Central Falls Native Viola Davis Is Working On Her Memoir

CENTRAL FALLS, RI — An award-winning actress who grew up among poverty in Rhode Island promises a "straight no chaser" telling of her journey from Central Falls to Hollywood.

Viola Davis is working on her memoir, and it's called Finding Me. The book is due for release in April of 2022 by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

"Hers is a story of overcoming, a true hero’s journey," the publishing house announced this week. "Deeply personal, brutally honest, and riveting, Finding Me is a timeless and spellbinding memoir that will capture hearts and minds around the globe."

Davis, 55, plans to describe the arc of her life as a Black woman who overcame obstacles to become one of the world's most celebrated actresses.

Davis has won an Oscar for her starring role in the 2016 Fences, an Emmy for How to Get Away with Murder, and Tony awards for Fences and King Hedley II. Her credits include The Help, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the The Suicide Squad, set to be released on HBO Max next month. She also plans to portray Michelle Obama for the Showtime series First Ladies.

The actress is CEO and co-founder of JuVee Productions in Los Angeles. The production company is now working with Brad Pitt's Plan B on a TV series about Brad's Beach, a California ocean resort in the early 1900s that was owned and operated by African Americans, giving Black people access to recreational opportunities that were denied elsewhere due to segregation.

Davis, a Central Falls High School graduate, has been generous with her hometown. She has supported public health initiatives, meals programs, a high school theater program and more. In 202o, at the height of the pandemic, she released a video message for recent graduates in Rhode Island.

“You’re still a place I call home, as much as my career has taken me to New York, California. Rhode Island is where most of my memories were formed. Rhode Island is me,” said Davis.