Publisher, Hachette Audio (October 2009)

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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 lets listeners know that it's okay to give themselves "permission slips" when things don't always work out the way they want them to.

About Sherri Shepherd: Whether on stage or screen, Comedienne/Actress Sherri Shepherd never fails to delight audiences with her magnetic personality and hilarious sense of humor, which is showcased in her position as co-host of ABC’s Emmy-nominated The View. Sherri will also star in her new Lifetime series, Sherri. The show, in which she also serves as co-executive producer, is loosely based on her life and standup comedy, and will premiere in the Fall of 2009. On October 14, Sherri’s humorous autobiography, Permission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Break, will be launched by Grand Central Publishing.

A self-described “class clown,” Shepherd always wanted to pursue a performing career. She relocated to Los Angeles during high school and considered being a mortician but opted for a job as a legal secretary instead. In 1990 she came face-to-face with destiny. After witnessing Andrew Dice Clay on stage, Sherri was egged on by her friends to put together her own act. Her love for performing was instantaneous; success, however, was not. For five years, Sherri toiled as a secretary by day and hopped on the bus at night to do her standup. She finally got her first real break with the comedy series Cleghorne! starring former Saturday Night Live alum Ellen Cleghorne.

She’s been fortunate enough to work steadily while fine-tuning her craft through comedy, scene-study and improvisational workshops. As an accomplished standup comic, she has performed at The Comedy Store, The Improv, and Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Sherri also has her own comedy DVD, titled No Refund, No Exchange.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Sherri will continue to reprise her hysterical role as Angie Jordan, wife to Tracy Morgan’s character on the Emmy-winning 30 Rock. In November 2009, Sherri will be seen in the upcoming feature film Precious, alongside Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey, directed by Lee Daniels (Monsters Ball). Sherri most recently co-starred in the Dreamworks hit feature Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, where she voiced the character of Ben Stiller’s mother. She also serves as a national spokesperson for the March of Dimes.

Sherri has been on the couch of many talk shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, and The Bonnie Hunt Show, and she holds the record for being the most-booked guest on The Ellen Show (23 times). She can also be seen as Sgt. Judy, Robert Barone's partner, in Everybody Loves Raymond. Her other film roles include co-starring alongside Queen Latifah in Beauty Shop and Ashton Kutcher in Guess Who.

Sherri's greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of her 4-year-old son, Jeffrey Charles, Jr. Away from the set, she enjoys karaoke, skating, church activities, and a good game of Taboo.