Finding Me audiobook cover - A Memoir

Finding Me

A Memoir

Viola Davis

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Biography & Memoir

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Finding Me
Childhood & Trauma+
The Call to Acting+
Juilliard & Identity+
Hollywood & Colorism+
Healing & Personal Growth+
Practical Advice+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
When Will Smith asked Viola Davis 'Who are you?', which specific childhood memory did she feel best represented her internal state despite her massive success?
  • A. Standing between her parents at age 14 to stop her father's drunken violence.
  • B. Winning a citywide talent contest with her sisters using a cheap softball set as a prize.
  • C. Being chased and beaten by racist classmates in the snow when she was eight years old.
  • D. Her sister Dianne visiting their unheated apartment and telling her to figure out a way out.
Question 2 of 7
What served as Viola Davis's 'Call to Adventure' and showed her a potential way out of her life of poverty in Rhode Island?
  • A. Watching Cicely Tyson perform on a broken television set.
  • B. Receiving a full scholarship to Rhode Island College.
  • C. Being accepted into the Upward Bound performing-arts program.
  • D. Watching a Broadway play featuring an all-Black cast.
Question 3 of 7
How did Viola Davis feel about her educational experience at the prestigious Juilliard school?
  • A. She felt completely validated and quickly became the star pupil of her class.
  • B. She appreciated the training but felt its Eurocentric approach dimmed her light and suppressed her Blackness.
  • C. She found the curriculum too easy and spent most of her time working in a factory to pay rent.
  • D. She felt deeply connected to her African roots through the school's diverse theater program.
Question 4 of 7
Despite her critical acclaim in theater and film, what specific prejudice did Viola Davis consistently face in Hollywood?
  • A. She was considered too classical in her acting style for modern television roles.
  • B. Directors believed she lacked the comedic timing necessary for leading roles.
  • C. She was often deemed too old to play romantic leads after transitioning from Broadway.
  • D. As a dark-skinned Black woman without Eurocentric features, she was frequently passed over for leading roles.
Question 5 of 7
Which television role helped Viola Davis break the mold of Hollywood colorism and step into her power, culminating in a powerful scene where she removes her wig?
  • A. Rose Maxson in Fences
  • B. Vera in Seven Guitars
  • C. Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder
  • D. Mrs. Miller in Doubt
Question 6 of 7
How did a therapist help Viola reframe her traumatic memory of being an eight-year-old girl running from bullies?
  • A. By advising her to confront the people who bullied her in the past.
  • B. By telling her that the little girl was a survivor who should be embraced, not a victim.
  • C. By suggesting she channel the anger of that little girl into her acting performances.
  • D. By encouraging her to leave the past behind and focus entirely on her new family.
Question 7 of 7
What actionable advice does Viola Davis give to aspiring actors regarding 'artistic integrity'?
  • A. Never compromise your artistic vision, even if it means living in poverty.
  • B. Only accept roles that challenge societal norms and elevate your community.
  • C. Ignore the advice of wealthy actors and take commercial jobs to pay your bills.
  • D. Focus solely on classical theater training before attempting to enter Hollywood.

Finding Me — Full Chapter Overview

Finding Me Summary & Overview

Finding Me (2022) is the highly anticipated memoir from Oscar-, Tony-, and Emmy-award winning actress Viola Davis. Davis is unafraid to share the rawest, most intimate details of her life story, from the brutal hardship of her childhood on Rhode Island, through her tenacious years as a Broadway stage actor, to her arrival into the upper echelons of Hollywood celebrity. 

Who Should Listen to Finding Me?

  • Film fans who loved Davis in Doubt, Fences, The Help, and more
  • Theater aficionados interested in a backstage perspective on Broadway
  • Anyone who can’t resist an inspiring true story of success against all odds

About the Author: Viola Davis

Viola Davis is the only Black actor to have achieved the “triple crown” of acting, winning an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony for her work in film, television, and the theater. The New York Times named Davis one of the ten greatest actors of the twenty-first century. In addition to her acting work, she is an acclaimed producer and philanthropist. 

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