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caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audio. There's a reason why this memoir won an Audie Award and a Grammy for narration. When she's reading the parts of her parents, she leans into the acting chops that won her a Tony, and Emmy and an Oscar. Her voice is strong. SHE is strong. When Viola discusses her interactions with other Broadway and Hollywood greats, it doesn't sound like she's name dropping. Viola is too authentic to be fake, and even though she might not have loved/believed in herself as a younger woman, her talent has always been so great that it's made clear that she's not just famous, she's a brilliant actor.
To me, what made this memoir strong is the fact that Viola has been to therapy, and it shows. She doesn't just trauma dump. She discusses her childhood and young adulthood with the eye, and heart, of someone who's walked through hell, and survived. But she does it with love for that little girl that suffered so much to get to where she is now.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
annaeslane's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Abortion
joslynhebda's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Minor: Addiction, Infertility, and Abortion
marwamg's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
sprimus18's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual assault
juliaarcisz's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent
nataliebootlah's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Abortion
kathshiroma's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Incest, Pedophilia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Violence, Abortion, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
4.5
The majority of her memoir takes place in her formative, early years - first, as a highly impoverished child who is bullied relentlessly for both being black and poor, then as a teen and young adult who was still both black and poor but learning about her true passion and chasing it fervently.
While parts of this book were incredibly difficult to listen to (please do note the content warnings on this book and take them seriously - it dives deep into some very traumatic topics like sexual abuse, domestic violence, and losing a parent to cancer), it somehow remained hopeful. Davis’s story was woven with expertise as she shared her thoughtful reflections on these different points in her life and how she arrived to where she is now. This book gives a true, honest account that doesn’t turn away from difficult topics like racism in the film and acting industry. It forces the reader (or listener) to confront difficult truths about how even at the height of her career, Davis herself still felt like an outsider, forced to take the “fun best friend” roles and not the leading lady roles, reserved for her lighter skinned counterparts.
I laughed, I cried, and am so grateful to Viola for sharing her life with the world.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism