Finding Me: The Grammy-winning memoir

Product Information

one of the highest rewards: being inducted into the “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences”….. 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." 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…..

After listening to Finding Me, I also love her as a person. I’m also a survivor of a terrible childhood. 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… Precision Finding is compatible with iPhone11, iPhone11Pro, iPhone11ProMax, iPhone12, iPhone12mini, iPhone12Pro, iPhone12ProMax, iPhone13, iPhone13mini, iPhone13Pro, iPhone13ProMax, iPhone14, iPhone14Plus, iPhone14Pro and iPhone14ProMax. Then, shortly before Viola graduated high school, she was selected to go to Miami, Florida for the 'Arts Recognition and Talent Search' competition. There Viola was named a 'Promising Young Artist' which eventually led to a scholarship to Rhode Island College. 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.I feel connected to her and to all the women, of any color, of any biological nature, who fight every day for the birthright to be themselves. Paul listened to ‘parts’ - but not all of this book —-(he and I had several conversations—but he missed a lot of poignant parts)….

Thank you Ms. Davis. Being brave and vulnerable is painful for me still. Thank you for leading your story. I know I’m not the only one who is and will be impacted. 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.” This memoir really resonated with me and I was on the edge of my seat while listening to her life story and truth she found after finding her way out of the darkness. 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.

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 can say so much about how our life events sorta overlap but this is her story so I will leave it there. Never once did I think that she was unpretty or undesirable… but what I will say ISSSS that NO ONE ON THIS PLANET SLINGS SNOT LIKE LADY VIOLA DAVISSSSSS!!! Just prepare to cry when she cries, smile when she smiles, level up when she’s on the screen bossing it up and such and such & this and that 😂. 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. 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." I have a great deal of compassion for other people, but mostly for myself. That would not be the case if I did not reconcile that little eight-year-old girl and FIND ME.

Finding Me” is the 35 year integration of a career spanning the corporate world in various consulting and commercial roles, and a clinical career with several thousand client hours. This unique combination has resulted in an empathic, practical and business savvy coaching style, able to work across a wide variety of individuals. Coaching is not about giving advice but about raising awareness, encouraging change and growth through a process of reflection, observation, challenge and experiment. Unlike therapy, coaching is committed to the business and stakeholder goals, as defined at the beginning of the work. Whilst it will inevitably touch on personal issues, this is not the primary focus of the coaching nor the objective.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. 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. My only regret- I have from listening to Viola read ‘this/her’ memoir so brilliantly—is that I wish I had been part of a small book group -having ongoing discussions—chapter by chapter.