Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

81 reviews

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

trashcanmoose's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This is a heavy, powerful and inspirational read. To me, Viola Davis puts a perspective on life, showing that no matter how terrible things are at some point in your life, there is a possibility for things to get better. You just have to want things to get better. She shows that if you work for and ask for the things you need and want in life, sometimes it works out, even if everything has gone to rock bottom.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Animal death, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Incest

jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Wow. Just sitting with a lot of these words and shared experience with Viola. I have genuinely never seen so much of myself … my own narrative unraveling in another person. I resonate so deeply with this journey, even though I have lived very little of life so far. I feel seen and understood in such a deep and beautiful way. 

I will be digesting and processing these words for such a long time. 

Thank you Ms. Davis for opening up your heart and your life and sharing it with the world through so many works. From the screen to this novel. Thank you for portraying pain and anguish in depth that only some may ever truly understand. Thank you for gifting words to my own struggle, some of which I haven’t been able to voice or give language to. And thank you for allowing me to journey alongside you in finding who you are. Wishing I could return the sentiment. 

A truly, beautifully hard, real, and binding book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Vomit, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, and Physical abuse

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

hannahbug30's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Abortion, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Grief

Minor: Sexual violence

emmak788's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Racism, Alcoholism, and Infertility

Minor: Addiction and Abortion

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

matthaniaa's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.5

“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 fucked-up perceptions than truth.”

Amazing story. It was sad, heartbreaking, and hard to read at times. Everything her mother, her family, she herself went through, it was unfathomable. How can a human survive that level or poverty and abuse? Somehow, Viola and her family did. It was inspiring. To see where she came from shows her resilience, hard work, and dedication. It really makes you take a step back and reevaluate. She's so strong, and I have an abundance of respect and adoration for her. She didn't give up, and look where she is now. She is an amazing woman, a phenomenal actor. Finding Me was eye-opening, and definitely made me want to read more memoirs/autobiographies. There were so many good quotes, but the one above is my favorite.

Would've been a five star if not for the editing. I think this could've been structured better. Some things felt out of place and not cohesive. But all in all, a great read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Cancer, Terminal illness, Abortion, Pedophilia, Rape, and Infertility

askard's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Racism, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Cancer

rebekah_florence's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

What a treat to hear her own story in her own words in her own time.  I love Viola Davis. Her work meant so much to me from the moment I saw her in The Help at 12 years old.  Immediately after returning home, I furiously searched everything I could about her, her acting career, and how I could EXACTLY what she did- represent dark-skinned Black women on screen. Viola tells stories in such a captivating way that, even in time jumps, they flow seamlessly.  I don’t know if I believe in rating a memoir below 5 stars. I don’t know if I believe in rating a memoir at all, however, if someone has the courage to share their story, amen to that. Viola exposes some of the deepest parts of herself- trauma, abuse, bullying, self-doubt and ultimately forgiveness.  So many parts of the book had me in tears because I could relate to them.  I see how the stories she decided to share connect to her work.  This was raw and inspiring and beautifully done.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cancer, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Minor: Drug abuse