What do you think?
Rate this book
Permission Slips: Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break
Covering topics such as "It's Jesus or Jail," "Marriage, the Hard Way," "Children: The Gift You Can't Give Back," and "All the Things I Don't Know...And All the Things I Definitely Do," stand-up comedienne, actress, and ABC's The View co-host Sherri Shepherd comically chronicles her struggles to keep up with the many roles-professional, wife, mother, daughter, and friend-that women must play in today's world. Sherri urges women to pursue their most important dreams and to never give up, but also let's readers know that it's okay to give themselves "permission slips" when things don't always work out the way they want them to. As her many fans know, Sherri is never hesitant to speak from the heart, and her bubbly personality shines through in this delightful autobiography.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2009
6 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 7, 2009
It's no secret that I am an avid reader. I probably read 3-4 books a week, not always, sometimes it's less than that, but when I saw a posting on The Product Review Place about Sherri Shepherd's new book Permission Slips I wanted to grab it. Sherri Shepherd co host of the View on ABC has written a synopsis of her life thus far with helpful tips for other women by writing yourself permission slips to overcome emotional upheavals that would otherwise occur.
Before Sherri Shepherd stepped on to the View I was never a fan of the show. Let's face it as a conservative Christian that show would just infuriate me most of the time so I one day just stopped watching. I tend to avoid controversy if it upsets me too much. After reading Sherri's book I may drop in from time to time again just to see how things go.
I must say I did enjoy reading Permission Slips very much. The first thing I thought is that this is a woman after my own heart. Though we have different backgrounds and different experiences we have come to much of the same conclusions. I don't however actually write our permission slips for myself although I mentally give myself permission to falter just as Sherri does. Sherri has great insight and I highly recommend reading this to every woman on the planet!
Before Sherri Shepherd stepped on to the View I was never a fan of the show. Let's face it as a conservative Christian that show would just infuriate me most of the time so I one day just stopped watching. I tend to avoid controversy if it upsets me too much. After reading Sherri's book I may drop in from time to time again just to see how things go.
I must say I did enjoy reading Permission Slips very much. The first thing I thought is that this is a woman after my own heart. Though we have different backgrounds and different experiences we have come to much of the same conclusions. I don't however actually write our permission slips for myself although I mentally give myself permission to falter just as Sherri does. Sherri has great insight and I highly recommend reading this to every woman on the planet!
October 23, 2009
I’ve never watched The View and I’m not a big fan of stand-up comedy, but after reading Permission Slips, I officially love Sherri Shepherd. She tells the truth about herself and about life, but is hilarious at the same time. She had me laughing out loud, both at the situations she found herself in and how often I could relate to what she was saying.
The book is funny, touching and inspiring. Sherri knows how many roles women can fill – wife, mother, daughter, employee, boss. She knows it’s impossible to be perfect and tells us to give ourselves “permission slips” and accept who we are. She encourages us to follow our dreams, even though it may not be the easiest thing to do.
I would recommend this book to any woman who can look at life and realize that sometimes the struggles and triumphs can be just downright funny, that we do our best, make mistakes, and keep right on going.
The book is funny, touching and inspiring. Sherri knows how many roles women can fill – wife, mother, daughter, employee, boss. She knows it’s impossible to be perfect and tells us to give ourselves “permission slips” and accept who we are. She encourages us to follow our dreams, even though it may not be the easiest thing to do.
I would recommend this book to any woman who can look at life and realize that sometimes the struggles and triumphs can be just downright funny, that we do our best, make mistakes, and keep right on going.
April 8, 2016
I don't know anything about Sherri Shepherd except that she's on The View and has been on some TV shows. I was reading a magazine and they had parts from this book when she's talking about diabetes, and it was interesting that it made me want to read the book. It's memoir, but doesn't feel like one. I've read a few books based on people's lives and they are just boring. This one is a quick read and since she's a comedian it's humorous. She talks about God, Family, living with Diabetes, and all the ups and downs that come with it. I think the chapter where she talks about having diabetes, or as her family calls it "the sugar" was the most interesting because I do not take care of myself and if I don't have them now, will probably get them if I'm not careful. I've got a soda sitting right here, so that should be the first clue that I need to get healthy. While most of the stupid things she's done in her life is humorous, there are some times when you are just kind of like "no one is that dumb". Sometimes she's not the brightest star in the sky, but who is? Check it out, I liked it.
