Spunky ... Davis hits typical memoir pitfalls, but frankly describes the sexual harassment she felt unable to call out as a woman with artistic ambitions in the industry before the vocabulary of #MeToo. She gets into her love of archery and the lack of roles for women over 40, but gives scant details of her experience of motherhood...or her four divorces. Davis displays trademark gumption, if uneven introspection, in this spunky chronicle of showbiz.
Absorbing and inspiring ... Provides engaging accounts of her childhood, Hollywood friendships, romances, and marriages, but the core of the book is about overcoming a debilitating politeness ... One measure of a worthwhile book – and one with convincing messages – is that you want to read it again. Given that this reviewer is already rereading this memoir, savoring its Hollywood accounts and its advocacy for fairness and decency, Dying of Politeness, is a success.
The representation of women and girls in the industry, on screen and behind the camera, is a drum she beats unapologetically throughout and the book is peppered with anecdotes that paint a depressingly familiar picture of the way female actors were treated ... She has erred on the side of jaunty and conversational rather than soul-baring in the book and her combination of humour and self-deprecation is immediately appealing ... Some readers may feel cheated that there is more detail here about her pets than her children, or that she is so reticent about the end of her three marriages, but she has clearly had to establish boundaries around her family’s privacy in the face of press intrusion. She writes movingly about the deaths of her beloved parents and saves her fiercest passion for the work she now does with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
Candid, self-deprecating and vastly entertaining ... Davis’s frank appraisal of her psychological and physical merits, and demerits, is not only disarming, but likely to strike a chord with many of her reader.
Marvelous ... This isn’t an angry book. It’s an endearing and inspiring account of one 'offbeat' woman finding her own voice ... I’m often bored by the second half of celebrity memoirs, but Davis’s just keeps building momentum. It’s a real-life feel-good movie, in which the downtrodden heroine finds her power. She guards her privacy without ever getting pompous or dull.
Most readers will likely finish the book in one sitting, loving it all the way. There are moments of over-cuteness in the telling, but overall, Davis writes with authenticity—like someone readers would like to know ... Captivating ... Davis is generous in writing about past and present friends, colleagues, and romantic partners, and she speaks up eloquently for gender equity in movie and TV production, a cause that has occupied her in recent years ... For admirers of Davis, film, or anyone who believes women deserve an equal voice in their industry. In particular, her take on the appeal of Thelma and Louise is spot on.
With saucy self-deprecation, robust glee, and touch of goofiness, Davis recounts behind-the-scenes anecdotes from her award-winning film and TV career.
