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A review by fran_bielar
Thicker than Water: A Memoir by Kerry Washington
5.0
I feel like I’m really picky about giving a 5 star rating. This is the first book I’ve given 5 stars too but it absolutely deserved all of them. Even as an audio book
I idolized Olivia Pope. In high school i saw scandal for the first time and watched in awe as this character of Olivia pope controlled not only the lives of those around her but more importantly, her own. She was a force to be reckoned with and solved every problem that came her way. As a high school girl where it felt like life was falling apart at the seams someone who could make a decision and people would listen to it, was astonishing, inspiring and everything i wanted to be.
This story beautifully told by Kerry Washington about her life from before she was even born to who she is today. The ups and downs of childhood in the Bronx to being a struggling actress, to her life as Olivia Pope and a cultural phenomenon, to her time as a mother and a daughter. This book brought me to tears, both of heartbreak and of laughter. I learned so much about Kerry the person but also about humanity and the idea of moving forward even through uncertainty but more importantly through times when we are uncomfortable.
Truly i loved this book and it made me love Kerry more than i could have ever loved Olivia.
As i think more about it I am going to add to the review-
Adding: her comments about parenthood and the mindset surrounding children is so powerful to me. She acknowledges that most people look at kids as “i brought you into this world you are here for me” but instead she frames children as an opportunity to be better people. To be better than we are and by having kids we are really given the space to become the kind of person that child needs. It was such a shift in perspective i had not considered before i loved it.
Also she mentioned her scale for measuring success. Washington detailed how as an actor success is often measured by the jobs you book or the results that you see through fame (or even the physical results she could see of her body changing). She instead chose to measure success through her effort. Did she honestly put her best foot forward in the audition? If so that was a good audition and thus successful. While I’m not an actress i do think success is so often defined in harsh ways that may lead people to feel they aren’t successful. This shift in perspective allows for a bit more grace and a way to eliminate the components of the equation that are out of your control.
I idolized Olivia Pope. In high school i saw scandal for the first time and watched in awe as this character of Olivia pope controlled not only the lives of those around her but more importantly, her own. She was a force to be reckoned with and solved every problem that came her way. As a high school girl where it felt like life was falling apart at the seams someone who could make a decision and people would listen to it, was astonishing, inspiring and everything i wanted to be.
This story beautifully told by Kerry Washington about her life from before she was even born to who she is today. The ups and downs of childhood in the Bronx to being a struggling actress, to her life as Olivia Pope and a cultural phenomenon, to her time as a mother and a daughter. This book brought me to tears, both of heartbreak and of laughter. I learned so much about Kerry the person but also about humanity and the idea of moving forward even through uncertainty but more importantly through times when we are uncomfortable.
Truly i loved this book and it made me love Kerry more than i could have ever loved Olivia.
As i think more about it I am going to add to the review-
Adding: her comments about parenthood and the mindset surrounding children is so powerful to me. She acknowledges that most people look at kids as “i brought you into this world you are here for me” but instead she frames children as an opportunity to be better people. To be better than we are and by having kids we are really given the space to become the kind of person that child needs. It was such a shift in perspective i had not considered before i loved it.
Also she mentioned her scale for measuring success. Washington detailed how as an actor success is often measured by the jobs you book or the results that you see through fame (or even the physical results she could see of her body changing). She instead chose to measure success through her effort. Did she honestly put her best foot forward in the audition? If so that was a good audition and thus successful. While I’m not an actress i do think success is so often defined in harsh ways that may lead people to feel they aren’t successful. This shift in perspective allows for a bit more grace and a way to eliminate the components of the equation that are out of your control.