Finding Me: The Grammy-winning memoir

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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." Following her gap year, during which Viola became a "professional actress", she went on to Juilliard School in New York City. She also entered into relationships with the wrong men - self-centered men who didn't treat her well. I know much of these facts - our 40 year old daughter is a steady working actor in Hollywood since childhood]….. I AM THEEEE memoir girl. Vee, what a beautiful story, I’m now headed to Malik’s Books for the hardcopy cause my shelf NEEDS this beautiful book!!! What an amazing memoir! Viola is one of my favorite actresses- but I knew very little about her private life. This book was a huge surprise to me. I was absolutely riveted to both the e-book and the audiobook. I honestly have no words- One simply must experience this memoir for themselves to truly appreciate it.

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. Viola Davis had a story to tell….carved from experiences that shaped who she is. Trying to fully understand her ‘entire’ life story and ‘how’ she survived unfathomable traumatic conditions—for years—as a child —is staggering….. I was always on the outside of Juilliard because I wasn’t on the inside of me. I was fighting an ideology about what an actor was, and it was all born in the depth of white superiority.” It’s no accident that Time Magazine named Viola Davis one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Ms. Davis for who she was before fame is the reason I chose her as a hero. I knew this book would be important to me. Though didn’t expect this much.

An actor’s work is to be an observer of life. My job is not to study other actors, because that is not studying life. As much as I can, I study people. If you’re my audience, it’s not my job to give you a fantasy. It is my job to give you yourself.” 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.Can we all exude a bit more kindness and compassion and freaking assistance when someone is struggling? NO ONE can see the unimaginable battles each individual is facing in life. At Rhode Island College, there was a food program during the week, but not during the weekends. So, to eat regularly, Viola had a lot of jobs during school. These included working as an RA and counselor in the summer Preparatory Enrollment Program; working in the college library; working the Rhode Island College front desk; working at a drug store in Central Falls; and more. Viola writes, "Working hard is great when it's motivated by passion and love and enthusiasm. But working hard when it's motivated by deprivation is not pleasant."

First ingredient I needed to be an artist, the power to create. 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." 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… As the name “Finding Me” suggests, a central pillar for the work is to do with self-awareness – but this is not introspection or searching for “why” but rather discovering how we are and what we do that holds us to a particular way of being in the world. Our beliefs and behaviours are complex, shaped by the outside world and our interactions with it as well as our internal world of thoughts and feelings. In fact, it’s very difficult to separate the two. This is the premise of many existential thinkers who were fascinated by the rich complex paradoxes of being human e.g. we want to be accepted and to belong – yet we also want to stand out and be special. We seek the freedom to choose how we live our lives yet fear owning that responsibility for fear of getting it wrong or failing. These and other challenges, in turn, manifest into everyday struggles which recur habitually in different situations. Finding Me assists individuals by exploring their particular situation, their givens, their choices and it’s meaning for them including how these factors support or limit them as they navigate a path through life’s inevitable vicissitudes. This leads to personal development, greater resilience and a clearer sense of direction. I cried so many times listening to this. I connected to many parts of this book in many emotional and mental ways. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about how to do this book justice with a mere review.This must be one of the most straightforward and brutally honest memoirs I have had the pleasure of reading. 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. Viola Davis is an actor who succeeded with her hard work, determination, and passion. She tells us how to become a good artist through this book. 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. I also love her story about her hubby, chiiiiiiile— AINT NOTHING LIKE A SOUTHERN MAN… I too, tend to lean towards them as well because they simply understand so much! This is not a diss to any other men in the world, cause #IYKYK 😘 and there it is. In spite of all this, Viola was a good student. She recalls, "School was our salvation. We coped by excelling academically." 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 writes, "I wanted to be a great actor like Miss Tyson....Then Ron Stetson, a young actor and coach, came into my life when I was fourteen." Stetson was Viola's acting coach in the federally funded Upward Bound program. Ron taught his students to act and gave them a safe space to share their feelings. Viola notes, "The emotional release acting allowed gave me great joy."