Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Finding Me: A Memoir

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month and what better way to kick it off than by listening to Finding Me, Viola Davis’s memoir which won Audies for Audiobook of the Year and for Narration by Author or Authors, as well as a Grammy for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling? Obviously the narration is superb thanks to Davis’s acting skills, her powerful voice, as well as the strength and genuineness of the emotion because she is telling her own story. In terms of that story what really stood out for me was the harrowing and traumatic reality of her childhood which was blighted by a dysfunctional family (addiction and domestic abuse), sexual abuse, physical abuse, racism, bullying, colourism, and extreme poverty resulting in insufficient food, lack of heating, and infestations of rats and mice. That she was able to overcome this and lead a successful life is a testament to her talent, hard work plus a little luck. And therapy. She was very clear about how important therapy had been to her healing. Sadly not all children from such backgrounds will be fortunate enough to overcome it, and she is upfront about how, even with her help, not all her family members have been able to escape from dysfunction and addiction. I also think she did a valuable service by being upfront about the realities of the acting profession - not just the racism and sexism but also the difficulties of training, gaining enough jobs to be financially self-supporting, let alone making it big. All up I found this to be a thought provoking and inspiring story told with both passion and compassion.

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carly_the_librarian's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring

5.0

Viola's story is one of overcoming trauma and achieving her wildest dreams. Her upbringing was incredibly difficult, going through things that no child ever should. Her strength and healing journey is incredibly inspiring, and I appreciated her sharing her therapy experiences.

Viola's journey at Julliard was also incredibly interesting. I think all professions have issues with Eurocentrism, but I had never thought about how that affected those in the acting field. It was enlightening to hear her discuss how film has gotten more diverse, yet darker African American in lead roles is still proportionately small. I really enjoyed hearing about her experience in Africa and how healing it was after being surrounded by people who didn't understand the importance of culture. I am truly amazed at Viola's resilience and am so happy for the life she has built for herself. See trigger warnings prior to reading as this book deals with many difficult topics. Bonus- Viola narrates the audiobook herself!

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lilybear3's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I couldn't put this book down. Viola Davis is a force of nature and her autobiography, the Grammy-award winning audiobook that she earned EGOT status for, is further evidence, if you weren't already swayed.

While I'm normally not into celebrity biographies, there are a handful that I loved and this is one of them, so much that I consider this required reading. Ideally, you should listen to the audiobook (again, Grammy-winning audiobook). Viola pulls you in and doesn't let go. Her autobiography is all encompassing from birth to present, all the details from her childhood to working in Hollywood. I don't know what else to say other than to read this book. It is incredible.

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poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

4.75

Finding Me was an emotional journey. The first few chapters were hard to get through, not because it wasn't compelling or well written, but because it's hard to witness vulnerability and the horrors of enough person's life. As the story continued, bright spots started to appear, and it was easier to get lost in Viola Davis' story. I'd recommend the audiobook. Memoirs read by the author often add another layer and when the author is also a talented actor it's a special experience.

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