Ten Things I Wish I'd Known

April 3, 2000
Following the success of her 1999 bestseller What's Heaven?, in which she explained death to children, the NBC anchor woman expands on a commencement speech she delivered two years ago at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., to share some of her life lessons with young people starting their careers. Although this slim gift book is positioned as a graduation gift, Shriver's natural audience is more likely to be busy working mothers like herself, and celebrity watchers who are curious about her thoughts on managing marriage, motherhood and career (Shriver and husband Arnold Schwarzenegger have four children). In lessons that are mostly about work and character, she shares simple notions that are fundamentally sound and that many adults will agree with: pursue your passion; consider no job to be beneath you; be willing to fail; realize that behavior has consequences; find a mentor. Unfortunately, the warmth and humor Shriver may have projected in person are forced on the page. Although she tries to build rapport with amusing stories of early faux pas and setbacks in her journalism career, readers may have trouble relating to her main predicament--lack of appreciation from people who might have wondered if a beautiful, rich kid actually wanted a job--as well as her idea of disappointment: not being as successful as Oprah or Diane Sawyer. Even so, Shriver's strength of character, her genuine admiration for her parents and her love for her family shine through.

August 24, 2000
YA-Young adults will check this out for at least one of several reasons. They will like the short length. They'll get the scoop on the author and reporter and her high-profile husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the famous Kennedy family. More importantly, they will get the message about the significance of humility, passion, and laughter at home and in the workplace. Wearing the hat of a player and a coach, Shriver takes a learn-from-my-personal-experiences approach to this expanded version of the commencement address she gave to the students at Holy Cross College. The introduction is a funny anecdote about how she came to make that academic address, which she feared, and then to write this book. Through humorous examples, Shriver explores relationships with parents, siblings, supervisors, coworkers, spouse, children, and friends. As heavy as "life lessons" can be, this book is neither preachy nor pretentious; it's fast, smart, thoughtful, and fun. This quick read gives an intense flavor of what it is like to be part of a busy celebrity household. It reads like an autobiography with adventure and mystery mixed in.-Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.