufliche Erfolg ist bald unübersehbar. Doch privat trifft es sie hart: Ihr Sohn wird mit schwerem Autismus diagnostiziert. Seine Betreuung wird zu einer Herkules-Aufgabe und bald nicht mehr stemmbar für das Ehepaar Shirley.

***

Offen und ehrlich berichtet Dame Stephanie Shriley von Selbstmordgedanken, Nervenzusammenbruch, Selbstzweifel und schweren Zeiten.

Sie wird noch einen weiten Weg gehen, bis sie nicht nur reich, sondern auch verwaiste Mutter sein wird. Bis sie immense Summen in die Forschung und Förderung autistischer Kinder stecken wird.

Der Leser dieser Biografie begleitet sie von Kindesbeinen bis zur fast-85. Faszinierend und sehr inspirierend, besonders in den späten Kapiteln.

***

Eine sehr inspirierende Lebensgeschichte einer Frau, die Feminismus und Nächstenliebe vorlebt wie wenige andere. Großartiges Buch!

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found the start of this book with the 'Kinder Train' bringing Jewish children to home in the UK, really interesting. Also the story of Stephanie growing up, starting work, meeting her husband, having her autistic son, Giles and starting up her business. The early days of Stephanie starting her 'all female' computing business from home were interesting and inspiring. However, when she goes on at length about the business expanding, the various take-overs, staff changes and profit sharing, the book became very dull for me. I don't know or understand much about the computer business and unless you do, the depth of detail was overwhelming. Stephanie summed it up much better in the final chapter when her legacy became more inspiring and interesting. Perhaps for the general reader this was enough detail. By contrast, the story of her son, Giles, and his various problems was inspiring and thought provoking. I was inspired by her experience causing her to want to sink her money into autism and tackling some solutions. Good parts in a book that was largely fairly tedious.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible woman! What a life!

To give them a better life, she and her sister were given up by their parents (her father was Jewish) at an Austrian train station right before Nazi occupation. They were sent off to England to start a new life with new parents.

My favorite parts of this audiobook were the bits that I found astonishing. She began from such humble beginnings and went on to create her own multi-million dollar company while juggling married life and life with her autistic son. Eventually she became a philanthropist.

When she was knocked down, she never failed to rise again. When one door closed, she quickly found another one to open. I admire that kind of tenacity.

Now with all that being said, some of the ins and outs about her business endeavors, weren't so interesting and lagged in spots. But that doesn't take away from the fact that her life was interesting and she used her money for good.

This was 3.5 stars but I was completely impressed by her accomplishments so 4 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredible book about an amazing person, who has done so much good in the world.

Despite on paper her life looks like an amazing success story, (and it is) she had to fight hard every step of the way, and came close to disaster several times. She has an amazing ability to adapt, and see the opportunities that most of the world miss. The account of some of the awful things they and their son went through, was very tough to read at times but it felt that this was ultimately a story of hope.

I found it really inspiring. It was also very well written, and very funny.

"I came close to annihilation at the outset of my life, and deep down I remain a refugee. I know that nothing lasts forever; I know that tomorrow may well be quite different from today. All the more reason, then, to welcome the uncertainties of the future - and to see each unknown tomorrow as an opportunity, not a threat. We waste too much time being afraid, when what we should really fear is wasting time."

[Sally Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by an incredibly inspiring woman. So much to take from this - her pioneering approach to organisational culture and working practices; the belief she held in the women freelancers she employed; the fierceness with which she battled for her autistic son and her philosophy about philanthropy. Although it went into a lot of detail at times, she wrote with a real honesty that I’m sure a lot of business leaders couldn’t match.

Her closing lines will stay with me and act as a useful approach to life, especially in such uncertain times.

[Stephen Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won't be for everyone, but I got a lot out of this candidly written biography. It has many themes I like to learn about: refugees,the impact of the second world war, entrepreneurship, mental health struggles, personal adversity, dealing with prejudice, family politics, cultivating self-awareness and honesty, fallibility, and defining and living by heartfelt values...
Don't be put off by the slightly groan-worthy title if those other things appeal to you.

[Mariana Cárdenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, educational and admirable.

[Val Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly inspirational book by a very determined lady who has faced more challenges in her life than the majority of us ever will.

