Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

60 reviews

hazedaze's review against another edition

The beginning of Viola’s life is filled with so much violence and misery that it’s quite difficult to hear; it should be flagged for literally every content warning. I think I need to come back when I have the mental and emotional fortitude to hear about her honest experience. The first quarter of the book is absolutely brutal. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Incest

microbemom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Brutally honest reflection on what it is to grow up at poor dark skinned black woman in the US.  This was so very good.  Thank you Ms. Davis for sharing your story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Infertility, Racial slurs, Rape, and Classism

angievansprang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Wow wow wow. It’s hard to even have words for this masterpiece. Viola Davis gives you a front row seat to her life entire in this beautifully raw memoir. There are too many profound things she reflected on to name. If you’re ready for a true story of triumph and resilience mixed with a lot of heart and passion, give this show-stopper a read/listen. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Blood

Minor: Addiction, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Classism

freya54's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kcallens's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Amazing.

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read/listened to. Viola Davis is an incredible person. Her strength and all the things she went through is unimaginable. This was a hard book to listen to at times, Viola does not shy away from taking you through memories of her childhood. Her dad’s abuse towards her mom, sibling abuse from her older brother, poverty so intense most of the time they didn’t have electricity, food or a working toilet. How she overcame so many obstacles and horrible things that happened to her growing up to then go on to graduate from Juilliard, then go on to act with Denzel Washington and then Meryl Streep until her big break out in How to Get Away with Murder is truly incredible. She is an amazing individual and a true inspiration.

This book is one that I know will stick with me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

coreyarch9's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

"Every January, we had our Martin Luther King celebration, a variety show [...] it was our rebellion. We were told it would ruin our instrument. Well, our soul was our instrument, too."

I love Annalise MF Keating, but I didn't know too much about Viola Davis. In Finding Me, Viola talks less about her career as an actress and more about the systemic poverty and racism and the coinciding internalized struggles that she had to overcome to be the woman we know today. And she doesn't hold anything back.

She talks a lot about what society deems beautiful, worthy, or correct. During her time at Juiliard, students were discouraged from hosting an MLK Day program or anything that might highlight their differences from their white counterparts. She talks about the typecast roles that she would be cast in or invited to audition for. She talks about what it was like to be called beautiful for the first time. She talks about therapy. 

In the end, she talks about finding herself, writing, "I am no longer ashamed of me."

I will never know firsthand what it's like to experience the abject poverty and racism that Viola grew up with. And that's why it's so important to read about. When she talked about being called beautiful for the first time, I started to wonder, when was the last time I told somebody they were pretty? When was the last time I told a woman of color that she was beautiful? When was the last time I supported a black-owned café instead of just picking up a latte at my local Tim Hortons? When did I last show kindness to a stranger?

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Excrement, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

yomireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Viola Davis is a master at the craft of storytelling, evidenced not just in her brilliant talent honed to a razor's edge through dedication in her career as an actress, but in the way this memoir enraptured me from start to finish. This story is one steeped in life's trauma, but more importantly, reflects the break-back work of taking the adversity and shit thrown your way, and persevering. A brutally honest read of how even for all the agonizingly hard work Viola put into her talent as an actress, the reality is that luck was a deciding factor in her career.

I was moved by her resilience in the face of abuse to forgive, her faith when she felt abandoned, her candid approach to therapy, and so so much more. I'm better for having read this book, and I scarcely feel this way about books.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Abortion, and Classism

Minor: Incest

mecmccann's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

This book was everything I needed and more. When she said “The purpose of life is to live it” agghhhhhh I needed that 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

doomluz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

The audiobook is narrated by Viola Davis herself. I love her acting and this emphasizes how powerful her voice is. I love her insights on her difficult life and career. A raw and honest read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Incest, Grief, Abortion, and Classism