Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me by Whoopi Goldberg
A Review By: AT
If it weren’t for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010—and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later—she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.
Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn’t know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced—and it wasn’t until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2024
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg has been a household name for nearly 40 years, bursting onto the film scene with her dramatic and legendary turn as "Celie" in Alice Walker's adaptation of The Color Purple. A virtual unknown in Hollywood at the time, Goldberg's stunning performance in the all-star production earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 1986.
Because she's been on the fame radar for a while, Goldberg has told some of her life story in interviews and in her role as co-host of daytime TV show, The View. In "Bits and Pieces," rather than just telling listeners about what her journey through the limelight has been like, she dials it back to describe how it all began for her as Caryn Johnson.
This heartwarming account of the admiration and closeness that she experienced growing up with her late mother and brother Clyde provides fans with a glimpse of who shaped the celebrity into the person that she is; narrating her own story with warmth and relatability draws listeners in as if they are having a personal conversation with Goldberg in her living room. Her recollection of her family's humor and matter-of-factness gives an absolute understanding of her style as a comedienne, and their strong support of her through some of her darkest times reveals perhaps why she's emerged triumphant over her personal struggles. The beauty is that both her mother and brother watched her achieve incredible success - the bittersweet of her story is mourning the loss of people that were so obviously important to her humanity. Goldberg's transparency about the challenge and weight of navigating the world without the people that significantly contributed to who she's become is a sentiment that may well resonate with others that have experienced the same.
"...I can sense that my memories of my mom, which used to fire strong like a torch, have now become more of a flicker in the thirteen years since she passed away. I know the same will happen with Clyde, so I want to put them down in words before they fade further."
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: NORTH STAR RATING
Content Warnings? Human or animal loss
