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miayukino's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Excrement, Death of parent, Abortion, Terminal illness, Grief, Cancer, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Medical content, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Blood
Minor: Cursing
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
5.0
Listen to the audiobook! It is outstanding, and hearing the story told in Viola Davis' own, expressive voice adds a lot to the book.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Incest, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Classism, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual assault, and Abortion
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Slavery, Cancer, Infidelity, and Bullying
sannesbooks's review against another edition
4.75
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
beth_taggard's review against another edition
5.0
This memoir is rooted in Viola’s childhood trauma and adult experiences of not feeling good enough or pretty enough because of her color and her features — and it rocked me — while simultaneously being both unsurprising and wholly educational about the black experience in America (and particularly in Hollywood). But I wasn’t raised in America. Though American, I was raised in East Africa — a translucent white, blonde-haired, green-eyed anomaly surrounded by black women of varying people groups. They were gorgeous to me, and I was envious of their rich ebony skin tones and non-stringy hair. I still see black women as exquisite. Perceptions are genuinely born of time and place.
Like a phoenix, Viola arose from adversity and then burned away to ash, only to rise again. She has done this with more grace and forgiveness than those around her may have deserved. “Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a different past. They tell you successful therapy is when you have the big discovery that your parents did the best they could with what they were given,” she writes. Her capacity to acknowledge the past for what it was and choose to live in the present is inspiring.
In the genre of celebrity memoirs, I have noticed a trend of unnecessary repetition to the point of using exact phrases or sentences a mere few chapters apart from one another. Finding Me also has this struggle. It’s the only thing that weakened the reading experience for me, but the contents are so powerful I don’t care. Like Viola, Finding Me is exquisite.
Find my full review at Dots and Beyond.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abortion
lizziaha's review against another edition
4.0
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
kat_ek's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Abortion, Racism, and Sexual violence
nadia's review against another edition
4.5
I listened to this on audio and having Viola's voice fill my head as she told her story was something else.
I appreciated her sharing all sides of her story, including her difficult upbringing, the challenges that come with being a dark-skinned black woman in Hollywood, let alone choosing acting as a profession, and her journey in finding love, the latter of which got to me and had me sobbing at one point.
If anything, I was hoping for a lil’ more BTS scoops, especially on her work on HTGAWM, and also some more drama/goss, but I suspect that’s not Viola’s style!
Now I gotta go and watch everything Viola Davis has been in!
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Abortion and Racism
sydneyns1990's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape, Abortion, Addiction, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
banusha's review against another edition
4.75
My life.
- Viola Davis
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse
daniellejp16's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse