And One More Thing Before You Go...

Maria Shriver is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning journalist and the NYT bestselling author of Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Into the Real World and the children's books What's Wrong With Timmy?, What's Happening to Grandpa?, and What's Heaven? In 1983 she became a national reporter at CBS News; she later moved to NBC, where she anchored a variety of news programs and specials as well as covering presidential races and other stories. She lives with her husband, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and their four children in Los Angeles.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Shriver, veteran TV news reporter and first lady of California, expands on a speech she gave to her "young friend Ally's" graduating high school class, and the result is a sweet and inspiring book. The author of four (decidedly more substantial) previous books lays out 10 rules for success applicable to anyone, teenage or older, and though it's short, the book is eminently useful. Advice like "fear can be your best teacher" and "be willing to let go of your plan" precedes "learn from your mistakes" and "you'll need a lot of courage," which leads to "and when you need courage... think of the women in your life." Although some of these directives are obvious, Shriver's delivery of them is personal and compelling. She shares anecdotes from her own life (such as her struggle to support her father, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease) and admits her mistakes (such as her "doozie" of forging ahead too quickly in creating the California Women's Museum without doing the proper research). Most importantly, Shriver's tone is never pompous. Rather, it's conversational, loving and rousing, and gives a big voice to this small book.
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