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ebonyyd's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Domestic abuse
carsonelainee's review against another edition
3.0
Before I read this all I saw were glowing reviews praising this book and Viola Davis, because of that I knew I wanted to read it.
I’ve really been into memoirs lately and this is a relatively big and new release. I listened to it on audiobook and it’s even narrated by Viola Davis which was cool. I’m not normally a fan of authors reading their own books, but I think she did a really good job. (Which, Duh, she’s an actress. I would hope she’d be a good audiobook narrator)
This book is a very difficult listen/read because Viola Davis has had a very hard life. I didn’t know anything about her background going in and I certainly was not expecting what I got. She describes events in her childhood with such clarity and raw emotion and description that there were times that my stomach turned or I would start tearing up because I felt so bad for Viola and all of her siblings. If you’re interested in reading this, definitely check the TWs. I kind of wish I had checked before reading.
The thing that just didn’t work for me was a lack of connection. I think it’s a hard book to connect to. I’m not saying it isn’t relatable, because it definitely is, I’m saying there’s a lack of connection between reader and author that is normally present in memoirs. I also found the pacing lacking. There were times when I wanted to hurry up and be done with the book and then other times when I was so sucked into the story. It was just incredibly inconsistent. I also felt like the stories she told jumped around everywhere.
I can appreciate that this is probably a fabulous book, it just wasn’t for me.
I’ve really been into memoirs lately and this is a relatively big and new release. I listened to it on audiobook and it’s even narrated by Viola Davis which was cool. I’m not normally a fan of authors reading their own books, but I think she did a really good job. (Which, Duh, she’s an actress. I would hope she’d be a good audiobook narrator)
This book is a very difficult listen/read because Viola Davis has had a very hard life. I didn’t know anything about her background going in and I certainly was not expecting what I got. She describes events in her childhood with such clarity and raw emotion and description that there were times that my stomach turned or I would start tearing up because I felt so bad for Viola and all of her siblings. If you’re interested in reading this, definitely check the TWs. I kind of wish I had checked before reading.
The thing that just didn’t work for me was a lack of connection. I think it’s a hard book to connect to. I’m not saying it isn’t relatable, because it definitely is, I’m saying there’s a lack of connection between reader and author that is normally present in memoirs. I also found the pacing lacking. There were times when I wanted to hurry up and be done with the book and then other times when I was so sucked into the story. It was just incredibly inconsistent. I also felt like the stories she told jumped around everywhere.
I can appreciate that this is probably a fabulous book, it just wasn’t for me.
drheatherp0319's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
shortney510's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
beenicole27's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
laneylo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I'm still in tears. This was incredibly moving and inspiring. Viola Davis is an icon and it didn't happen overnight. She recounts her memories, some heartbreaking and others heartfelt. To know a life and story then see how far they've come is overwhelming and I admire her all the more for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Chronic illness, Child abuse, Excrement, Grief, Terminal illness, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Violence, Death, Blood, Cancer, Racism, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, and Dementia
awaywiththefairies's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Racism, and Bullying
ilovebooksalltoowell's review against another edition
5.0
I knew the beautiful Viola Davis from The Help, which is a movie that made a huge impression on me. I had no idea how tough her life has been and the audiobook just blew me away. The strength she has and the drive to make a better life for her and her family are mind blowing. I respect her a lot for describing how her father abused her mother but also that he has had a very hard life himself that he didn’t know how to deal with that and changed later in life. She describes very well what it’s like to try to find acting roles as a black woman when the characters in movies are often made for white people or they want a black woman who looks “interchangeable”. The story makes you feel grateful for all that you have, and realizing that not everybody lives in the same circumstances. Absolutely listen to the audio version, she is brutally honest and I’ll think about her story for a long time now that I’ve finished it.