Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

138 reviews

bethanyt123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Truly worth ten reads. Enlightening, inspiring, devastating, painful, and moving. Viola manages to open the doors to exploring the intricacies of racism in a welcoming, inviting, and honest way. I’m convinced the only way to read this is via audiobook, recorded by Viola herself. The performance is enrapturing. Thank you, Viola Davis, for opening your heart to us.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Child death, Death of parent, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Infertility, and Bullying

itscassie's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Viola’s storytelling ability coupled with the depths of vulnerability and healing she shares had me in awe throughout each chapter. I felt I saw a distant relative telling me their life lessons and speaking to the young girl, adolescent in me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Sexual violence, Classism, Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Bullying, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual violence, Abortion, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Medical trauma

murph_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I wish everyone could read this and understand how beautifully tormenting it is to heal your inner child.  It’s something so many people refuse to believe they need to do, when it’s the root of so many vicious cycles in life. Hug them, believe them, reassure them, they will learn to feel safe.

Viola speaks about so many incredibly difficult moments with the kind of grace one only gains by surrendering to loving people for exactly who they are. Her love for her family is her driving force. 

Would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook! It feels like having coffee with a lifelong friend with an incredible story. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Bullying, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Addiction, Animal death, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, and Racism

morgane3471's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

2.75

I wanted to love it but I I didn’t.  I really liked her in HTGAWM and was interested in learning more about her life. Sadly, it was poorly written in my opinion and It wasn’t really captivating. It felt very repetitive . I don’t understand why this book as got so many good reviews. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Abortion, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Child death

savyelizabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying and Alcoholism

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

pagesandpixels's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

So poetically written. I listened on audiobook and it was beautiful and engaging. What a life Viola lived and what an honor to listen. Another great book that reminds us why we need to buy/listen to women voices and stories.  

---

Content Warnings

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

hellokaley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Viola describes the definition of a hero as someone born into a world where they don't fit in, they are then summoned on a call to an adventure that they are reluctant to take. This is her hero’s journey from poverty, abuse, and trauma to an Oscar-winning actress. 

This story is heavy with content warnings galore. And truthfully, after the first half of the book, I was ready for the second part of the story- the part where she is triumphant. Because that first half is hard and uncomfortable and her circumstances were unimaginable. Her story is truly phenomenal. 

I loved her approach with talking about the Hollywood industry. She not only talks about the work of character development and figuring out how to understand and portray the person on the script, but she spoke about the challenging logistics of working actors. From auditioning, rejections, pay, insurance, traveling, and often not always a place to call home, it’s not all glamorous. She also highlights the challenges that Black actors face in the industry. 

Viola’s performance in the audiobook is powerful. She is honest and raw in her words and her delivery and did a beautiful job. I have learned so much about her through her book and am happy I read it. “The purpose of life is to live it” and Viola Davis is doing just that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Racism

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Bullying, Abortion, Cancer, Alcohol, and Child abuse

lea's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Amazing audiobook. Her childhood was unfortunately so relatable and hit me hard. I don't watch TV or movies much so I didn't know her but I'm definitely a big fan now. This was beautiful written.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Bullying, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Grief, Classism, Cancer, and Addiction

Minor: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

venetiana's review against another edition

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Bullying

Minor: Violence, Religious bigotry, Classism, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, and Transphobia

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Every single performance I’ve seen Viola Davis in, her acting ability has taken my breath away. I’m usually reticent toward celebrity memoirs but this takes the cake for one of the best memoirs I’ve read. As Davis takes readers through her difficult and tumultuous backstory with searing candidness, we begin to understand the many layers of who she is and how she came to be the person she is today. From the racist climate of the East coast to the colorism glaringly prevalent in both film/stage and the Blck community, Davis’ voice is emotionally intelligent and critically astute. There are definitely very dark moments layered through out this story, so I would definitely recommend checking content warnings on those, but each of these moments is handled with immense care and grace. I really loved this read, it’s definitely made me want to watch “How to get away with murder”.

---

Content Warnings

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