Judge Judy has heard enough. As a family court judge in New York City and now in her successful TV courtroom show, she has listened to thousands of excuses, complaints, and tales of woe from women of every background, and she's ready to rule. Women, she states with her trademark frankness, need to wise up, stop subjugating who they are, and stop making stupid decisions in the name of love. They hide their talents and opinions so they won't offend. They tiptoe through life letting others take credit for their ideas because they would rather be liked than respected. They spend their lives trying to please everyone but them-selves, and then they wonder why they feel so frustrated and unfulfilled. Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever presents Judge Judy's ten hard and true lessons for happiness: Beauty fades, dumb is forever. Don't crawl when you can fly. What goes up must come down. Denial is a river in Egypt. Master the game--then play it. You're the trunk of the tree. You can't teach the bull to dance. Failure doesn't build character. Letting go is half the fun. You can be the hero of your own story.

Today's definition of family is completely unrecognizable from what it was forty, thirty, even twenty years ago. Into the chaos that has become typical of the modern American family, judge Judy Sheindlin attempts to bring some order. With Keep It Simple, Stupid, Judge Judy addresses how convoluted family life has become. The traditional nuclear family has expanded to include exes and parents of exes, merging families, stepchildren, lovers, adopted children, in-laws the list goes on and on. Complex issues naturally arise from the enlarged families into which we're born. There is the ex-wife who wants more child support from husband number one so she can stay home with new baby by husband number two. There are the parents who gave their daughter thirty thousand dollars as a wedding gift only to watch the marriage quickly crumble and their former son-in-law claim half the money. How about the adult son who runs out on his kids, leaving his parents to pay his child support? When it comes to families, Judge Judy has seen it all in her courtroom, and she knows stupidity when she sees it. Tackling all the explosive issues that drive families crazy -- and into court -- Judge Judy shares her on-target, brutally honest thoughts on the chaos that is characteristic of today's American family and gives no-holds-barred advice on how to resolve conflicts and repair relationships.