Finding Me
An Oprah's Book Club Pick
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4.6 • 53 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A HARPERS BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF 2022 • A PARADE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • A MARIE CLAIRE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK
“It’s clear from the first page that Davis is going to serve a more intimate, unpolished account than is typical of the average (often ghost-written) celebrity memoir; Finding Me reads like Davis is sitting you down for a one-on-one conversation about her life, warts and all.”—USA Today
“[A] fulfilling narrative of struggle and success….Her gorgeous storytelling will inspire anyone wishing to shed old labels.”—Los Angeles Times
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Early in her brave and honest memoir, actress Viola Davis recounts a therapy session in which she realized that instead of feeling sorry for her childhood self, she should respect her as a survivor. Davis reveals she grew up so poor that she dumpster dived in her small Rhode Island town for food and discarded clothes. Living with an abusive father at home, young Viola also survived racist incidents at school, including mistreatment from lighter-skinned Black classmates. In fact, colourism is an ongoing theme in Finding Me—even when Davis landed her breakthrough role in How to Get Away with Murder, she heard other Black actresses snipe that she was too dark and not pretty enough for the part. Yet throughout her story, the Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony winner exhibits the steely resolve and elegant grace that have made her a star. Her remembrance of her life’s tragedies and victories is a master class in building and releasing narrative tension, making her eventual happy ending feel that much more hard won and entirely deserved.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tony and Oscar–winning actor Davis gives a master class in triumphing over poverty and despair in her soul-baring debut. Born in 1965, Davis became intimate with destitution, dysfunction, and abuse at a young age, growing up with an alcoholic father, and living off welfare checks in 1970s Central Falls, R.I. Inspired by the "true power of artistry" she watched Cicely Tyson display on TV, Davis took up acting, and, with the encouragement of an acting coach from a college prep program, won a scholarship to Rhode Island College. "Achieving became my idea of being alive," Davis writes as she recounts honing her craft at Juilliard, before embarking on a trip to Gambia that transformed her and helped her celebrate her Blackness. Though her success didn't come overnight, years of hard work led Davis to break out of the stereotypical "eye-rolling, ambiguous sidekick" roles that she bemoans Black women actors are often cast in, and win a 2014 Emmy at age 47 for her role in Shonda Rhimes's How to Get Away with Murder. Even with her accomplishments, Davis is frank about the acting world's shortcomings, where, she writes, "womanhood is defined by how ‘classically' pretty you are... how close to white you are." Davis's grit and determination are moving, and her unflinching reckoning with the "racism and misogyny" she faced in Hollywood makes her story of overcoming all the more effective. Fans will be utterly enthralled.
Customer Reviews
Captivating
I flew through this very honest and eye-opening story. I found her life fascinating. I found her descriptions of being an actress and what she does to find a character changed the way I look at a performance. And I now need to go watch or rewatch everything she has done with fresh perspective
I like this book!
I like this book and everything that Viola Davis does. She is a person that is truly is an inspiration as she comes from a poor family and has been able to become an accomplished acclaimed actress. What stands her from the crowd is that she understands her profession. She knows the impact a dark skin actress can have in a role that society tries to box into a stereotype. She is gifted and clever in using her influence to change the narrative of dark black skin women on screen. She shows their vulnerability as women on screen and enhances their complexities in their character on film and television. I can’t wait to see what she will do next!
A captivating and worthy read!!!
This is an absolutely heart-wrenching read about Viola Davis’ life and all that has shaped her to become among one of the best actors on stage, tv and film. This is an honest memoir of Ms. Davis’ rise from obscurity to international acclaim. The author shares the brutality of her early experiences in life and how she constructively channeled her emotions and early experiences into her acting, using these experiences as fuel for the characters she’d played. Well written, this book takes the reader on Viola’s journey from her harrowing early years to her success, both personally and professionally. A highly recommended read!!!