Viola Davis

A great memoir and a great black American story. Though someone could call it an American dream story because from the deepest poverty against the fiercest adversity Viola Davis with her strong will and hard work made it to the top. However, I don't really see it as such. Viola often talks about luck or call it God if you want because 99% could have done exactly the same and still not succeeded. It also makes you think about the privilege and anti-privilege and how unequal starting grounds are for different people, how deeply rooted is racism and misogyny, to the point of roles available for black women.

It's also not an American dream story because Viola wouldn't have made it out of poverty and Central Falls, Rhode Island without help, for example, if there wasn't The Rhode Island College Upward Bound Program and the mentorship program. It makes one really appreciate how necessary such programs are and how wrong the white racist critique is that all students should be accepted based purely on merit.

I also really loved Viola's musings on family, parents and love. She is a wonderful, wise woman and we can all learn a lot from her. Her childhood experience is horrific but there is so much love. It took her many years of therapy, though, to find, accept and love herself.… (more)