Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Finding Me by Viola Davis

131 reviews

brookey8888's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was really good! I honestly knew nothing about her when I picked this up, I just liked her as an actress. I didn’t realize the life she lived and how amazing and inspiring that makes her. This has some really dark topics, but there’s a lot of light as well. I really enjoyed her talking about healing her younger self. This did make me tear up when she was talking about her father dying and how they see the ones that passed before they go. I’m excited to watch more things she’s in because I realize I haven’t seen all that much. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cancer, Child death, and Racism

rebeccalisamarie's review against another edition

hopeful sad

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

ladyjtm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Stunning. This singular voice captured me the first time I saw her on screen in the film Doubt. I remember being bored with the pace of the film until Viola came on screen and commanded my attention. I wondered “Who is this woman?” The tears came so fast as I sat forward in my seat to try and really see her. I followed her work since then and when she appeared for the first time as Annalise Keating I thought “Oh this is who she is!” Hearing Viola confirm how Annalise had all the complexity she needed as an actor to really explore herself was a thrill. Her lesson on knowing there is a difference between being real and transparent hits hard.  I could not put this down. I could not stop listening. I ugly cried in the final 20 minutes because of the power of this singular voice that has commanded my attention since the first time I heard it in 2008. This is definitely an audiobook experience worthy of your time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Violence, and Domestic abuse

cassiebartelme's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

3.5

I always find it challenging to review a memoir but this was an excellent listen (which isn’t surprising since it won a Grammy. )I didn’t know much about Viola Davis before picking this up but I did walk away with a ton of respect and admiration for her. She is very candid about the life she has lived filled with poverty, violence, and racism, but also about love, strength and joy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Racism, and Cursing

_evyn_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

Viola is a true artist. She's so vulnerable and open about her life in this book. She talks about her complex relationships with the acting industry, her family, partners, and most importantly, herself. I love the way she explains her struggles because there are moments I can relate to and moments I could not have truly understood until her depiction and imagery and rawness. You can feel sympathy the world over for another's problems and trauma but if you don't  REALLY understand what they're going through and how they're affected, you won't have empathy. Without empathy, you tend to listen to stories only for what you can relate to instead of what is actually being said. With empathy, you still have a bias about the more important aspects of the history, but it doesn't stop you from hearing and (hopefully) understanding the whole truth. I felt with her every time she had to step back and question a barrier in her life. She made me think about the choices I've made and what my future could look like (not in relation to her life, but the questions she asks herself or that others ask her, prompted me to try to answer them for myself). 
Would highly recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape

overthinkereading's review against another edition

5.0

This book took my heart, ripped it out, stomped on it, picked it back up, wrapped it gently, and put it back into my body with purpose. Viola Davis’ account of her life, traumas, and healing is one of the best memoirs ever written. (I will die on this hill). Her narration is IMPECCABLE and absolutely deserved the Grammy. 
CW: assault, violence, SA, addiction, poverty, racism, harm to animals, death of parent, blood, female reproductive health issues

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Addiction, Death of parent, Blood, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

anastasia_raf's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I don't think you can "rate" a person's life, so I'm just rating the pacing, the writing and the overall composition of the book.
I kept reading and reading and often wondered how did she kept on going? I know What kept her going, but still...how was that enough? A lot of her experiences brought me to tears, terrified me, and made me think of how lucky I am and how much protection, opportunity and "luck" White privilege provides.
Viola Davis is an incredible actor and so very talented in so many fields.
There were a lot of quotes from this memoir that stuck with me.
Here's one of them: "stop making love to something that's killing you."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Classism, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Child abuse, Misogyny, Addiction, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Violence, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

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

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Animal death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Death, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion

cs1887's review against another edition

5.0

I know why it won the grammy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Infertility, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, Death, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Grief, and Bullying