Keep It Simple, Stupid: You're Smarter Than You Look

Rating:
Summary: Judge Judy Blasts Away at Harmful Behavior as Only She Can!
Review: Judge Judy has a simple point here: We do it to ourselves by making bad decisions about how we interact with those closest to us. The reason is obviously because we all assume we are right, and cannot understand why everyone else doesn't see it our way. Rather, we should look at how it is from everyone's perspective (as a judge would) and make the best common sense choice. Works for me!

Judge Judy brings a lot to this book. She is a mother, a remarried spouse, a step mother, lawyer, financial advisor, and judge. Occasionally, she also talks to you like a wise elder sister. At other times, she makes a convincing drill instructor in boot camp.

The format is very interesting. She makes up scenarios from more than one case she has seen before. In so doing, she makes them just a little more complicated than they probably are in real life. This makes the situations so ridiculous that you have to laugh at yourself if you see yourself in some aspect of the scenario. That was brilliant. People are more open to change when they are laughting, than when they are angry.

Like in the television show, the parties get to tell their beef. Usually, the second party explains why the first one was all wet in her or his explanation. Judge Judy then gets out her opinions and levels one . . . or the other . . . or both.

Actually, I liked the book better than the television show because the scenarios are pretty funny, while the people on television are sometimes just pathetic. Also, you don't have to listen to a lot of ranting at each other. Judge Judy has edited it down to the minimum.

Further, she explains some general philosophies that you would only pick up on by watching about 200 of her shows. Here are some of these:

Living Without Benefit -- If you call this commitment, you should be committed. She suggests living together for no more than one year, splitting the expenses down the middle, and not buying anything expensive together. If any other money passes hands, put the promises in writing.

Tying the Knot -- Measure ten times, and cut once. Get a pre-nuptial agreement. 50 percent of these marriages are going to fail. It'll save pain and money later.

Married Bliss -- If life were fair, men would have stretch marks.

Kids Happen -- Having a baby is easy; being a parent is hard.

After the Ball Is Over -- Don't get mad. Get out. Move on.

Tug-of-War -- Love your kids more than you hate each other.

The Second Time Around -- For better or forget about it!

The Family Bond -- Honor your parents.

'Til Death Do Us In -- Where there's a will, there's a way.

Keep It Simple, Stupid -- You're smarter than you look. "The bottom line is, it's up to you."

Overcome your misconceptions that you can act like a two year old in your personal life without paying for the consequences with this sage, practical advice from the front lines of the vanquished. Judge Judy is a 2,000 percent stallbusting solution!

By the way, you can save a lot of future grief by sharing this book with your children before they get themselves into these messes.

Donald Mitchell ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Judge Judy Blasts Away at Harmful Behavior as Only She Can!
Review: Judge Judy has a simple point here: We do it to ourselves by making bad decisions about how we interact with those closest to us. The reason is obviously because we all assume we are right, and cannot understand why everyone else doesn't see it our way. Rather, we should look at how it is from everyone's perspective (as a judge would) and make the best common sense choice. Works for me!

Judge Judy brings a lot to this book. She is a mother, a remarried spouse, a step mother, lawyer, financial advisor, and judge. Occasionally, she also talks to you like a wise elder sister. At other times, she makes a convincing drill instructor in boot camp.

The format is very interesting. She makes up scenarios from more than one case she has seen before. In so doing, she makes them just a little more complicated than they probably are in real life. This makes the situations so ridiculous that you have to laugh at yourself if you see yourself in some aspect of the scenario. That was brilliant. People are more open to change when they are laughting, than when they are angry.

Like in the television show, the parties get to tell their beef. Usually, the second party explains why the first one was all wet in her or his explanation. Judge Judy then gets out her opinions and levels one . . . or the other . . . or both.

Actually, I liked the book better than the television show because the scenarios are pretty funny, while the people on television are sometimes just pathetic. Also, you don't have to listen to a lot of ranting at each other. Judge Judy has edited it down to the minimum.

Further, she explains some general philosophies that you would only pick up on by watching about 200 of her shows. Here are some of these:

Living Without Benefit -- If you call this commitment, you should be committed. She suggests living together for no more than one year, splitting the expenses down the middle, and not buying anything expensive together. If any other money passes hands, put the promises in writing.

Tying the Knot -- Measure ten times, and cut once. Get a pre-nuptial agreement. 50 percent of these marriages are going to fail. It'll save pain and money later.

Married Bliss -- If life were fair, men would have stretch marks.

Kids Happen -- Having a baby is easy; being a parent is hard.

After the Ball Is Over -- Don't get mad. Get out. Move on.

Tug-of-War -- Love your kids more than you hate each other.

The Second Time Around -- For better or forget about it!

