Harrowing and so, so good. Recommended. CA: sexual abuse, physical abuse, intimate partner violence, details of abject poverty, violent pet death, pregnancy loss, addiction, racism, racial violence, racial slurs, misogyny ( )

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. ( )

A internacionalmente aclamada atriz Viola Davis narra em sua biografia, Em busca de mim , tudo o que viveu desde a infância difícil até o estrelato. Nesta biografia você vai conhecer uma garotinha chamada Viola, que fugia de seu passado até tomar a transformadora decisão de parar de fugir para sempre.

Real, raw, moving, passionate, honest. ( )

I’ve been trying to verbalize how fantastic this is. Viola Davis and her story is so compelling. It’s a story that needs to be told. It’s written so beautifully and relatable. She has been through and endured so much at times it almost painful to think any person went through all which she has. But through it you get to see her strength and resolve. She knew what she wanted and despite all the odds she managed to make it happen. ( )

I turned the page and I was at the end and I was all, "Wait!? That's it!" I hope that Viola Davis graces us with a second memoir. This was the third memoir in my unintentional reading of memoirs this year. I've read Britney Spears, Barbra Streisand, and now Viola Davis's Finding Me.

I've been a fan of Davis's work, but it was her portrayal of Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom that clinched it for me. She strode onto that screen and manifested Rainey. I've been reading August Wilson's Century Cycle of plays with a group at the Seattle Athenaeum and reading her memoir, Davis has appeared in several of Wilson's plays including playing Rose on the big screen in Denzel Washington's Fences.

This quote about playing Rose:
"Because I had to start finding me in How to Get Away with Murder, the making of the film Fences was perfect. Perfect material for the screen based on the play by August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted ordinary people. To me, the original Troy was my father Dan Davis, born in 1936, who groomed horses, had a fifth-grade education, and didn't know how to read until he was fifteen years old. These characters in Fences were real to me, they were my life. August's material is great because he lets us bleed and he lets us talk. Rose was a fully realized character....

In ten cycles of plays that August Wilson wrote (often referred to as his Century Cycle), he portrayed Black American life in every decade in the twentieth century. So, you get a history lesson, but you also get to sit with us as human beings and see how that time period affected us. In Fences, Rose is a housewife who just wants to keep her family together. She is an absolute produce of the 1950s, suppressing her own dreams, even being cheated on after she gives her whole life to her family."

The book takes us through Davis's journey from her childhood poverty and abuse, to her discovery of acting, through her acting education, and various roles she has played up until about Fences. It also includes her love story--and I love a love story that happens in later life. I hope the next book will cover the roles she had next and may she have a long career. Ultimately, it is a memoir about finding oneself, working through trauma, making art, and the power of family love.

I also thought Davis's description of the privilege that exists in the acting profession to be a lesson for those hiring in the arts. She writes about it in Chapter 15 but I'll sum it up here with a one-sentence quote, "He who has choices has resources." If you are in the Arts, or hiring for the Arts, you should at least read this one chapter.

So my tally so far on my memoirs...
1. Viola Davis has moved into the top spot because she deftly blends her life and her art and left me wanting to learn more. I also have now been watching Viola Davis clips and interviews on Youtube, I've included a few below.
2. Barbra Streisand moves into second place simply because she said too much.
3. Britney Spears--entertaining, but not even in the same intellectual league as Streisand and Davis.

Links to trailers for two August Wilson plays that Ms. Davis appeared in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spCxVd9ctFs&ab_channel=ParamountPictures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ord7gP151vk&ab_channel=Netflix

And her appearance on Hot Ones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzKZNM2Ir8A&ab_channel=FirstWeFeast
Appropriately titled, Viola Davis Gives a Master Class While Eating Spicy Wings.
I love Hot Ones! ( )

Davis writes the best kind of memoir. She not only tells her story with power and great love, she gives the reading meaning regardless of where they come from. I will read this again and again. Two quotes I love.