The author arrived in England, aged 5, as a refugee from German, when her parents had the foresight and courage to send her and her nine year old sister on the Kinder Transport that brought Jewish children to safety in Great Britain before the start of WWII. She was placed with a kind-hearted family in the Midlands who gave her love and security. Although her parents both escaped from Germany to Great Britain their family life was sadly never restored. Later Stephanie married Derek and they had a son, Giles. Stephanie, gifted in mathematics, became involved in the very early years of the computer industry in the 1950s and set up a company which enabled women to work freelance while still being able to bring up their family. It took a lot of grit and determination to do this and at one point she changed her name to Steve as her correspondence was more likely to get a favourable response if the recipient thought it was from a man.

Around this time they realised that Giles was autistic. He was very high on what today we consider a spectrum as he lost all ability to speak and his behaviour became extremely challenging. Stephanie (Steve) and Derek both put incredible amounts of time, energy and money into seeking the best possible way to give Giles a happy and secure life for the next 35 years. As her freelance computer company became more successful she committed to giving away more and more of the profits and especially to causes that would enable to others to make more of their lives. Her tenacity in the face of seemingly constant adversity is incredibly and what a difference she has made to so many people’s lives and especially many who are autistic and their families.

This is book that will stay with me forever. I only wish all of us could achieve a fraction of what Dame Stephanie Shirley has – a truly remarkably and admirable woman. Read this book sooner rather than later while you have more of your life to do amazing things and make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of others as she has!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, a child Holocaust survivor evacuated to England, was determined that her life should have an impact on the world since she had come so close to losing it. Thus, she un-apologetically pushed her way through the 1960's glass ceiling of the male-dominated field of coding, and started her own successful software company. In the book, she relates the triumphs, the struggles, the setbacks, and the rewards of building a company. In addition, her story also tells of her struggles raising a severely autistic son in an age when this condition was not well known. I bought this book after seeing Dame Shirley interviewed on BBC and was impressed by her manner, grace, and generosity---she has given large amounts of her wealth to various charities. She has been through a lot, yet presents herself with such serenity and warmth.

[Simon Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not normally a book I would have chosen to read. I like biographies but there is little about this one that would have made me want to read it. It was though a book club read so was something I felt honour bound to read.

It is an interesting book and I learned a great deal about the pioneering days of computer tech (in some ways it's a good companion piece to Edward Snowden's Permanent Record) but that's not what I found most rewarding about the book. For me her recollections of her son and his battle with autism and her work with autism research and education was for me the most interesting aspect of the book.

[Renate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing woman! What an extraordinary life!

Highly recommended, even if you've heard an interview with this woman or read an article about her, believe me, after reading this book, you'll be even more impressed.

Born into a well-off Jewish family in Dortmund Germany in 1933, she is one of the approximately 10 000 children of the famous Kindertransport, that brought her to a rural village in England in 1939 at the age of only five. She and her older sister were taken in by a childless middle-aged couple.

Our foster parents, Guy and Ruby Smith, had no experience of child-raising and seemed to be as taken aback as we were by the gulf between our cultures.

Typical of small children, she quickly learnt English, adapted and ultimately developed a fond relationship with both her foster parents whom she called Auntie and Uncle. They sounded like salt of the earth types who taught her old fashioned values such as the importance of doing one's duty.

So, just her early years, make for fascinating reading, but wait ... there is more ...

She excelled at school, especially in maths. Lack of finances for further study, meant that she started working as soon as she left school. Ambitious and eager to learn more, she took evening classes in mathematics and physics. Her work was at the Post Office Research Station in London, in those days at the bleeding edge of research and technology. She came into contact with the early computers of the 1950s, and like many, she was hooked.

She was eager and ambitious but:

What shocked me now was the discovery that, the more I became recognised as a serious young woman who was aiming high - whose long-term aspirations went beyond a mere subservient role - the more violently I was resented and the more implacably I was kept in my place.

Shortly after getting married to a fellow researcher, she decided to pack in the chauvinistic male dominated work environment and at the age of 29 embarked on a vision of creating a small company of freelance programmers that would employ women who worked from home. Yes, dear readers, this is "working from home" decades ago, already in the 1960s...

I notice that some other reviewers say that her description of how she steered and grew her company from a small cottage startup to huge software consultancy business was the least interesting part of this book. Working in IT myself, I found it fascinating. Some of her ideas were quite novel:- from the start there was an emphasis on quality and good process and project management. She went through good and bad times and the usual struggles that come from a growing business. What I appreciated was that she names so many people and gives credit to them. She had a desire to hand over the company to the employees, something like the "John Lewis" model. The employees though, were less interested in owning and running the company for themselves than getting the hard cash reward of shares, 70 of whom became millionaires as a result. (It was the 1990s).

