Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

81 reviews

kcwreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Incest, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, Cancer, and Death

mecmccann's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

This book was everything I needed and more. When she said “The purpose of life is to live it” agghhhhhh I needed that 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, Infertility, Sexism, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Mental illness

maemiller_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Bullying, Animal death, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Cancer

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Drug abuse, Excrement, and Infertility

seullywillikers's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I've always admired Ms. Davis as an actor, and this memoir is the catalyst for falling in love with her as a person. Raw, honest, brutal, and beautiful, listening to Ms. Davis tell her story without flinching, pulling punches, or apology, has been an incredible experience. Her compassion and empathy are without compare, and her focus on seeing the humanity in all people is a testament to her strength and inner goddess.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Cancer, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Excrement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

One of the most powerful biographies I’ve ever listened to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Rape, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abortion, Pedophilia, Incest, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Minor: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Medical content

aishallnot's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Racial slurs

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

QUOTE 

"It is a widely held belief that dark-skinned women just don't do it for a lot of Black men. It's a mentality rooted in both racism and misogyny, that you have no value as a woman if you do not turn them on, if you are not desirable to them. It's ingrained thinking, dictated by oppression." 

THINGS I ENJOYED

• Viola Davis' narration in the audiobook: she is a powerhouse!
• What a life story!
• Great insights into the world of acting (theatre, cinema and tv), including the difficulties in “making it” and the prejudice within it
• The way Viola’s dedication to her art is palpable is incredible and inspiring
• It’s a very raw book and it definitely appeals to your emotions

THINGS I DIDN'T ENJOY

• There are sections where the book jumps back and forward in time, without references, and it gets a bit confusing/hard to follow

RECOMMENDED TO

• If you’re into memoirs, you’ll probably like this one!
• Viola Davis fans and appreciators of the art of acting will probably like this one particularly (the second half especially)
• This is a strong one and I found myself selecting almost every item from the TW list, so be aware of that going in!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Grief, Animal death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Abortion, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Death of parent, Rape, Infertility, and Vomit

librariangeorgia's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

This book is exactly what I want from a memoir. I want to know about the nitty gritty of celebrities lives, not the jobs they’re known for or the name-dropping of who’s good/bad in Hollywood. 

 

I found this even more interesting to know more about the racism and bullying that black people experience - as it’s not something I have experience in being a white person. 

 

Before reading this I honestly knew nothing about Viola, other than the fact that she’d stared in HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, THE HELP, WIDOWS, etc. So it was really fascinating for me to found out about her childhood (the amount of trauma she experienced I did not expect) and her long journey in acting to get to the place that she is today. 

 

Honestly, this book has given me a new found respect for this woman for publishing such a raw insight into her life. I really wish I’d listened to the audiobook for this! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Addiction, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

oliviapincin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Abortion, Cancer, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

minibean24's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Viola’s story is incredible, and her memoir is beautifully written and painfully raw. I felt like I could feel her hurt. Her narration in the audiobook is fantastic- it made all the important people in her life absolutely come to life. **Please pay attention to the content warnings, as some she discusses in detail and are quite hard to hear about, even if they are not a trigger!**

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Cancer, Abortion, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Incest

Minor: Kidnapping, Infertility, Drug use, Sexism, and Drug abuse