“My calling is way bigger than being an actor.”
“Forgiveness is giving up hope that the past can change.” ( )

I listened to this in one sitting while roadtripping to pick my daughter up from college. I laughed, I cried, I was astonished by how many of Viola's experiences mirrored my mother's. This memoir is truly unforgettable and deserves all the praise. I will be passing out copies of this gem to family and friends for years to come. ( )

now this is a memoir. one of the most impactful audiobooks i’ve ever listened to in my life - powerful, heart wrenching, brutal, generous. Viola Davis tells all! i really enjoyed how each chapter flowed into each other. there were no abruptions which made her story clearer. and boy did Viola Davis have a story to tell. she shares so many experiences that have shaped who she is. from the outside trying to fully understand her life story and how she survived traumatic conditions for years is staggering. throughout the book Viola Davis was not venting her anger, airing her wounds, asking for pity or going after revenge, but instead she simply tells the facts, the ugly and unapologetic stories from early childhood to present day. from poverty and hardships like you’ve never heard, shyness, shame and unworthiness, unbelievable abuse both at home and in life, to the lioness hard working kick ass, talented, determined, authentic powerhouse inspiring human being Viola Davis is. i found myself wanting to stand up, cheer, laugh, scream, cry and root for Viola. i wanted to celebrate her joy, her eye-opening insight, her passion, her love, her loyalty to truth, her integrity, her authenticity, her boldness, bravery, and discovery into finding herself! it’s wonderfully remarkable to celebrate this outstanding woman ( )

Narrated by the author. Viola Davis presents her own work and the effect is wrenching. Her story is raw and powerful; to underestimate this survivor is at your own peril. Brava, Viola! ( )

Viola Davis's memoir is heart wrenching and beautiful. You never know what someone is carrying just by looking at them. The fact that she is able to love others and love her self is a miracle. She went through some extremely traumatizing time during her childhood and youth and lived to tell the tale.
Highly recommend this on audio, as she reads it herself. ( )

This book was absolutely amazing. ( )

Raw, brutal and uplifting stories from the amazing life and survival of Viola Davis, beautifully read by the author. Her tenacity in the face of constant challenges is remarkable and inspiring. Especially loved hearing her words in her own voice. Respect. ( )

I don’t care what you’re doing or if you listen to audiobooks. Listen to this one immediately. ( )

I admire the actress tremendously, but I think I might have enjoyed this memoir a good deal more had I listened to it as an audiobook. Her voice probably adds layers of emotional depth that don't quite come across on the page. The odds that 8-year-old Viola would one day achieve the pinnacle of her profession that she today occupies are about a gazillion to one. How she did it is an amazing story that perhaps she is not quite ready to tell completely at this time. A sequel? Yes, please. ( )

There is no debating on whether or not Viola’s story is powerful, moving, or in need of being told. The answer is yes to all. But I won’t deny I regret my lack of prior research into the content. I probably wouldn’t have read it. So I’m torn because on one hand, I’m glad I listened to Viola tell me her story. On the other hand, there are things she’s endured that I would’ve preferred not to know. If you can handle such heartbreak, I’d implore you to read this via audio.

TW: abuse in every form (including SA), animal cruelty, racism, abortion ( )

A beautifully raw memoir, I am inspired by Viola Davis. Her honesty about childhood trauma (from physical and sexual abuse, to witnessing abuse, to food and housing insecurity) was gripping. So many people would have given up, given in to their circumstances..... Not Viola!

I appreciated the glimpse behind the curtain of being Black in Hollywood. The stereotyping of roles. The pay disparity. The wanting to be known for roles for THEIR sake and HER acting. She never bashes white co-workers and screen partners; she acknowledges they made her into who she was. But she wants a difference. To which I heartedly concur!

Language and so many trigger warnings abound. But it was a great read. I can only imagine how gripping it is to her it in her Grammy winning voice. ( )

It was so nice I read it twice! A truly awe-inspiring memoir from Viola. I read this after reading Cicely Tysons memoir earlier this year and she referenced Viola from their time together in HTGAWM and the stories are similar from growing up in poverty and raising up beyond the ordinary to become leading figures in their craft. This both shared their love and passion for acting and how that ended up bringing them the successes they so richly deserve. Viola's account of the difficult circumstances of her upbringing is difficult to hear but it is important to share as it seriously affected her many years afterwards. Despite these challenges she overcame them all to rise above and Michelle's Obama's words about when they go low you go high ring true to Viola's response. Overall, it is great to see the recognition that Viola has achieved and realized today as she has blazed a path for others to follow! A great read and certainly the best I have read so far in 2023. ( )

Description:
In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.

This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you (Goodreads 2023).

Finding Me is so far my favorite read of 2023 and my first 5 star review! One thing that I love about reading a memoir is learning about the author through their eyes. You gain perspective and insight that is unique to their journey. This time around I was completely flawed and awed at Viola’s journey and what she has overcome and persevered through to get where she is today.
I will never be able to fully understand the extreme poverty or racism that she experienced growing up. Her recounts of that was jaw dropping. The colorism she experienced in the acting world and how they tried to “mold and shape” her into the perfect “white” actor was eye opening. I am not naïve and know that colorism, prejudice and “cast typing” exist, but I had no idea to what level. I appreciate Viola sharing those experiences and educating her readers.

