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A review by dorhastings
Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
How this found its way to my TBR: I'd been seeing this memoir on Audible and believe I had it on my wishlist back when I had an Audible membership, but I just never got around to purchasing it. My friend Allison mentioned loving the book, and my library had the audiobook available pretty quickly, so here we are.
I thought about starting this review with "if ever a memoir earned five stars, it's this one" and that then felt somewhat judgy of me. I mean, sure, I am literally judging the book by rating it with stars, but really, what am I judging? The author's authenticity? A good story that I deem to be enjoyable? Good writing? Memoirs can be tricky things to write. How do you know you've experienced *enough* to write one? I have judged some memoirs as being less than because I didn't like the story, the personality, or the writing, but they were certainly authentic. Some folks want more details, while some authors just don't feel comfortable doing so. It's their memoir, after all.
What makes this book so powerful, for me, is all that Davis endured throughout her life, especially in her younger years. She knows poverty, and embarrassment of poverty, and she is generous and visceral in her descriptions. It was hard to hear about her father beating the crap out of her mother on a regular basis. You wonder "why didn't her mother just leave her father?" and the answer isn't simple. Especially when you learn years later how much her father has changed.
Davis is heartfelt and thorough in her explanation of her life circumstances, her resistance to listening to her therapist, her insight on the racism and sexism that plague the world in general and her profession in particular. She actually talks very little about the specific roles, with some exceptions, but that in no way makes the memoir less than. This isn't a *fun* read. It's a hard read. She is all the more impressive and amazing for all she has gone through, for her determination, and her love.
If you are someone who likes audiobooks, this one is an easy choice. Davis narrates her own memoir and it is tragic and beautiful.
I thought about starting this review with "if ever a memoir earned five stars, it's this one" and that then felt somewhat judgy of me. I mean, sure, I am literally judging the book by rating it with stars, but really, what am I judging? The author's authenticity? A good story that I deem to be enjoyable? Good writing? Memoirs can be tricky things to write. How do you know you've experienced *enough* to write one? I have judged some memoirs as being less than because I didn't like the story, the personality, or the writing, but they were certainly authentic. Some folks want more details, while some authors just don't feel comfortable doing so. It's their memoir, after all.
What makes this book so powerful, for me, is all that Davis endured throughout her life, especially in her younger years. She knows poverty, and embarrassment of poverty, and she is generous and visceral in her descriptions. It was hard to hear about her father beating the crap out of her mother on a regular basis. You wonder "why didn't her mother just leave her father?" and the answer isn't simple. Especially when you learn years later how much her father has changed.
Davis is heartfelt and thorough in her explanation of her life circumstances, her resistance to listening to her therapist, her insight on the racism and sexism that plague the world in general and her profession in particular. She actually talks very little about the specific roles, with some exceptions, but that in no way makes the memoir less than. This isn't a *fun* read. It's a hard read. She is all the more impressive and amazing for all she has gone through, for her determination, and her love.
If you are someone who likes audiobooks, this one is an easy choice. Davis narrates her own memoir and it is tragic and beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death