Reviews

Finding Me by Viola Davis

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I'm introducing a new rating system: any well-written book that makes me cry gets 5/5 stars automatically. Viola had quite the childhood and a journey. She deserves the nice life that she built and all the luck in casting.

rellimreads's review against another edition

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5.0

Start to finish this is the type of book that immediately hooks you and doesn't let go. Davis spends the first third of the book talking about her upbringing in a poor and abusive home and how this impacted her for decades. She's brutally honest about her parent's violent relationship, the horrors of poverty and food insecurity, the physical and emotional toll, the racism even within her own community.

While I've had some sense of her career - the path was not easy or without compromise. What it's like to even get opportunities for work, the exhaustion of constantly auditioning, making a living. How to break out in theater, TV, & movies and balancing principles with needing more exposure and practical things like money to eat. Her personal stories of meeting acting teachers, directors, fellow actors offer unique insight into someone who is simultaneously accomplished and yet still awed by those she works with.

I think one of my favorite parts of the book was when she shares how she met and fell in love with her husband. The joy, peace, and profound happiness are such a delight - especially after knowing what she went through up until that point.

Highly recommend.

Narration:
Davis narrates this herself and it's easy to hear why it's a Grammy-nominated performance. (the winner will be announced this Sunday) The fear, anger, joy, frustration, strength, and love are truly brought to life. It feels so intimate at times, like you've been graced with her presence and she's speaking directly to the individual listener. Perfection.

envy4's review against another edition

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5.0

Read via audiobook.
I really enjoyed the audiobook. I have always loved her voice and throughly enjoyed the emotion in her voice during this reading. Parts were difficult to listen to and I took short breaks.
I learned so much about myself from her callouts. So many powerful lessons. I love the themes I see in my life and the work’s of art and literature that show up just as I need them.