My favorite part was when she explained what Shonda Rhimes did for her in creating HTGAWM role for her and the healing that came from that. Viola writes, “Annalise Keating released in me the obstacles blocking me from realizing my worth and power as a woman.” I remember some distinct moments on screen during that show. They were incredibly moving, and I felt that same wave of understanding, empathy and respect reading it.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to all. I also recommend listening to it since it is narrated by Viola herself and she has a gift of story telling that makes you feel like you are hearing these stories while sitting across from her sipping a cup of coffee.

If you like memoirs I hope you give this one a chance and enjoy it as much as I did.

“My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past. I found that not only did I have fight in me, I had love.”
― Viola Davis, Finding Me ( )

I really like Viola Davis's work as an actor, so I was excited to read her story. It is amazing how she fought to break out of the poverty and abuse she experienced as a child. She is a gifted actor who worked tirelessly to perfect her craft and bring forth the perfect emotions for each role.
Davis endured many hardships. The poverty was hard to read, her struggles with bed-wetting, fibroids, alopecia, avoiding the drug culture, abuse, and discrimination against her due to her dark skin tone.
Reading this book has given me a greater appreciation for her and her journey to find herself. ( )

Wow! ( )

Viola Davis telling stories of her life and career.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the look into her childhood. I appreciated her sister's, Dianne, words to her. I liked how she and most of her siblings made it out of poverty and addictions. When she talks about going to college and beginning her career, it was no easier than her childhood had been. I was glad that her mentors were there to help her. I liked that she had people to ask her the hard questions and to let her know that what she was taught in childhood was not true. I could identify with some of her lessons. I could also identify with her words as she begins to heal from the trauma of her childhood.

I was glad I read this. Everyone should as it brings home truths we too often deny. ( )

It’s hard to believe that people live in such poverty and with non functional but eventually loving parents. Viola Davis’ book is a testament to her grit and the help of government programs for youth. Ms Davis is an eloquent writer, I didn’t see that she had a ghost writer, and her story is brutally honest about poverty in Rhode Island and racism. Also the racism in Hollywood projects not wanting a dark black woman but black actors that have a certain light look. Recommended ( )

Best for:
Those familiar with Davis’s work. Those interested in a serious discussion of the challenges a Black woman faces.

In a nutshell:
Actor Viola Davis

Worth quoting:
“Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a different past.”

Why I chose it:
I heard people talking about it so I purchased the audio book (I do love a celebrity memoir read by the author). Then she won the Grammy for the performance of it so I decided it was time to start it.

What it left me feeling:
Happy (for the author)

Review:
Before this book I didn’t know much about Viola Davis. I’ve seen some of her work - Doubt, The Help, How to Get Away With Murder - but I didn’t know how she chose this career, or what her life was like.

This is a memoir that feels deeply honest, written by someone who has done the work to sort through experiences that hopefully most readers can only imagine. Living in poverty, having an abusive parent, facing racism, sexism. And managing to find a way to be successful and happy working in an industry that is notoriously racist and sexist.

Davis’s childhood was rough. Like, rough in a way that I can’t quite fully comprehend. The fact that society just … allows living conditions like the one her family experienced. And that’s not a commentary on her parents - that’s a commentary on social support and safety nets. If food stamps only last half the month, that’s better than nothing but it’s also not nearly enough. No adults, let along children, should be fending off rats. The fact that she not only survived that childhood but is a functional, thriving adult? I mean, damn.

Another area that I wasn’t really expecting was Davis’s experience at Julliard and the how the gatekeepers of talent perpetuate the systems of oppression. People associate Julliard with training some of the most talented people in the arts, but Davis shared how that training promoted and perpetuated white ideals of what talent and art are. I’m not surprised to learn this, but I am disappointed.

I appreciated Davis’s transparency around being a working actor, and the ideas about ‘integrity’ and what types of roles people take. She breaks down how few people are able to make enough money to get the good health care in SAG - I think it’s 4%? - and the threshold for that is earning $20,000 a year. Imagine. 4% of all actors on TV and in film making that much. She is clearly someone who desperately loves her art and her craft, and takes it very seriously, but also seems to recognize that work is work, and very few people can afford to be choosy.

After listening to the audio book, I can see why she won the Grammy (completing the EGOT, and for performances only for the first time in many years). I’d recommend if you’re thinking of reading this to choose the audio version.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend. ( )