Format:
audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
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.
Point of view:
1st person
Rellim’s Thoughts:
Start to finish this is the type of book that immediately hooks you and doesn’t let go. Davis spends the first third of the book talking about her upbringing in a poor and abusive home and how this impacted her for decades. She’s brutally honest about her parent’s violent relationship, the horrors of poverty and food insecurity, the physical and emotional toll, the racism even within her own community.
While I’ve had some sense of her career – the path was not easy or without compromise. What it’s like to even get opportunities for work, the exhaustion of constantly auditioning, making a living. How to break out in theater, TV, & movies and balancing principles with needing more exposure and practical things like money to eat. Her personal stories of meeting acting teachers, directors, fellow actors offer unique insight into someone who is simultaneously accomplished and yet still awed by those she works with.
I think one of my favorite parts of the book was when she shares how she met and fell in love with her husband. The joy, peace, and profound happiness are such a delight – especially after knowing what she went through up until that point.
Highly recommend.
Narration:
Davis narrates this herself and it’s easy to hear why it’s a Grammy-nominated performance. (the winner will be announced this Sunday) The fear, anger, joy, frustration, strength, and love are truly brought to life. It feels so intimate at times, like you’ve been graced with her presence and she’s speaking directly to the individual listener. Perfection.
About the author:
You can connect with Viola Davis here:
Rellim Reads 