Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

42 reviews

_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.

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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

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."

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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

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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

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

This is not a typical celebrity memoir. It's a story about survival and finding a voice.

Listen to the audiobook! It is outstanding, and hearing the story told in Viola Davis' own, expressive voice adds a lot to the book.

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Content Warnings

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

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

amgarrido's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Alcoholism, and Addiction

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

hayleyvharrington's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Infertility, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Abortion, Addiction, and Infidelity

Minor: Grief and Drug abuse

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I couldn't put this book down.  Viola Davis is a force of nature and her autobiography, the Grammy-award winning audiobook that she earned EGOT status for, is further evidence, if you weren't already swayed.  

While I'm normally not into celebrity biographies, there are a handful that I loved and this is one of them, so much that I consider this required reading.  Ideally, you should listen to the audiobook (again, Grammy-winning audiobook).  Viola pulls you in and doesn't let go.  Her autobiography is all encompassing from birth to present, all the details from her childhood to working in Hollywood.  I don't know what else to say other than to read this book.  It is incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racial slurs, Addiction, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Racism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Confinement

mjreadings's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Infertility, Racism, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship