Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Finding Me by Viola Davis

33 reviews

cs1887's review against another edition

5.0

I know why it won the grammy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Infertility, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, Death, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Grief, and Bullying

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

This is not a typical celebrity memoir. It's a story about survival and finding a voice.

Listen to the audiobook! It is outstanding, and hearing the story told in Viola Davis' own, expressive voice adds a lot to the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Incest, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Classism, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual assault, and Abortion

Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Slavery, Cancer, Infidelity, and Bullying

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Classism, Death of parent, Addiction, Child abuse, Infertility, Rape, Abortion, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Violence

easta98's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Bullying, Blood, Cursing, and Racism

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

snipinfool's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Finding Me, Viola Davis' autobiography, was a deeply personal and often heartbreaking story of her life. She grew up in crippling poverty where her family sometimes lived without electricity or running water. Viola knew she had a gift she wanted to express to the world. She found a way to get the training she wanted and the experiences she needed to be the best she could at her craft. Hearing about her time training in the narrow world at Julliard and how getting a role in a play or movie was sometimes a matter of luck more so than talent, highlighted how hard she worked to get where she is. Sometimes, luck placed her in the minds of people who would later cast her in roles, but her talent could not be denied once you saw her work. 

If you have the opportunity, try to listen to the audiobook as Ms. Davis won a Grammy for her narration of this novel. Hearing her voice her trials and successes made the story of her life so much more special. So many times, while reading this book, I stopped to think of the difficulties she faced. The strength she had and still carries is immeasurable. I doubt I would have been able to accomplish anything close to what she has done. Her story will have you laughing, crying, and every emotion in between. I don't often re-read books, but I can see myself turning to this autobiography again when I am struggling in life. There might be a way to get where I want to go. That route may not be the easiest or the most direct, but it might get me where I want to be if I can find the will and a way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Violence

heatherv's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Incest, and Pregnancy

achay91's review

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion

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

ireanirean's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Grief, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Abortion, Infertility, Infidelity, and Death of parent