Finding Me: The Grammy-winning memoir

Product Information

I am a dark-skinned woman. Culturally, there is a spoken and unspoken narrative rooted in Jim Crow. It tells us that dark-skinned women are simply not desirable. All the attributes that are attached to being a woman-desirable, vulnerable, needing to be rescued-don't apply to us. In the past, we've been used as chattel, fodder for inhumane experimentation, and it has evolved into invisibility." Viola reading it to me (go with the audio, please, please) was an incredibly personal and intimate feeling. Finding Me is raw and honest, and it feels like you are sitting in a room with Viola, and she is telling you about her life. And my lord, what a life. What a feat to have escaped, let alone found the spotlight. She is not trying to make you feel sorry for her; she is merely baring her soul and allowing you, as the reader, into her introspection of how she becomes the spectacular woman she is today.

It just so happens while working with a counselor the VA assigned me we came to a point recently. Connecting my military PTSD from where it began during service of the nation to a meaning of unexpected importance.In addition to being a story about Viola's personal journey, this memoir can serve as a primer for aspiring actors, because it provides information about what to expect and how to maneuver in show business. To the predators.. Weinstein, the stranger, the relative, the boyfriend…. I say to you, 'You can choose your sin but you don't get to choose the consequences.' To the victims…. I see you. I believe you… and I'm listening." If I had to choose three words to describe the kind of person I'd love to be, what would those words be?" Adventurous? Accepting towards few? Open? Honest? Hilarious? Optimistic? Unreliable? Don't be afraid to choose words that are considered negative because that proves you're a real person, and not a lopsided combination of parts other people want to be known for. In this book, she had an amazing opportunity to discuss the #metoo movement more in-depth as she was one of the few to publicly raise her voice against Harvey Weinstein. She was the apt person to explain more about the movement as she is familiar with almost every piece of information and every victim related to it. She could have given a little more space for the #metoo movement in this book which would have influenced victims and every individual reading this memoir in an inspiring manner, like the impact she made with her inspiring words in the initial part of the movement.

Society has a very covert way of handing us the "misfits", condemning the "losers", idolizing the "beautiful", alienating the "strange." But here's a heads up: These describing words have no basis in reality. How do you feel about the world around you? Think about what you believe to be good and bad — not what anyone else has told you. I wanted to celebrate her joy, her eye-opening insights….her passion….her love…her loyalty to truth….to integrity….her authenticity…..her boldness, bravery, and discovery into FINDING HERSELF… Like many people, I discovered Viola from her incredible work on How to Get Away With Murder and have been following her work ever since. So finding out she would be gifting us with a deep memoir of her childhood to her present day life was amazing. It’s always strange to rate non-fiction, especially memoirs, but Viola absolutely killed this. She’s a naturally talented writer and was able to transport me to every event she recalls. From the extreme poverty, the intense physical and sexual abuse, and all the way to Hollywood, Viola paints a perfect image to show you and let you understand her life.

Viola Davis is one of the best actors of this generation and has won multiple awards in acting, like Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. She tells her extraordinary journey filled with poverty, love, hatred, racism, and achievements in her life in this book.

Instead she simply tells the facts - the truth - the ugly stories — unapologetic stories from early childhood to present day.

I own everything that has ever happened to me. The parts that were a source of shame are actually my warrior fuel. I see people—the way they walk, talk, laugh, and grieve, and their silence—in a way that is hyperfocused because of my past. I’m an artist because there’s no separation from me and every human being that has passed through the world including my mom. I’ll be adding and doing a full review. Couldn’t wait to share because of the size of the vibe and importance to me. Maybe you as well.