Synopsis -
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.
Review -
What a powerful memoir. I listened to it as an audio book, and highly recommend this format for this memoir. Viola Davis brings her message home in a unique way. You can hear the emotion and intensity in her voice, which adds to the impact of what she shares.
The first third of of Finding Me was hard to experience. I learned in no uncertain terms the difference between being poor (which has several levels) and living in true poverty. The reality of her daily life, what surviving poverty really meant on a daily basis, was unthinkable. Not enough or no food. Being unable to wash yourself or what few clothes you owned so you could go to school smelling nice. Add in racism, bullying, and sexual abuse. I almost stopped at one point as it was so dark, but I am glad I didn't.
Next came her journey as an actor. She was Julliard trained, but opening those first doors was still a struggle. Stage is where she was first able to really stretch her wings and receive recognition. Good TV and movie roles proved illusive. At that time, the Hollywood machine still didn't offer solid, well-rounded roles to POC actors, especially those whose skin was dark. Most characters were predictable stereotypes and not well flushed out. Lead roles were rare. Her determination to keep moving forward and doing the best work she was capable of paid off in the end, but the road wasn't easy.
This is a frank, beautifully written, eye-opening memoir shining a spotlight on poverty, racism, the movie/television industry and her life journey to both forgive and to heal personal trauma. It opened my eyes to so many things.
Meet the Author -
As a first generation, low-income student herself, Viola Davis has become an advocate for social justice and equality for women of color in Hollywood. She donated funds to her hometown public library in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to assist in preventing its closure due to a lack of city funding, and to her alma mater, Central Falls High School, for its theater program. She has collaborated with the Hunger Is campaign to help eradicate childhood hunger across America by starting the $30K in 30 Days Project with Hunger Is.
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