Finding Me book review

Do you want to be an actor or do you want to be famous? Because there's a difference. And I had not considered there being a difference. Keep reading to discover why that's so important in today's book. 

Hi, y'all, I'm Kyla Denanyoh. Today, we discuss a heartbreaking but beautiful memoir, Finding Me, by Viola Davis. The genre of the book is nonfiction. The theme of the book is biography. 

This book was absolutely breathtaking. And I do not say that in an exaggeration. I almost put the book down multiple times because there are so many tales and stories in this book where you are just waiting for this big hurrah moment, the sun to shine, and you to be like, yes, and it does not come. And it reminds me of something else she wrote in the book. How did you claw your way out? There is no out. There is just this moment. Getting through it, getting to the next moment.  

And Viola Davis says, time after time, life hits you. You can try to be prepared at most, but life hits you. And I'm like, one person can't take this much. But one person does take this much. So, it's a transparent, beautiful story. I did push through; I kept reading it, and you get to see Viola Davis's and her family's strength. 

One of the most important quotes in the book is that forgiveness is giving up any hope of a different past. Forgiveness is expressed in many other ways in this book, and that's why the quote is so important to me. 

Viola Davis eventually forgives her parents. I don't know if she even knew that she needed to forgive her parents, but there's a time when she's performing on stage, and her parents come to see her, and she's like, Oh, here they are. They're wearing these worn clothes. Oh, my goodness. And then someone's like, you're so lucky your family supports you. She's like, are you kidding me? And the person says, but they're here. They came to help you. They came no matter the distance. They are here to see you. She's like, wow, you know, they are. 

There was a time when Viola had to forgive her siblings for their traumas and the things they dealt with when they were little. There was a time when Viola had to excuse herself because she was not only that eight-year-old little girl but also that eight-year-old girl who made it out. 

Bonus. I saw the movie The Woman King. And my husband and I were leaving the theater, and I was like, man, I wonder what Viola Davis' story is, right? So, let me look things up. And I was like, no, I have her book. I'll just read her book. I had no idea, no idea that she had won Tony Awards. I know Viola Davis from How to Get Away with Murder. And then I know her from The Suicide Squad. I had no idea she went to Juilliard. I had no idea that she had done Broadway. I had no idea that she was this classically trained actress. 

But the fact is that you have to start somewhere. You see someone in a show, and you're like, oh okay, they had a line, but you've got to have a line in this show so that someone can pick you up for the next show. When you see that extra even who gets a zoom-in on their face that could set them up for their next role, she had to get a role in this guy's movie so that the director might remember her for the next film, and I had never considered that. In my mind, acting must be challenging. Still, no, it's more than that because she says do you want to be an actor or do you want to be famous because there's a difference, and I had not considered there is a difference. 

This book was a transparent look at all the struggles actors face. You see me on-screen acting, being excellent, telling this story, but I have a whole life world behind her. So, it's a good look at what happens to actors behind the scenes. So I appreciated that.

So, would I reread the book Finding Me? Yes, I will reread some of the chapters. I cannot reread all of them. The whole point of reading is to bring up stories. It makes you think about your life. It makes you think about all kinds of things. I could not reread the entire thing. I was crying too hard. I was too drained. I recommend the book but would not reread the whole tale. 

Until the next book review, Kyla