The Family Bond -- Honor your parents.

'Til Death Do Us In -- Where there's a will, there's a way.

Keep It Simple, Stupid -- You're smarter than you look. "The bottom line is, it's up to you."

Overcome your misconceptions that you can act like a two year old in your personal life without paying for the consequences with this sage, practical advice from the front lines of the vanquished. Judge Judy is a 2,000 percent stallbusting solution!

By the way, you can save a lot of future grief by sharing this book with your children before they get themselves into these messes.

Donald Mitchell ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Just keeping it simple Judy style.
Review: Judge Judy offers great advice for couples and families. However,there are some people who don't get it and find it's too late. She isn't biased about what she has to say to her readers. It's plain and simple advice that needs to be taken seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Just keeping it simple Judy style.
Review: Judge Judy offers great advice for couples and families. However,there are some people who don't get it and find it's too late. She isn't biased about what she has to say to her readers. It's plain and simple advice that needs to be taken seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Judge Judy Rules--And It's Really Funny
Review: Keep It Simple Stupid is an instant Judge Judy classic. Beauty Fades Dumb Is Forever concentrated on women. Keep It Simple concentrates on everyone! Families, couples, their dogs, their kids, it's all here. The writing is so razor sharp you keep expecting to find cuts on your fingers as you turn the pages. Keep telling it like it is Judge Judy. Savagely funny, scathing, and honest. It was lots of fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: Her Best Book Yet
Review: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID is, in my opinion, the best book Judge Judy has written to date. It quickly and easily describes in the question and answer format the problems faced in each situation and then Judge Judy, in her direct and straight forward manner, responds.

As with everything she does, there is no beating around the bush. This is vintage Judge Judy at her best.

Problems facing all segments of our society are covered simply and smoothly.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Just plain Judy, and that's that!
Review: Ok, you've spent some time browsing around in the book store or the library and all of a sudden this pops out at you. Hey, you really enjoy the TV show, "Judge Judy", so will I enjoy this? You take your chances. I'm glad I took my chances. It was kind of like reading the "Dear Abby" section, but hearing both sides of the story, then hearing Judy's opinion. Issues concerning marriage, kids, parents, and what-not. I usually get a good laugh from reading the "Dear Abby" section in the paper because I feel if you actually have to have someone like that to solve your problems, there's no hope for you. So the title of this book was completely appropriate. But in being fair, some of the questions were actually legitimate.

Hey, lots of people love Judge Judy because she tells it like it is. She still does in her book! She still doesn't hold anything back. Way to go!

Rating:
Summary: Expected cheese, and got...good advice!
Review: Okay, so I was expecting this to be incredibly corny, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised. This is a relatively quick read, but it still manages to cover some fairly deep topics - everything from living together to divorce to children to death - and it features real world situations and advice. There were a few times that I didn't agree with the advice, but more often than not, I found myself agreeing completely.

Rating:
Summary: Sheindlin Rules!
Review: Once again, employing her inimitable mix of no-nonsense advice, commonsensical wisdom, and wry humor, Judy Sheindlin has hit the mark with KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID. In her deceptively simple approach, Sheindlin offers invaluable feedback on myriad issues that confront our everyday domestic lives. This book's appeal lies in its ability to connect with a deep cross-section of the American culture, offering hands-on techniques to deal with the knotty problems that, in one way or another, plague us all.

Rendered in a lively, entertaining and fundamentally anecdotal format, Sheindlin's wit and wisdom is a must-read for anyone who consumes her syndicated television hit like so much popcorn, or who isn't afraid to have there problems confronted with a generous helping of "tough love".

I tore through this book like wildfire. When I was finished, my only sadness was the realization that it might be a hefty wait until Judge Judy's next book hits the stands.

Judy Sheindlin rules!

Rating:
Summary: Some good advice, but bias toward men upsetting
Review: This book is clear and easy to read, easy to get her point. She gives actual cases, lets you see each person's side of the story, and sums up her opinion in 1 concise paragraph after each one! Direct, and honest. Yet I could not give this book 5 stars because of a couple of clearly unfair biases. For example, in one chapter she tells a woman that her ex-boyfriend does not owe her any money for his education--that she paid for--since there was no written agreement that it was a loan. In a following chapter, where a man wants $700 dollars back from an ex-girlfriend, also where there was no written agreement of it being a loan, she says the woman should pay it back. Are women the only people who need to learn responsibility? Are not these men just as accountable for their actions? I have seen her do this on her show to my great disappointment, and to see it in writing makes me wonder what she can possibly be thinking! She is a judge, and is supposed to uphold the law, no matter what her personal opinion. From what I can see, in the absence of written agreements, one better be a man if they wish to win in her court.