Review by Booklist Review
Davis is the first African American actress to achieve an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two Tony Awards, the "triple crown of acting." Still, few know the paths she took to overcome a complicated past and find purpose in her life. Finding Me is a reflective memoir about her childhood and college years in Central Falls, Rhode Island, studying at Juilliard, and her early acting years in New York City. Davis closely examines how she dealt with poverty, domestic abuse, molestation, and racism throughout her early years. As a teenager, acting became a vehicle that helped her release childhood trauma. Yet, because she experienced so much pain, she could not understand self-love, nor could she ever feel worthy of any of her accomplishments. Still, she did thrive, due to her close bond with her family, especially her sisters, along with tremendous support from educators, acting coaches, and friends. Davis gives readers hope, encouraging us to look back and embrace childhood dreams or failures, let go of shame, and move forward to become the best version of ourselves. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Davis' legions of fans will be eager to read and talk about her candid, challenging, and inspiring memoir.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Tony and Oscar--winning actor Davis gives a master class in triumphing over poverty and despair in her soul-baring debut. Born in 1965, Davis became intimate with destitution, dysfunction, and abuse at a young age, growing up with an alcoholic father, and living off welfare checks in 1970s Central Falls, R.I. Inspired by the "true power of artistry" she watched Cicely Tyson display on TV, Davis took up acting, and, with the encouragement of an acting coach from a college prep program, won a scholarship to Rhode Island College. "Achieving became my idea of being alive," Davis writes as she recounts honing her craft at Juilliard, before embarking on a trip to Gambia that transformed her and helped her celebrate her Blackness. Though her success didn't come overnight, years of hard work led Davis to break out of the stereotypical "eye-rolling, ambiguous sidekick" roles that she bemoans Black women actors are often cast in, and win a 2014 Emmy at age 47 for her role in Shonda Rhimes's How to Get Away with Murder. Even with her accomplishments, Davis is frank about the acting world's shortcomings, where, she writes, "womanhood is defined by how 'classically' pretty you are... how close to white you are." Davis's grit and determination are moving, and her unflinching reckoning with the "racism and misogyny" she faced in Hollywood makes her story of overcoming all the more effective. Fans will be utterly enthralled. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Raw and unflinchingly honest, this powerful memoir will have fans celebrating actress Davis's resilience and drive to be more, leave her small-town childhood behind, and find her voice. Listeners get a glimpse into Davis's private life, from Central Falls, RI, to New York City and more locations worldwide. Her willingness to describe what she has overcome is powerful and not to be missed. Having an author narrate their own memoir adds intimacy, and this audiobook is no exception--no other choice would have made sense. Listeners hear the pain, feel the love, and celebrate the accomplishments Davis unfolds throughout her determined rise to be the remarkable leading powerhouse she is. This memoir takes listeners on Davis's journey through the racism, misogyny, and abuse she's experienced throughout her life and career. VERDICT Not to be missed, this memoir is a powerful reminder that our childhoods do not define us, that we can determine our perception and worth.--Stephanie Charlefour
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The life story of an actor whose success has been shaped by grit and determination. In a starkly forthright memoir, Oscar and Tony winner Davis reflects on family, love, motherhood, and acting. Born in South Carolina on a plantation where her grandparents had been sharecroppers, she grew up in dire poverty in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Her father was a physically abusive alcoholic, and the family lived in a rat-infested apartment where they often had no heat or hot water. Besides being taunted by her classmates for being Black, she was shunned because she smelled, often of urine. As she writes, she wet the bed until she was 14. "I was an awkward, angry, hurt, traumatized kid," Davis writes. "I couldn't articulate what I was feeling and nobody asked. I didn't believe anybody cared. I was saturated in shame." Inspired by seeing Cicely Tyson on TV, Davis wanted to become an actor--a goal that seemed far out of reach. But an acting coach in an Upward Bound program encouraged her, and she won a scholarship to Rhode Island College. After graduating with a theater degree, Davis worked tirelessly to hone her craft, both by performing and studying. At Juilliard, she bristled, at first, at their Eurocentric approach. A trip to Africa, when she was 25, energized her. Early in her career, Davis was discouraged about the stereotypical roles she was offered, most for "drug-addicted mothers." Later, she writes, "I did a huge slate of what I call 'best friends to white women' roles." For years, money worries dogged her. Even when working in theater, movies, and TV, she needed to supplement her income, and always, her family's financial straits weighed heavily. Therapy finally helped Davis face the generational trauma that created her sense of "emotional abandonment." About her professional triumphs, the author is modest: "It's an eenie, meenie, miny, mo game of luck, relationships, chance, how long you've been out there, and sometimes talent." An unvarnished chronicle of hard-won, well-earned success. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