So far so fairly interesting, but ladies and gentlemen, there is even more ...

Shortly after starting out as a freelance programmer, her only child was born in 1963. Initially a lovely and contented baby, but then diagnosed as a toddler with severe autism. A huge chunk of this book covers her and her husband's struggles in caring for, and trying to procure proper care for their severely disabled son. Eventually she used the money she made from her company in setting up a charitable foundation focused on autism and started and invested in more than one huge project. This included founding a special school, from buying the site, to appointing staff and everything inbetween, even working in its garden. Before that she had also established a trust that provided sheltered adult accommodation for people suffering from autism, again she and her husband bought properties for it and were completely involved.

Oh and I almost forget to mention that, amongst even more things, she also helped establish the British Computer Society (BCS). This is how I got to hear of her, through their pod cast: The Gem of all Mechanisms where she was interviewed on their episode of 15 April 2020.

An extremely driven, intelligent and talented woman. But also a human being. After her traumatic childhood, her adult life had more than a fair share of unhappiness and distress, health issues, including a total nervous breakdown at one point.

This is an incredibly open and honest account of an extraordinary woman and her life. The book's title is Let it Go and in part that refers to the "letting go" of her own company and a lot of her wealth. The final chapter, in which she sums up her life and her philosophy on life, is worth a read on its own.

The book is book ended by two powerful quotes. Early on she mentions:-

...a large number of good-natured strangers took it upon themselves to save my life. It took me some years to digest this fact and its implications. But, once I had, a simple resolution took root deep in my heart: I had to make sure that mine was a life that had been worth saving.

And then at the end:

We waste too much time being afraid, when what we should really fear is wasting time.

Cannot understand why this woman isn't better known?

[Rohini Swaminathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had many components that was inspiring - refugee background of the author, hard working nature at all stages of life, giving nature and how she handled emotions at all levels. I liked the candid overview and expressing the difficult moments (especially with inter-personal difficulties).

[Belma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just couldn’t let this book go!

This is an inspirational story that teaches you how to be yourself and let go of barriers. Absolute must to have and let go!

[Camille Marsella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic testimony of courage, humility and reach towards others. A very interesting memoir.

[David Kopec · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child refugee builds the first wholly female software company, putting feminism into practice, and goes on to become one of the most noted philanthropists in her country. It’s a story fit for Hollywood. Stephanie Shirley tells it with gusto, raw honesty, and compelling writing in her autobiography, Let It Go.

As a half-Jewish child during the beginning of World War 2, Shirley was saved from the horrors of Nazism by escaping on a train as a child refugee. In England she would build a new life, and build a software consulting company. Freelance Programmers (later F International) employed female programmers who were under-appreciated and discriminated against by the business world at the time. Many of these women worked from home part-time or while raising children in a world that wouldn’t allow them to work otherwise. They would work on large technical projects for some of the largest companies in Britain. Let It Go is a strong feminist treatise drawn from reality, not abstractions.

Shirley was a pioneer in many ways. Creating a software company in and of itself was still a new idea in 1962 when she got started. Creating a company of freelancers decades before “the gig economy” was an innovation. Employing almost all women in a technology company (although women were many of the first programmers) was unheard of. In Let It Go Shirley takes you through the early struggles of building Freelance Programmers. The reader receives a strong understanding of how the company operated, how it acquired clients, and the challenges that it faced as it grew from her cottage into a multi-million dollar enterprise. While Shirley covers the early period in the right level of detail, the company’s later growth is not as well recounted in the book.

Let It Go is also a deeply personal book. Shirley goes into detail about her relationships, her family life, and her struggles taking care of her child, Giles, who is affected by a severe form of autism. She weaves the personal stories well into the business narrative, making it a more “full picture” story than most business books. Her personal life affected her business and vice versa. That’s true of almost anybody, and to think otherwise is a folly. Yet many business memoirs almost completely exclude personal details.

One of the things I appreciate most about Let It Go is that Shirley held nothing back. Even embarrassing or difficult details were not left out. If she felt jealousy or betrayal over a colleague’s actions, she explained it. She covered her mental breakdown. She covered marriage difficulties. She covered her fraught relationship with her parents. It was real. It was raw. And it made for a more realistic, interesting, and insightful journey.

The latter half of the book deals primarily with three topics: Shirley’s transformation of her company into a partially employee-owned operation, her struggles to help her son with his condition, and her philanthropy. Shirley ended up being a leading figure in philanthropy in Britain, and in autism philanthropy in particular. She founded a school for children with autism, the country’s largest autism charity, and too many other philanthropic initiatives to mention here.

