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hesticht's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Abortion, and Racism
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Terminal illness, Classism, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
blueeyedshook's review against another edition
3.75
I knew quite a bit about Davis from interviews and articles but of course this was a whole deeper level. And it was HARD. Such pain and darkness that she has lived through that the beginning was hard to get through simply because of her difficulty and the gravity with which she wrote it. But out of pain, has come beauty. I think the pain was focused on quite a bit more than the beauty though. Although, my hope is that this leaves room for her to write another book in the future.
The book leads right up to her winning the Oscar for Fences, but really passes over the successful years around that with a light hand. We do get a glimpse of meeting her husband and how he is (their relationship seems precious). And introduced very lightly to when she adopts her daughter.
I appreciated that she focused on her experiences. (it definitely wasn’t a Hollywood tell all or even tell some about any of the people in her movies or shows with her. Barely a tidbit about how Denzel Washington challenged her when he directed.) This was a book about Viola. And of course it focused on how poor she was, her love for her family (even in their own pain), and the experiences she faced in school, work and life with the color of her skin. Not only being black but being dark skinned black. Being a white woman, I have never experienced anything like she has, and I find it utterly ludicrous that she was considered not only different but ugly because her skin is so dark (even among other people of color). Makes my heart hurt. So much of this book just broke my heart for her and for all the little girls out there who have experiences prejudices and atrocities.
What a glorious thing that she can attest that all of that difficulty she faced and the trouble she had finding self-love was faced and began healing in her roll on How to Get Away With Murder. Watching that show made me feel like she was really coming through in the character, and she confirmed that to be true. Such breakthrough, not only for her but for all woman who look like her as well.
My favorite part, though, was the way she talked about her parents. How even through the pain, she loved her father and how he grew and healed as well. And the way she talked about her sisters, ugh. Heart wide open.
(My less than favorite part was how her favorite word must be the f word with mf taking a close second. But I digress.)
A beautiful, heart wrenching, aching memoir that I hope is not her last.
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
jalensera's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Medical trauma, Racism, Grief, and Incest
Minor: Incest, Drug abuse, Child death, and Cancer
isabellarob73's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Infertility, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Cancer, Colonisation, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence