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jlferrazzo27's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Racism, Infertility, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Bullying, Abortion, and Drug abuse
bethanyt123's review against another edition
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Child death, Death of parent, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Infertility, and Bullying
abbyslittelife's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction and Death of parent
mathenam's review against another edition
4.25
Memoirs seem to always have a narrative that skips around, but that’s the nature of telling a story about a real life. It still felt a little too disjointed in places.
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Infertility, Incest, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Abortion, Rape, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
mel_lo77's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
pagesandpixels's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Blood, Abortion, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Drug abuse, Excrement, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Eating disorder, and Racial slurs
lea's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Bullying, Violence, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Grief, Classism, Cancer, and Addiction
Minor: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Infertility, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer
smashingreads's review against another edition
5.0
Along with laying it all out, she does the emotional labor to explain some of those things that aren't pointed out enough (to people who don't know better) or heard enough (by those who do). Inequality is a lens that's not always easy to name, explain, share, etc. even when we see it or are apart of it. Even though we should all be familiar with the biases that shape us, a lot of us are painfully unaware. I appreciated Viola's willingness to explain the impact race, gender, and income has throughout her life. I appreciate that I didn't just gain insight into Viola's life ‰ЫТ I gained insight into inequalities and biases that that I may not have known or been able to identify/name otherwise.
Oh, and Viola's and Julius's relationship..? What an aspiration.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Racism
daringdelaney's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
Would I recommend the book:
Absolutely! With trigger warnings (Graphic Domestic abuse, Racism, Physical abuse,
Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction... Possibly more)
And a warning about it's use of profanity but it's mostly direct quotes.
My favorite part was:
How intelligent and articulate Viola Davis is.
And:
“My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past. I found that not only did I have fight in me, I had love.”
"Memories are immortal. They're deathless and precise. They have the power of giving you joy and perspective in hard times. Or, they can strangle you. Define you in a way that's based more in other people's tucked-up perceptions than truth."
"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are"
“I now understand that life, and living it, is more about being present. I’m now aware that the not-so-happy memories lie in wait; but the hope and the joy also lie in wait.”
Do i think the book is well written? Why is or isn't it? Was engaging, delightful, or inspiring? Was it staid, boring, or contrived?
She did an amazing job sharing her life stories and her family's stories. The words she chose to portray intense times were eloquent, flowy, and emotion evoking.
I loved her (movie) work before this book but now I'm starting to love Viola Davis.
The immense respect and admiration I have for her is deep. The things she endured as a child and throughout every phase of her life I can honestly say that I've never experienced. I've never missed a meal for days. I've never had to lay in my own urine and go to school the next day reeking. I've never had to fight with huge rats over my bed & pillow. I have never opened the door to my father's mistress completely naked without a care to hide an affair. I've never witnessed my father beat my mother within an inch of her life and I've never experienced racism on the level that Viola has for being too dark or "not pretty enough" She has been through more than any woman ever should have to. What she went through for being dark skinned, what her mom went through...absolutely terrible! She wrote about her awful struggles without comparing them to others which can easily happen when discussing such things. Viola's biggest life defining moments were when she fell to her knees. She's been baptized and has had many moments when all she had was God to rely on. There is a lot to admire in this woman and I hope she maintains her relationship with Jesus Christ.
This book is beautifully written and wonderfully (self) narrated into an audiobook. I'm so so glad I impulsively grabbed this one.
Was it what you expected it to be?
Not at all. It exceeded my expectations.
How I discovered the book:
Searching my library app for a nonfiction autobiography less than 10 hours long (Barbara Streisand's is 45 hours long!)
Format I read it in: Audiobook read by the author 🤩
Graphic: Abortion, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pedophilia, Infertility, Hate crime, Grief, Emotional abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Incest, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Cancer