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4.62 AVERAGE
4.62 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Abortion
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5 stars//Audiobook//One of my favorite quotes is, "It's not your fault what happened to you, but it's your responsibility to heal from it." I say it to clients at work, friends and family, and myself more often than I could even count. Viola Davis is the epitome of this concept, and I have immense admiration for her because of it.
This was a nearly perfect memoir for me. I absolutely loved Viola Davis in How to Get Away With Murder and became a big fan of her from there. I knew going in that her childhood had been difficult, but hearing her describe it in such detail left me with my jaw dropped, horrified. (Trigger warning: rats. That's all I'll say.) I appreciated that despite everything that happened in her upbringing, she is not resentful of her parents and is able to accept them for who they are and still have a relationship with them. She goes into great detail of how hard she worked to overcome the hardships she faced growing up and her determination to succeed in spite of the obstacles in her path. Her story is nothing short of inspirational.
One of the things I most appreciated about this memoir was Viola's openness regarding her reproductive health issues and her inner turmoil about having children. Women's reproductive health is still so stigmatized to talk about, but Viola was brave enough to help lift some of that shame and let other women know that they are not alone in their struggles. I struggle with my reproductive health myself and found myself actually getting emotional because it was powerful to hear another woman acknowledging the struggle and shame of these issues. I also appreciated hearing about her journey to motherhood - I felt validated and empowered hearing her thoughts, struggles, and ultimately her joy to adopt her baby girl.
I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you are able, as Viola narrates it herself. It is powerful and moving. I did deduct half a star because I felt that the book could've ended a bit better, and I felt that there could've been more of a focus throughout the book itself on the title - "Finding Me." We see a strong link to this theme at the beginning and end, but felt there could be a stronger tie back to this in the rest of the book.
This was a nearly perfect memoir for me. I absolutely loved Viola Davis in How to Get Away With Murder and became a big fan of her from there. I knew going in that her childhood had been difficult, but hearing her describe it in such detail left me with my jaw dropped, horrified. (Trigger warning: rats. That's all I'll say.) I appreciated that despite everything that happened in her upbringing, she is not resentful of her parents and is able to accept them for who they are and still have a relationship with them. She goes into great detail of how hard she worked to overcome the hardships she faced growing up and her determination to succeed in spite of the obstacles in her path. Her story is nothing short of inspirational.
One of the things I most appreciated about this memoir was Viola's openness regarding her reproductive health issues and her inner turmoil about having children. Women's reproductive health is still so stigmatized to talk about, but Viola was brave enough to help lift some of that shame and let other women know that they are not alone in their struggles. I struggle with my reproductive health myself and found myself actually getting emotional because it was powerful to hear another woman acknowledging the struggle and shame of these issues. I also appreciated hearing about her journey to motherhood - I felt validated and empowered hearing her thoughts, struggles, and ultimately her joy to adopt her baby girl.
I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you are able, as Viola narrates it herself. It is powerful and moving. I did deduct half a star because I felt that the book could've ended a bit better, and I felt that there could've been more of a focus throughout the book itself on the title - "Finding Me." We see a strong link to this theme at the beginning and end, but felt there could be a stronger tie back to this in the rest of the book.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
This book is stellar!
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook - I could listen to Viola Davis speak her story forever and ever.
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook - I could listen to Viola Davis speak her story forever and ever.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
oo this was a gripping listen. i do have a soft spot for memoirs narrated by the author. it is a story of like "came from hardship, persevered and then found success (though doesn't mean the end of hardship)" - perhaps a familiar plotline but does it diminish the value of the story? also yeah weird to to call it a narrative when its someone's life. some of her lived experiences i cant possibly relate to because the hardships we've faced are so different but the emotions experienced that she describes do resonate. also important - on top of all the hardship and resilience, so much also on unconditional love for family and friends
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced