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luna_98's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Abortion, and Bullying
Minor: Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Racism, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audio. There's a reason why this memoir won an Audie Award and a Grammy for narration. When she's reading the parts of her parents, she leans into the acting chops that won her a Tony, and Emmy and an Oscar. Her voice is strong. SHE is strong. When Viola discusses her interactions with other Broadway and Hollywood greats, it doesn't sound like she's name dropping. Viola is too authentic to be fake, and even though she might not have loved/believed in herself as a younger woman, her talent has always been so great that it's made clear that she's not just famous, she's a brilliant actor.
To me, what made this memoir strong is the fact that Viola has been to therapy, and it shows. She doesn't just trauma dump. She discusses her childhood and young adulthood with the eye, and heart, of someone who's walked through hell, and survived. But she does it with love for that little girl that suffered so much to get to where she is now.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Pedophilia
nataliebootlah's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Bullying, and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Minor: Child death and Abortion
frozenheartv's review against another edition
5.0
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
“What have I learned from all of this? There is absolutely no way whatsoever to get through this life without scars. No way!!” - Viola Davis
🧠 My thoughts
This has to be one of the best memoirs I have ever read. It was concise, powerful, moving, and inspirational. Viola Davis is such a humble and strong woman. I consider myself a rags-to-riches person but Viola’s situation was another world that I felt even fictional sometimes, and that opened my eyes. I could never imagined the pain she had to go through. When asked how she overcame poverty, she just humbly said it was mostly luck. No, I disagreed, it was all about her strength, her willingness to improve her situation, her talent, and so on.
I believe regardless of your race, your skin color, or your background, you deserve to be loved. Living in a world of men sexualizing women, especially white men, I feel so bad for women of color and ashamed of those men. Regardless of that, Viola keeps moving forward and shows the world that she deserves to be loved and desired through her roles in movies. I know that an actress is talented and is a real actress when I see this:
“Every character you play forces you to explore your brokenness” – Viola Davis
Viola is and will always be a good example of a strong-willed and independent successful woman. When told that her husband has changed her life for good, she said it was true but it was her who changed her own life. I couldn’t agree more than this. Your partner could help you to find yourself and get better, but it’s you who take action and it’s only you who can change your own life.
👍 What I like
- Raw, moving, and inspirational life story
- Totally makes me speechless from time to time
- Pretty clear writing style
👎 What I don't like
- Maybe in some chapters, it was a bit hard to follow because the ideas jumped from one to another abruptly
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
lily_sutton's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent, Abortion, and Rape
mattyvreads's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Racial slurs
yreluctant's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Rape, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Animal death
danielavasquez's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion
pagesandpixels's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Blood, Abortion, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Drug abuse, Excrement, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Eating disorder, and Racial slurs
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Infertility, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer