You might know Oscar- and Tony-winning actor Viola Davis from her performances in Doubt, The Help, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, How to Get Away with Murder—and many other movies, TV shows, and plays. But in her memoir, Finding Me, she introduces herself to fans in an even more intimate way. Davis describes growing up with a physically abusive, alcoholic father, and being mocked by her classmates because she was Black and poor. After graduating from theater school, she struggled with typecasting—repeatedly portraying drug-addicted mothers and the best friend to white women—and, always, financial problems. Eventually, therapy helped her begin to heal from the trauma she had experienced throughout her life. Finding Me is raw and candid, and the audio version—narrated by Davis—is particularly mesmerizing. —Angela Haupt
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