September 16, 2009
'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.
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.
October 14, 2009
Sherri Shepherd isn't the sharpest tack in the box, but can do two things that some people much brighter than her cannot: 1. she can find something genuinely funny in almost anything, and 2. she can identify and analyze her mistakes in a useful (rather than just an "oh well") sort of way. So, this book was a nice read because it made me chuckle, and because it's nice to see someone who says, essentially, "This is what happened, and this is why, and this is how we can all avoid this problem in the future, or at least cope with it", as opposed to mere excuse making.
January 6, 2014
Light, easy read. She keeps it real & shares a lot about her humble beginning.
January 2, 2017
We all could use a few permission slips to live on our terms. But learning what we can in the process. Great reminder to live your life to the fullest.
A light read, but I don't see myself reading it again. (No shade)
A light read, but I don't see myself reading it again. (No shade)
June 18, 2018
I can relate to Shepherd with regard to the phase in life she finds herself now. It's nice to hear others have led less-than-perfect lives, but are still comfortable with who they are. This was a very light-hearted read, and I even found myself laughing out loud in some spots. Entertaining.
April 7, 2020
I've always been a fan of Sherri Shepherd's, and this book cemented my fandom. She has not had an easy life, but she has persevered through all her troubles and kept at her dream to be a comedian and actress.
July 29, 2018
A humorous self help style book about women giving themselves a break. Fans of Sherry Shepherd will enjoy this book as will those new to her humour
August 2, 2019
I love Sherri Shepherd and enjoyed this book about her life.
November 12, 2019
Witty and fun, this both gave great lessons that many can pull from. Sherri was brutally honest with things that occurred in her life. I recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2023
This was hilarious through and through, and very inspiring. Lighthearted and just a very fun read. I really enjoyed it!
June 9, 2024
This book was spot on!! Loved it!!
August 19, 2024
This book could have stayed unwritten.
May 14, 2025
Awesome reading about her life story.
June 25, 2014
Sherri Shepherd has overcome much in her life and risen to celebrity against a lot of odds. Yet she seems down-to-earth and grateful for everything she has in her autobiography “Permission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Break.”
Shepherd begins her book by explaining that she came across a notepad of permission slips a while back, and remembered how good it felt when you could present a slip to an authority figure and you were automatically excused. She decided to purchase an entire box of these slips and write them to herself excusing anything she needed/wanted excused. This, she said, was cutting herself a break when she was being too hard on herself.
I imagine most people, especially those who have children, could benefit from this idea.
Shepherd talks quite a bit about her failed marriage and her husband’s affair with, “the white J-Lo” and how both she and the other woman were pregnant by her husband at the same time. She and her husband tried for years to get pregnant, eventually becoming successful through in-vitro fertilization, how she ended up losing one of her twin fetuses; then in the end another woman accidentally gets pregnant by her husband. Yet, the forgiving and self-admitted mistake-making person she is, Shepherd ended up staying with her husband after she knew all this, and allowing the other woman’s child and her own child to grow up together as siblings until she moved away to New York to join “The View.”
Starting out in Hollywood after her family moved there from Chicago, Shepherd began her career as a legal secretary. She and her girlfriends used to go out to comedy clubs, and Shepherd would think to herself, “I am funnier than these comedians.” One time she got up and tried it out. And she bombed.
She tried again, and she was successful. And her career took off from there. Not quickly, but it took off. For many years she was worked comedy clubs and night and worked as a legal secretary during the day. She began getting noticed and eventually began guesting on talk shows. Eventually, Barbara Walters took notice of her and invited her to be a co-host on “The View.”
Shepherd admits she often times feels inadequate up against her other co-hosts and that she has to study for hours every night so she feels informed enough to do the show. She started out doing the quirky, funny segments, but Barbara has increasingly been inviting her to also do some serious segments, which is allowing Shepherd to grow and become more confident.
This book seems heartfelt and honest. Shepherd seems like the girl next door who could end up being your best friend. I am a little sick of reading about celebrity dirty laundry, but it’s my own fault for picking up this book. Otherwise, Shepherd comes across as a likeable single mom who admits to making mistakes and yearns for the best for her son—just like every other mother in the world.
