When I heard last year that Viola Davis had a memoir coming out in April, I excitedly added Finding Me to my TBR list and also thought, I actually don't know that much about her but I do know I'm a huge fan — I loved How to Get Away With Murder. Feeling like I was in the room listening to her story made me want to reach out and hug her and let her know that she is worthy and how her light shines through in the world. Luck is an elusive monster who chooses when to come out of its cave to strike and who will be its recipient. All the attributes that are attached to being a woman-desirable, vulnerable, needing to be rescued-don't apply to us.

Connecting my military PTSD from where it began during service of the nation to a meaning of unexpected importance. This is one of those stories to teach white people/people of any other race how hard some black people have had it. So finding out she would be gifting us with a deep memoir of her childhood to her present day life was amazing. The TV and film business is saturated with people who think they're writing something human when it's really a gimmick. We need to examine, explore, scrutinize, question, contemplate, dig deep, chew, study, and appraise….Viola doesn’t attempt to soften the blow or make-palatable the details of her impoverished childhood, the abuse she had suffered as a black woman, the hardships she had to endure as an aspiring and then even as a blossoming actor. this was also my first audiobook, and i couldn’t have picked a better one to start with because viola’s performance was truly incredible. Growing up without the tools needed to heal from her trauma, Viola struggled a lot throughout her career, From attending Juilliard, to winning her first Tony, and then to winning her first Oscar, Viola carried that broken little girl with her everywhere. Viola is vulnerable and honest and I have a deep appreciation for not just the excellent actress she is, but the person she is — Someone who overcame so much, who will shed labels and be true to herself. I’m guessing every reader will continue thinking about this book long after finishing it - certain sections more than others (all for varied reasons)….

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. As a girlie with only brothers, I quite enjoy seeing, hearing and knowing women with sisters because that dynamic to me is soooo precious. The power of alchemy, that magical process of transformation and creation to believe at any given time I could be the somebody I always wanted to be.

There was also conversation about the treatment of theater versus film which I found to be extremely intriguing. Viola provides the Foreward and listening to her voice and the impact on Viola at 7 years old when she saw Cicely Tyson on television is a powerful testimonial about role models and the need to ensure diversity in arts, entertainment and all industries. 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. 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. If you are facing many obstacles in your life now and want to read a newly published inspirational book, this book will be a great choice.

Deeply personal, brutally honest, and riveting, Finding Me is a timeless and spellbinding memoir that will capture hearts and minds around the globe.Finding Me is Viola Davis’ story, in her own words, and spans her incredible, inspiring life, from her coming-of-age in Rhode Island to her present day.

Davis takes readers throughout the course her life from her childhood up until the present moments of her career. Every painful memory, every mentor, every friend and foe served as a chisel, a leap pad that has shaped “ME! Taking off the wig in How to Get Away With Murder was my duty to honor black women by not showing any image that is palatable to the oppressor, to people who have tarnished, punished the image of black womanhood for so long. 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. Surviving child sexual abuse/incest and coping with systemic racism to become an Oscar winning actress.Viola is very honest about her life and career, and her numerous anecdotes include stories that are scary; shocking; embarrassing; humorous; sad; happy; romantic; joyful; and more.