Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

42 reviews

thndrkat's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A gorgeous, heart-wrenching, and inspiring memoir about surviving multiple childhood traumas and finding identity and redemption through art, relationships, and self-care. The audiobook, for which Davis won a Grammy, is especially powerful, with Davis's deep voice conveying incredible amounts of every kind of emotion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, and Infertility

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Sexism

christyadamsphd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, Infertility, Cancer, Dementia, Abortion, and Addiction

jehansen127's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Grief, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Addiction, Bullying, and Death

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

erin_l's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexism

a_alves00's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Racism, Alcohol, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Cancer, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infertility

briennebrienne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Abortion, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

power0911's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Physical abuse, Animal death, Abortion, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Child death, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Racism, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Violence, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

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?

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Content Warnings

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

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