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tutti1908's review against another edition
5.0
I could sit and walk and listen to her for another nine hours, so I hope that she writes another piece of literature to talk more about how she's basking in her happiness and joy now that she has found herself. She is a walking, breathing miracle. It is amazing to see how she radiates light and love these days based on her traumatic past, and we do not deserve her brilliance.
I'm also so glad that I chose to listen to this as an audiobook because I don't know if I would have been able to really get through it in a written format, but listening to her and the tone was just something that I'm always going to appreciate. She spoke about forgiveness, and that's something that I'm dealing with a parent right now.
It's a hard read and there are so many triggers in this book, so do not read it if you feel as though you are more susceptible to damage based on trigger warnings. But if you are in a space where you are decent enough to read or listen, please do so because this was a magnificent, magnificent read and I 100% understand and agree with why she got that Grammy.
Graphic: Abortion, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Racism
livlosiewicz's review against another edition
3.5
•What I love most about memoirs is when people pour their honest selves into the text, and allow readers like me who have lived very different lives to step in their shoes and live in their heads for a little bit. Viola Davis does this beautifully, and opens up about a lot of traumatic, but important, topics. I especially love how we get so many facets of her relationships with her family, and how she holds up that there were many times when she was terrified of her father and wanted him to leave, while also acknowledging how much she loved him and how they were able to foster an important and close relationship at the end
•Davis provides some really important insights about how her identity as a black woman impacted her acting career and the way that both racism and colorism affect her life. This was peppered throughout the story, representing the way it was simply always present in her life. I found this to be both really well-done and informative!
Cons:
•The organization of this book left a lot to be desired. Some sections of the book were repetitive, either making the same point that she already made without adding anything new, or adding exposition we already had (like re-explaining her parttime job at Trinity). It read a bit like she decided to move the text to other spots but forgot to delete it in the first spot.
•Also, the book jumped back and forth in time (by margins of a few years; it was mostly linear) in a way that I didn’t really understand. For example, telling about a breakup and then the boyfriend appears pre-breakup a few pages later. If it was necessary to tell things out of order, some roadmapping transition language would have been helpful! It was like the way you would have a conversation or tell a story out loud, but it was confusing on the page. I suspect it might have been better as an audiobook
•(I’ll note that it seems a little unfair to be criticizing the grammar of someone who had to miss school as a child because their family had no hear or running water…so I’m not blaming her, I’m blaming the editor!! Take a red pen to this baby and it would be a real masterpiece!!)
Recommendation: I recommend to fans of memoirs, especially if you’re already a fan of Viola Davis. LOTS of content warnings: this woman has been through a LOT and somehow still managed to have an amazing career despite basically every obstacle. I really enjoyed her perspectives on her life and have a lot of admiration for her journey. Avoid if poor structure in memoirs can bother you or if you want something without trauma.
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse and Abortion
vatodd's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Racism, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abortion
scouthannah's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Abortion, Rape, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
fromthelibraryofmarissa's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion
cmower's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
luna_98's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Abortion, and Bullying
Minor: Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Racism, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audio. There's a reason why this memoir won an Audie Award and a Grammy for narration. When she's reading the parts of her parents, she leans into the acting chops that won her a Tony, and Emmy and an Oscar. Her voice is strong. SHE is strong. When Viola discusses her interactions with other Broadway and Hollywood greats, it doesn't sound like she's name dropping. Viola is too authentic to be fake, and even though she might not have loved/believed in herself as a younger woman, her talent has always been so great that it's made clear that she's not just famous, she's a brilliant actor.
To me, what made this memoir strong is the fact that Viola has been to therapy, and it shows. She doesn't just trauma dump. She discusses her childhood and young adulthood with the eye, and heart, of someone who's walked through hell, and survived. But she does it with love for that little girl that suffered so much to get to where she is now.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Pedophilia
annaeslane's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Abortion
leefox's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, Infertility, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Dementia, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Grief, Abortion, Racism, Cancer, Addiction, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault