Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Finding Me by Viola Davis

36 reviews

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Viola gets all of the flowers for this autobiography.

She was completely open and unfiltered. I love that we are reading how she finds herself and her voice is so powerful in this book. I love that she took the power to write this about her life. I cannot imagine the courage it must have taken to write something so vulnerable.

She had me in tears by the 3rd chapter and laughing at the end.

I recommend you do the full experience of having her voice in the audiobook read this to you as you follow along with a physical copy. It will completely grip you.  This without a doubt is my favorite read of the year. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Rape

sparringego8's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, and Addiction

hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Medical trauma, and Addiction

Moderate: Abortion, Vomit, Terminal illness, Animal death, Misogyny, and Incest

sannesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, War, Violence, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Bullying, Body shaming, Blood, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Addiction, Infertility, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Colonisation, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Rape, Racism, Hate crime, Animal death, and Abortion

sydney_abigail25's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

LOVE IT. so emotional, so beautiful, so poignant, so honest. so representative of the experience of a dark-skinned woman, in acting but also in LIFE. an incredibly important read for the entire world, i think. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Infertility, Drug use, and Sexual assault

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Racism, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Abortion, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Addiction, Classism, Sexism, and Infertility

courtneygiles's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug use, and Domestic abuse

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

4.75

Finding Me was an emotional journey. The first few chapters were hard to get through, not because it wasn't compelling or well written, but because it's hard to witness vulnerability and the horrors of enough person's life. As the story continued, bright spots started to appear, and it was easier to get lost in Viola Davis' story.  I'd recommend the audiobook.  Memoirs read by the author often add another layer and when the author is also a talented actor it's a special experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Classism, Death of parent, Addiction, Child abuse, Infertility, Rape, Abortion, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Violence

madamenovelist's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Incest, Cancer, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Racism, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, Bullying, Body shaming, Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Drug abuse

snipinfool's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Finding Me, Viola Davis' autobiography, was a deeply personal and often heartbreaking story of her life. She grew up in crippling poverty where her family sometimes lived without electricity or running water. Viola knew she had a gift she wanted to express to the world. She found a way to get the training she wanted and the experiences she needed to be the best she could at her craft. Hearing about her time training in the narrow world at Julliard and how getting a role in a play or movie was sometimes a matter of luck more so than talent, highlighted how hard she worked to get where she is. Sometimes, luck placed her in the minds of people who would later cast her in roles, but her talent could not be denied once you saw her work. 

If you have the opportunity, try to listen to the audiobook as Ms. Davis won a Grammy for her narration of this novel. Hearing her voice her trials and successes made the story of her life so much more special. So many times, while reading this book, I stopped to think of the difficulties she faced. The strength she had and still carries is immeasurable. I doubt I would have been able to accomplish anything close to what she has done. Her story will have you laughing, crying, and every emotion in between. I don't often re-read books, but I can see myself turning to this autobiography again when I am struggling in life. There might be a way to get where I want to go. That route may not be the easiest or the most direct, but it might get me where I want to be if I can find the will and a way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Violence