03/11/2024

Actor Goldberg (Two Old Broads) reflects in this tender chronicle on the deaths of her two closest family members. Goldberg grew up in New York City’s Chelsea projects with her mother, Emma, and brother, Clyde, while Emma worked tirelessly as a practical nurse and a schoolteacher to support her children. Even as Goldberg hits the requisite celeb memoir career beats—including sections on her one-woman Broadway show, her breakthrough film role in 1985’s The Color Purple, and her supporting actress Oscar for Ghost—she keeps the focus on Emma, whose thriftiness and lust for life filled the author’s childhood with happy memories of trips to Coney Island and Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes. Goldberg contrasts these reveries with the overwhelming grief she felt when Emma died, in 2010, from a stroke. Five years later, Clyde succumbed to a ruptured brain aneurysm, leaving Goldberg to face the world without the “folks who let her be exactly who she was and gave her the confidence to become exactly who she wanted to be.” Throughout, Goldberg’s earthy, no-nonsense voice anchors her commentary on the ravages of bereavement (“If you go into a funk, then really let yourself go fully into it. Pull up a fainting chair. Draw the curtains. Close out the world for a while and get as insane in your grief as you ever thought you could”). This is no dishy Hollywood tell-all—it’s a salve for wounded souls. (May)

Whoopi Goldberg is getting ready to give folks an intimate look at her life…When fans learned the Sister Act alum would be publishing another book, they immediately rushed to the comments to congratulate her.”

Bits & Pieces shows the rise of a beloved performer, and is a tribute to the loved ones who supported her along the way.”

Goldberg relays the untold stories of her early years, starting with the projects in New York City. This sentimental story about family, identity, and determination was written after the loss of both her mother and brother. Much of the story describes the incredible guidance and opportunity her mother provided her, despite the trials and tribulations they experienced.”

Anyone reading Whoopi’s book Bits and Pieces will come away, as Whoopi puts it, ‘knowing how to share the earth with other people’ better than they had before. Thanks, Whoopi.”

A rare gem among many ho-hum celebrity memoirs.”

05/01/2024

EGOT-winning actor Goldberg (née Caryn Jonson) reflects on her early life and career in this earnest tribute to her family. As a child, she counted on two people: her mother, Emma, and her older brother, Clyde. Emma worked diligently as a nurse while teaching her children to take time for the small things. Clyde doted on his little sister and allowed her to hang out with him and his friends. Years later, when Goldberg became famous, she brought Emma and Clyde to awards functions, fundraisers, and galas. The loving bond between the family never broke, even after Emma's and Clyde's deaths. Black-and-white photos in the book further demonstrate how much Goldberg cherishes them. Goldberg's career is secondary to the family's story, which in this memoir ends after her 1991 Oscar win. Instead of speaking directly about her career, she talks fondly about people she met along the way. That includes Mike Nichols, who facilitated her big break by directing her first and one-woman Broadway show. VERDICT Told mostly in chronological order, this breezy and moving memoir portrays a close-knit family that includes a daughter who is also a celebrity. A fine addition to biography collections.—Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg's raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir. As listeners hear just a trace of a New York City inflection at the ends of some sentences, the story of Goldberg's career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde. Born Caryn Johnson, Goldberg offers anecdotal, episodic, somewhat random memories of this close three-member family. Her performance is entirely professional, loving and varied, serious one moment and funny the next, with a sprinkling of four-letter words throughout. Mom, Brother, and Caryn/Whoopi will remain in listeners' thoughts after hearing this singular memoir and performance. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine