Finding Me: A Memoir

Viola demonstrates a resilience of spirit and natural talent and intelligence from a very young age. Trace the different instances in which these are displayed in the early years of her life, and discuss how these instances potentially foreshadow the success she will achieve later in life.

Examine how the bond between Viola and her sisters works as a buffer against the worst impacts of the trauma they experience, individually and collectively, as they grow up.

Viola describes the dual burden of growing up Black and poor as an almost insurmountable one. How do race and poverty intersect and impact different generations of the Davis family, beginning with her parents?

Dianne and Danielle are both significant figures in Viola’s life, but in very different ways. Compare and contrast the impact that Viola’s oldest and youngest sisters have on her.

What is the paradox between learning the craft of acting and turning it into a career within the industry? Illustrate using instances from the book.

Discuss the significance of Julius in Viola’s life. What impact does he have on her personal journey? What specific pattern from her past is Viola able to break out of, through her relationship with Julius?

Examine how Dan and Mae Alice are unwitting products of their circumstances as individuals, as partners, and as parents to their children. Keeping this in mind, comment on the radical transformation Dan undergoes later in life.

How does Joseph Campbell’s conception of the hero’s journey play into the trajectory of Viola’s life, and what is its relation to the title of the book?