Reviews

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

beenicole27's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.5

laneylo's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I'm still in tears. This was incredibly moving and inspiring. Viola Davis is an icon and it didn't happen overnight. She recounts her memories, some heartbreaking and others heartfelt. To know a life and story then see how far they've come is overwhelming and I admire her all the more for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Chronic illness, Child abuse, Excrement, Grief, Terminal illness, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Violence, Death, Blood, Cancer, Racism, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, and Dementia

awaywiththefairies's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Racism, and Bullying

ilovebooksalltoowell's review against another edition

5.0

I knew the beautiful Viola Davis from The Help, which is a movie that made a huge impression on me. I had no idea how tough her life has been and the audiobook just blew me away. The strength she has and the drive to make a better life for her and her family are mind blowing. I respect her a lot for describing how her father abused her mother but also that he has had a very hard life himself that he didn’t know how to deal with that and changed later in life. She describes very well what it’s like to try to find acting roles as a black woman when the characters in movies are often made for white people or they want a black woman who looks “interchangeable”. The story makes you feel grateful for all that you have, and realizing that not everybody lives in the same circumstances. Absolutely listen to the audio version, she is brutally honest and I’ll think about her story for a long time now that I’ve finished it.

jacquy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

5.0

liv_love_read_'s review against another edition

5.0

A must read. Viola's depth, vulnerability, and evolution while acknowledging things that brought her shame were actually her "warrior fuel" were deeply sad and beautiful at the same time. I already thought Viola was astounding. After reading Finding Me, I am in absolute awe of her.

katko123's review against another edition

2.0

Another autobiography under the "I had it hard, because I´m black, but I made it" slogan.
Yes, she had it hard. Really hard. Yes, she is Black. But saying that she had it so hard, because she´s Black is only halftrue. Saying that White people have it easy because they are White is a lie.
She´s a great actress with a strong personality, there´s no doubt about it. She surely deserves all the awards that she has won and all the nominations etc. Just stop blaming White people for literally everything.

kelsilay15's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

vatodd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Powerful. So intense. Amazing but brutal. Nothing crass or overly described things but straightforward of the realness of her childhood. That so much happened in her childhood in the 70s was a lot to process. Good to know and understand. A lot but so worth it and necessary for a black big boned dark skinned girl like me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Racism, Child abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abortion

jamie_martin2's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25