Finding Me
Ratings66
Average rating4.7
Overall I really enjoyed reading her story and learning about her life. Toward the end, the chapters needed to be shorter and it got kind of meandering.
Did not know who Viola Davis was so interesting to read her story. Glad there was a happ(ier) ending for her current life now. Not particularly memorable otherwise.
In her memoir, Viola Davis shares an unvarnished story of her life. It's one of the most moving memoirs I've ever read.
Powerful stuff. And I love her voice. I would listen to her reading a grocery list.
Have you ever started a show then forgotten to come back to it? That was me for the show How To Get Away with Murder. I devoured seasons one and two then life got in the way. Even though Viola Davis stuck with me, so when I heard she was writing a book I was intrigued and thrilled that I had to read it.
This book is all about Viola and her upbringing and tells us how she got to be the beautiful woman we have grown to love. She talks about when she was younger her father used to sleep around on her mother and how that affected them. She talks about how they had to deal with racism at an early age as well. She talks about her sisters and brother as well, how she got into acting. How she had to be the backbone to her family at one point in time.
We all talk about prayer, but we really need to be talking about the Viola Davis Prayer and how she landed her husband. Their love story is so good. I do not want to give too much away but I will say this book is a beautiful roller coaster.This book made me at times sad. I felt bad for her upbringing and how their living situation was not always the best. It showed me that we all have our own set of challenges and road bumps to overcome and that life is worth living regardless of the struggles in front of us. Ms Davis is a beautiful and brave human who inspires others to be their authentic self. If you have the time to read at all in the near future I suggest that you move this up your TBR list right now.
Required reading
This should be required reading. Learning more about this actress was a revelation. Never underestimate grit and luck. Awesome book.
This book is the reason I read memoirs. It was a whirlwind of emotion that was an absolute tour de force to read. It is by no means an easy read, but Viola Davis's life story, introspection, perseverance, and grit being beautifully told will have you glued to the page. I listened to this in one day, over the course of a few sittings, and could not stop. Davis's narration is excellent also, enhancing the narrative with tons of emotion. This is the type of book that leaves a mark on you. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite memoirs I've ever read.
This book was such an inspiration! To learn of the struggles that Viola Davis went through to finally get to where she is today is triumphant. The authenticity of the story telling allowed for a true connection to her story. I highly recommend.
While I loved Viola before finding this book, I am completely in awe of her now! So powerful and heartfelt - I am amazed at her strength and so incredibly saddened by all that she had to go through growing up - all because of the color of her skin. I literally can not even repeat the disgusting and ugly words repeatedly thrown at her... My heart broke, yet I was lifted up by her powerful, positive, and undying determination to go on. Hearing the sad truths about what people of color have to go through in this business – how black women typically get the “best friend role” but never the lead was eye-opening and heartbreaking. Between learning this and hearing how powerful her visit to Africa was for her, it made me cry tears of absolute joy seeing her in her new LEADING ROLE of The Woman King! SO powerful! I can only imagine how incredibly rewarding that was for her, and I am SO beyond happy to see it happen for this amazingly strong, powerful, gorgeous woman.
This was a great read, and I think a must read for North Americans. In it Viola lays bare the experience of being black in America as a black woman. I learned a lot about her life, and motivations. I appreciate her sharing this with the world. Now I want to watch more of the things she has been in, especially those mentioned in the book.
I’ve long been a fan of Viola Davis’ work and learning her journey to getting where she is now has absolutely changed the way I view her performances. That’s a good thing, btw! Her perspective and willingness to really understand herself and the world around her is highly respectable and inspiring.
An absolutely amazing and incredibly inspiring memoir! I listened to it on audio which made it even more powerful.
Note to self: this is one I'd love to listen to again—especially if I am on route to being “down in the dumps.” I also want to buy the physical book to add to my collection.
This woman is amazing. She wrote an excellent book about a very difficult life and had so much compassion for those she loves in the process. It would have been easy to give up on those loved ones, but she didn't. She also has no problem pointing out the racism and colorism that exists in acting, but even then it doesn't feel vindictive. I am so glad that she is being recognized as an amazing actress as well as an amazing person.