Let It Go: My Extraordinary Story - From Refugee to Entrepreneur to Philanthropist

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My favorite parts of this audiobook were the bits that I found astonishing. She began from such humble beginnings and went on to create her own multi-million dollar company while juggling married life and life with her autistic son. Eventually she became a philanthropist. This fascinating memoir charts Dame Stephanie's life from her time as a child in Germany and arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee through to her retirement and dedication to charity. It is an amazing read which will take you through the entire range of emotions - from happiness at the success of her original company Freelance Programmers through to the ultimate sadness of losing her only child.

The language used, cure therapy, care home abuse, being called monsters, tantruming, talk of eradication, causing misery and even costing the tax payer money. You get the idea. For me the far most troubling part was her husband raising abuse concerns and being seen as a nuisance. Der Titel "Let IT go" ist ein Wortspiel: Im Zentrum steht die Informationstechnologie (IT), aber der rote Faden der in englischer Sprache verfügbaren Autobiografie von Stephanie Shirley ist das Loslassen (let it go). Der Autobiografin blieb auch nichts anderes übrig. Loslassen lernen, loslassen können - das ist die Klammer der drei Themen, die die Vita der Autobiografin prägen: Ein Startup in den 1960er Jahren, als Computer und Informatik in unserer Gesellschaft noch nicht allgegenwärtig waren (aber bereits unumkehrbar auf dem Vormarsch); Sie gehört zu den 100 einflussreichsten Frauen Englands. Dennoch ist sie mir gänzlich unbekannt. Doch eine Frau die in den wilden 60igern ein IT-Unternehmen aufbaut muss etwas Spannendes zu erzählen haben.Highly recommended, even if you've heard an interview with this woman or read an article about her, believe me, after reading this book, you'll be even more impressed. Der Leser dieser Biografie begleitet sie von Kindesbeinen bis zur fast-85. Faszinierend und sehr inspirierend, besonders in den späten Kapiteln.

A child refugee builds the first wholly female software company, putting feminism into practice, and goes on to become one of the most noted philanthropists in her country. It’s a story fit for Hollywood. Stephanie Shirley tells it with gusto, raw honesty, and compelling writing in her autobiography, Let It Go. I did find this a contradiction to how she comes across in person and some of her philanthropy such as the school (not so much the cure research), so I am giving this a lot of thought. But I have to judge the book as it is written. I wasn't expecting to give this a low rating, I've seen Dame Shirley speak and she is inspirational. Most of this book was 4 star. Her early life as a refugee and the founding of her freelance company and it's growth are fascinating. However, I would warn readers that their are a lot of possible triggers here for neurodiverse people. As someone with 3 diagnosed family members (2 non verbal, 1 with a rare form of epilepsy) I found this very upsetting. And others when Dame Stephanie Shirley ponders on what it means to her to build/grow her ideas into companies and enterprises...Offen und ehrlich berichtet Dame Stephanie Shriley von Selbstmordgedanken, Nervenzusammenbruch, Selbstzweifel und schweren Zeiten.

Never give in' Winston Churchill had said, in a much quoted speech in 1941 - 'never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense...' It had world for him. It might just work for me." Oh and I almost forget to mention that, amongst even more things, she also helped establish the British Computer Society (BCS). This is how I got to hear of her, through their pod cast: The Gem of all Mechanisms where she was interviewed on their episode of 15 April 2020. To give them a better life, she and her sister were given up by their parents (her father was Jewish) at an Austrian train station right before Nazi occupation. They were sent off to England to start a new life with new parents.Das Konzept von Mrs Shirleys Firma ist simpel: Home Office und Teilzeit sowie auf Selbstständigen Basis. Modern eben. Und das in den 60igern.

Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads. The business thrived and Shirley gradually transferred ownership to her staff, creating 70 millionaires in the process. Der Berufliche Erfolg ist bald unübersehbar. Doch privat trifft es sie hart: Ihr Sohn wird mit schwerem Autismus diagnostiziert. Seine Betreuung wird zu einer Herkules-Aufgabe und bald nicht mehr stemmbar für das Ehepaar Shirley.Whether the challenges are being a child refugee, having an autistic child or creating a fortune (then giving it all away) by founding a tech company at a time when women were supposed to be home baking bread, Dame Stephanie Shirley's cinematic memoir inspires us all to keep reaching. Never stop reaching." - David Puttnam