Shepherd begins her book by explaining that she came across a notepad of permission slips a while back, and remembered how good it felt when you could present a slip to an authority figure and you were automatically excused. She decided to purchase an entire box of these slips and write them to herself excusing anything she needed/wanted excused. This, she said, was cutting herself a break when she was being too hard on herself.
I imagine most people, especially those who have children, could benefit from this idea.
Shepherd talks quite a bit about her failed marriage and her husband’s affair with, “the white J-Lo” and how both she and the other woman were pregnant by her husband at the same time. She and her husband tried for years to get pregnant, eventually becoming successful through in-vitro fertilization, how she ended up losing one of her twin fetuses; then in the end another woman accidentally gets pregnant by her husband. Yet, the forgiving and self-admitted mistake-making person she is, Shepherd ended up staying with her husband after she knew all this, and allowing the other woman’s child and her own child to grow up together as siblings until she moved away to New York to join “The View.”
Starting out in Hollywood after her family moved there from Chicago, Shepherd began her career as a legal secretary. She and her girlfriends used to go out to comedy clubs, and Shepherd would think to herself, “I am funnier than these comedians.” One time she got up and tried it out. And she bombed.
She tried again, and she was successful. And her career took off from there. Not quickly, but it took off. For many years she was worked comedy clubs and night and worked as a legal secretary during the day. She began getting noticed and eventually began guesting on talk shows. Eventually, Barbara Walters took notice of her and invited her to be a co-host on “The View.”
Shepherd admits she often times feels inadequate up against her other co-hosts and that she has to study for hours every night so she feels informed enough to do the show. She started out doing the quirky, funny segments, but Barbara has increasingly been inviting her to also do some serious segments, which is allowing Shepherd to grow and become more confident.
This book seems heartfelt and honest. Shepherd seems like the girl next door who could end up being your best friend. I am a little sick of reading about celebrity dirty laundry, but it’s my own fault for picking up this book. Otherwise, Shepherd comes across as a likeable single mom who admits to making mistakes and yearns for the best for her son—just like every other mother in the world.
November 28, 2009
As I am sitting down to write my review for this post, I am reminded that I do not have a rating system for my books. I have given it some thought-great would be a warm chocolate croissant and a wonderfully brewed cup of tea, good would a croissant with butter and jam and a wonderfully brewed cup of tea, finished it would be a cup of tea and bad, is a cold cup of tea, microwaved not even boiled hot water and served in a styrofoam cup that is harmful to the environment. Permission Slips is just that tea in a styrofoam cup.
I cracked open the cover thinking this would be more of a self-help, psychological approach for women who take on the world, attempt to accomplish every task under the sun and never give themselves a break. The concept behind the book is to give yourself a Permission Slip. I did not find the book offensive, but rather self demoralizing.
Yes, we should all give ourselves a Permission Slip, it is Saturday the house needs cleaning, but your best friend invites you out, the weather is nice and you would sooner go for a walk. But that is not what this book is about.
First of all the author shares TMI-too much information-does the whole world need to know she lost her virginity to Gilbert at the age of 14, because her friends said their would be lots of hooting and hollering with sex. No. Would I acknowledge I married a man who said he could not be monogamous and dated another man who threatened to pour gas and light me on fire. This sort of behavior does not warrant a Permission Slip but years of counseling to overcome other issues.
I did not know who Sherri Sheperd was, except a host on The View. However, I would not watch The View because of her after reading this.
I cracked open the cover thinking this would be more of a self-help, psychological approach for women who take on the world, attempt to accomplish every task under the sun and never give themselves a break. The concept behind the book is to give yourself a Permission Slip. I did not find the book offensive, but rather self demoralizing.
Yes, we should all give ourselves a Permission Slip, it is Saturday the house needs cleaning, but your best friend invites you out, the weather is nice and you would sooner go for a walk. But that is not what this book is about.
First of all the author shares TMI-too much information-does the whole world need to know she lost her virginity to Gilbert at the age of 14, because her friends said their would be lots of hooting and hollering with sex. No. Would I acknowledge I married a man who said he could not be monogamous and dated another man who threatened to pour gas and light me on fire. This sort of behavior does not warrant a Permission Slip but years of counseling to overcome other issues.
I did not know who Sherri Sheperd was, except a host on The View. However, I would not watch The View because of her after reading this.
April 8, 2014
Once I opened the book, not sure of its full intent, but to me I felt this would be better as blog posts than a book. There are brief sub-pointers or chapters that cover in short things we talk about in everyday life, and if it was a blog, then there would be comments/discussion posts below.