The theme of the book can be seen as “relinquishing control,” hence the title Let It Go. Shirley ultimately let go of her personal tragedies, her business, and many of her philanthropic ventures (to other managers). And she sees them as more successful as a result of it. It’s a powerful message that can only be fully understood by reading the book. If you have any interest in the early software consulting business, the evolution of autism care, women working in technology, or just want to read a great life story, Let It Go is worth your time.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to give this a low rating, I've seen Dame Shirley speak and she is inspirational. Most of this book was 4 star. Her early life as a refugee and the founding of her freelance company and it's growth are fascinating.

However, I would warn readers that their are a lot of possible triggers here for neurodiverse people. As someone with 3 diagnosed family members (2 non verbal, 1 with a rare form of epilepsy) I found this very upsetting.
The language used, cure therapy, care home abuse, being called monsters, tantruming, talk of eradication, causing misery and even costing the tax payer money. You get the idea. For me the far most troubling part was her husband raising abuse concerns and being seen as a nuisance.
I did find this a contradiction to how she comes across in person and some of her philanthropy such as the school (not so much the cure research), so I am giving this a lot of thought. But I have to judge the book as it is written.
It is also worth noting that most autistic children have (often undiagnosed) autistic parents and perhaps that was why she was so successful? I would be amazed by sheer statistical probability if she hadn't had at least a few neurodiverse programmers working for her.
My heart does go out to her for her loss and I appreciate her honesty. But would encourage readers to read from actual autistic voices to get an informed view.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

" I stood by my decision and soon realised that this letting go was one of the smartest things I could have done."

There are a few poignant quotes which spoke to me in this book. Some your typical stirring speech....

"Never give in' Winston Churchill had said, in a much quoted speech in 1941 - 'never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense...' It had world for him. It might just work for me."

And others when Dame Stephanie Shirley ponders on what it means to her to build/grow her ideas into companies and enterprises...

"What ownership meant to me was motivation - and responsibility."

The philanthropic outcomes came as a result of doing what few others dared back in the 1960's. Yet the legacy had a more lasting effect to my mind.

"the given money repays its value many times over. It is a bit like gardening, and , indeed, I have often thought of myself as a Gardner: someone who 'grows' people and enterprises. I have planted my financial gifts as seeds, renouncing my ownership of them as I did so; and, when I have planted wisely, they have been gloriously fruitful."

I only gave it three stars as I didn't connect with it in quite the way I'd hoped, yet it is still a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations of a life well lived.

[Cynthia Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I finished reading this book, I felt a sense of amazement for having read the life story of a woman who should be a role model not just to women but to men alike. Her story tells women what feminism truly is about rather than what is spoken of as of today. It tells men about what they have done and what they can do to believe that a woman can bring about a difference in this world. 'Let it go' is precisely what the title suggests, letting go and trusting that people can follow your footsteps when your ideas bring about a change to this world. Steve Shirley led a life that is unimaginable by most of us today. Her life involved struggle, hardship but she never stopped working on things that matters, be it her company that she started with just 6 pounds in hand, trying her best to give the best possible care to her autistic son to building a world-class institute that focused on finding the causes of Autism. For those who are discouraged by the daily struggles of life, its important to know that you should carry on, you should keep trying because a small difference each day can bring about a huge change in the farthest future.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing read, Dame Shirley tells her story from birth to date with clarity and some level of detachment considering how strongly she was affected by events.
I admire Dame Shirley's determination, imagination, cheerfulness in the face of huge difficulties and her story is interesting without being oversentimental in the recounting.
As I finished this on International Women's Day I reflected that this story of one woman's life should be compulsory reading for children at secondary school. It would build respect in the value of women in the workplace and give girls inspiration to achieve their career goals.
The home life which Dame Shirley reveals about her son helped me to better understand autism. I was shocked and sympathetic in equal measure.
Well worth taking the time to read, the time will fly by anyway.

[Perla Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Im not sure if its due to my bias as a female that likes to do things regardless of my gender. I really connected with her ideas and ways of getting around things. Using a mans name to gain respect and making them eat it once it was too late to go back just to save face. I read this book straight through. I sat down and never stopped till I finished it. Steve is a really inspiring woMAN! Best man for the job kind of girl. Shes very honest about her experience of hopelessness and triumphs. Nothing seems hidden. This is a good book for women entrepreneurs and techies alike the world is changing and we are becoming welcome more and more. She is the kind of person I look up to.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable lady, astonishing and inspirational life. She has certainly had the tough times thrown at her. Her detailed, honest account of her son and his journey with severe autism and the pain and love for him that she and her husband have is difficult and heartbreaking to read. Yet, after being an evacuee at five on the Kinder transport, making a life in a new country with strangers and a new language, and then fighting for the care and support her son needed, she still finds time to set up a pioneering company, in terms of IT and structure / working practices and overcome difficult times to make a huge success. Then, turning to philanthropy she gave away millions. An honest and fascinating read.

[Paul Downs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an entrepreneur and have a low-functioning autistic child, so a lot of this book was interesting - to me. The first two thirds of the book are pretty good for anyone. Shirley's business career was really innovative and she did a great job getting her company going. Her struggles with her son are predictably heart wrenching. And shoutout to the ghost writer who did a fantastic job of keeping the narrative fresh.

Like all books by super rich philanthropists, as soon as the story turns to giving away the money it becomes very dull. Not sure what can be done about this, distributing money is just a situation that doesn't lend itself to narrative.

[Avarla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring woman with a great idea on work-life balance. Although it sounds quite obvious today, this must have been quite a game changer for women back then. I wish more entrepreneurs would think like Steve Shirely even today.
I actually love the idea of employee-owned structures and I would think that would counteract the current development of having to change workplaces every few years to make the appropriate career or payment jumps.

Her private challenges with Giles' autism are quite interesting, too, although it saddens me that he couldn't benefit from her achievements as much as later students could.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top books for 2024. Loved it. What an incredible story. So much adversity from leaving her parents on the minder transport at 5 to having a child with severe autism and losing at 35. All whilst building an incredible business with beliefs in the 1960s that were so far ahead of her time.

Using a part time female programming resource in the 1960s with goals of company employee ownership. Just incredible her belief that hours and location were not important when it comes to delivery and productivity a concept that the rest of the world only discovered some 60 years later because of Covid.

[Judy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars from me is because I'm not sure others would like it as much as I did. Stephanie Shirley reminded me of myself, and reading this as I contemplate retirement couldn't have been more timely. I did get a bit tired of reading about all her awards, and I didn't need to know any of that to be impressed with what she did. I was interested in the story of how she built her company but even more interested in her life as the mother of a severely autistic son, with the challenges that presented. An excellent read.

[Catherine Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent story, I had no idea who Stephanie Shirley was before reading this book. She was progressive in her approach to flexible working and how it encourages inclusivity and diversity in the workforce, really ahead of her time. Her perspective on charity vs philanthropy is interesting and insightful. I really like the last chapter where she talks about how philanthropy is ultimately selfish because it makes owners of wealth feel good but this is a good thing. I also enjoyed the quote: “we spend so long being afraid but what we should be afraid of is wasting time”. Words to live by.

[Sarah Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating biography about an amazing woman, breaking new frontiers with a can-do and optimistic attitude.

Easy to read, balanced portrayal of a life which could have, and would for many, have resulted I'm a surrender to circumstance.

Not only does she not let things stop her, but she actually uses those challenges to drive her. I also like the fact she talks about her vulnerabilities, too.

Her outlook on philanthropy resonated, and I found her entire story inspiring. I also feel saddened that while we have come such a long way, a lot of things haven't changed at all.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having heard Stephanie (or 'Steve' as she prefers to be called) Shirley speak about her life and work I was keen to read her memoir and to discover, in more detail, just how extraordinary her life has been. She is an eloquent speaker and I was delighted to discover that her writing style is equally eloquent, making her book a pleasure to read. Her life story is truly remarkable and it's clear that over many decades she has been a source of support and inspiration for so many people, many of whom have benefitted from her philanthropy.

[Yeoh Lingxuan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true account of being
-One of the luckier refugee who survived hitters occupation as a jew
-Pretty messy love life in her 20s
-Faced glass ceiling as a woman in a big tech company
-Founded a company where female are hired on a project or part time basis which was unheard of during that era
-Eventually became useless as the company expanded on an international level
-became a mum but unfortunately son was severely autistics.
-due to share ownership, she was still rich
-son passed away before her and partner.
-did a lot for autistics children after being rich.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. Dame Stephanie Shirley has lead such an interesting life achieving great success in business while dealing with a complicated home life. Her story is so intriguing and shows what determination and doing what you know/feel is right, despite what anyone one else thinks, can lead to amazing things. Her view on Philanthropy was very interesting as I haven't heard anyone else speak about it that way. It's amazing the difference one person can make.