Finding Me: An Oprah's Book Club Pick

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There was a lack of intentional investment in us little Black girls… There was an expectation of perfectionism without the knowledge of emotional well-being… How do I get to the mountain-top without legs? Viola Davis is very open with her mental health journey and the therapy she has worked through to deal with past traumas.

A fervent rejection of the one-dimensional portraits Hollywood paints of black people and their experiences. Throughout the memoir, she recounts specific scenes, conversations, and events so the book felt immersive rather than boring. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.Overall, this was a beautiful, heart-wrenching book and I'm so glad that Viola Davis felt comfortable enough to share her story: the good, the bad, and the ugly. For a year after graduating from Rhode Island College, Viola participated in various theater programs and did miscellaneous odd jobs to support herself. Davis also explores the complexity of the entertainment industry and how so few actually make it to high levels of fame. I see people—the way they walk, talk, laugh, and grieve, and their silence—in a way that is hyperfocused because of my past.

One of the many takeaways for me is the understanding of just how hard it is for actors to “make it”. Biography: Viola Davis is an internationally acclaimed actress and producer, known for her exceptional performances in television shows such as How to Get Away with Murder and movies such as Fences and The Help. In this riveting autobiography, we get to know Viola as she finds her truth, revisits childhood memories, and reflects on what made her the woman (and EGOT winner) she is today. from the audition process - to attending the damn school as a BLACK women who felt she was being asked to HIDE her BLACKNESS— to fit in.For young Black girls with big dreams, for people living in intense poverty without a solution to get out, for mothers, for readers struggling to find a place in the world, for so many people. I do not consume either on a large scale so I was unaware of the lack of respect for those that often did theater. Vee, what a beautiful story, I’m now headed to Malik’s Books for the hardcopy cause my shelf NEEDS this beautiful book! Viola could have done well in many areas, but the acting bug bit her when she saw Cicely Tyson in 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Viola’s childhood was tough- and it wasn’t just that her family was poor- but that she lived in a home where substance abuse and violence prevailed.

I don't usually read non-fiction books, even less if they're biographies, but my amazing best friend and her flawless taste in books thought this was the perfect Christmas gift for me, and it truly was. Like most readers will probably feel, I thought Viola’s childhood was the most emotional and engaging part of the story. She is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, and in 2021 she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. American society and the entertainment industry remain so fundamentally flawed, that Viola, with all the awareness of being one, continues to be an exemption to the long-established rules and customs which continue to impede black women from social mobility. I thought that I loved Viola Davis before reading this book, but my goodness this book was exceptional in every single way and it made me appreciate her even more.Toward the end of the book, the intersection of her writing about her career and her writing about the evolution of her family dynamic sometimes merged in a way that didn’t always work for me. Can we all exude a bit more kindness and compassion and freaking assistance when someone is struggling? Never once did I think that she was unpretty or undesirable… but what I will say ISSSS that NO ONE ON THIS PLANET SLINGS SNOT LIKE LADY VIOLA DAVISSSSSS!