*This is why I still feel that some things should be journalized or blogged instead of a book. Yet I love this author's acting and comedian side, especially on the View when I do catch it. I also read her other book called Plan D, and love her weight loss; what 30 lbs can do to a body was amazing! I didn't realize she was only 5 foot one inch.
I did share in brief on the subject "Thighs" early in the book with my Release the Weight group on FB. There are some comical parts, and other parts I skimmed gracefully through to complete.
Leisure read, 2014.
*This is why I still feel that some things should be journalized or blogged instead of a book. Yet I love this author's acting and comedian side, especially on the View when I do catch it. I also read her other book called Plan D, and love her weight loss; what 30 lbs can do to a body was amazing! I didn't realize she was only 5 foot one inch.
I did share in brief on the subject "Thighs" early in the book with my Release the Weight group on FB. There are some comical parts, and other parts I skimmed gracefully through to complete.
Leisure read, 2014.
September 4, 2009
Sherri Shepherd is a funny lady, and this book made me laugh many times while reading it. As a fellow actor, I have a great deal of empathy for her struggles and her determination to succeed. Her book also unfortunately highlights her bitterness (especially with men) and a lack of education which might give her greater insight into the world in which we live. Not to say that she isn't growing and learning every day. Her days on The View are making sure of that (World Is Flat, anyone?). What this book may do more than anything is encourage people who have or could acquire diabetes to take control of their eating habits and take care of themselves. For that, and for the laughter, I would recommend this book.
March 24, 2010
This book in my opinion was a shocker! On the show Sherri seems to stuck up some days, some days she is cool! This book really showed me her true self! It opened my eyes and made me realize that she really did have a normal life and yet at the same time really worked her butt off to get where she is today!!! She continously made me chuckle and at times laugh my butt off, especially closer to the end and then there were chapters that brought tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!
March 24, 2010
Having watched The View a lot (but no more!) and reading interviews with Sherri, I felt like a lot of the information in here was nothing new. What may have been funny anecdotes fell flat because I already heard them.
I also felt like she thinks she could have prevented her marriage from ending if she just had sex with her husband whenever he wanted, even though she didn't want to. Not a great lesson to teach others.
I also felt like she thinks she could have prevented her marriage from ending if she just had sex with her husband whenever he wanted, even though she didn't want to. Not a great lesson to teach others.
May 27, 2012
Sherri Shepherd became known to me when she was on Dancing with the Stars. I had heard about her being on The View, but I work during the day and I don't have cable and probably wouldn't DVR the show if I did have. Her book was enjoyable until she went on forever about her relationship with God. But once she got off that topic, I went back to enjoying the book. There are several points through out that were laugh out loud funny! I could so be her friend in real life.
January 7, 2010
I loved this book. Sherri is the real deal. I love how her faith was infused throughout the book along with her humor and the message that we all can overcome things. The message of women not being so hard on themselves is brilliant considering our society and the message it sends to women of all ages. I picked this book up on a whim, but I am so glad I did.
April 18, 2010
How many times is it humanly possible to mention "The View" and your cheating husband? Well Sherri does it the entire book.. 300 pages of "I'm on The View" and my ex-husband is an A-Hole who cheating on me while I was pregnant and then got the other woman pregnant. It was just too much it obscured the rest of her life story.
May 24, 2016
Not really sure why I picked this one up, except that I wanted to give myself a break, which is what the subtitle says the book is about. It was mildly amusing, but mostly about the author; a daytime TV celebrity I had never heard of before reading the book. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was fan of hers.
January 5, 2010
It's profound and funny. Sherri's ventures can be life lessons for all to consider. She's a risk taker, a rebellious spirit and a lotta woman wrapped up in generosity and love. One who has dared her dreams into reality. Fabulous and phenomenal.
February 3, 2010
if you haven't read a book like this before, the kind that pumps you up and tries to make you see your value as a person, then you'll probably like it. if you have read books like this, there's nothing new in this one and it's not even that well done.
February 20, 2013
I was looking for something light to listen to while I performed a rather mindless task. I listened to most of it and didn't crack a smile... not funny, no profound advice. I skipped the religious segments which I found annoying. Too much of a celebrity memoir and not enough comedy for me.
February 16, 2010
I met Sherri last week and started her book. so far it's fun and easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews