Thank you NetGalley, this was a good book. I think it was mostly a book to tell the world about her mother and brother who both passed away. What a wise and great Mother she had!

Whoopi Goldberg , actress, comedian, television host and EOTT winner reveals the factors that formed her as a remarkable and unique performer. Born and raised in New York City, Caryn Johnson (Whoopi is her stage name) benefited from the attention and support of a thoughtful caring single mother who worked as an associate nurse and early childhood educator. Emma Johnson never lost an opportunity to make life joyful for Caryn and her older brother Clyde. Managing summertime trips to Coney Island or ensuring that a Christmas tree and presents would magically appear each year were an essential part of her parenting style. Caryn had severe dyslexia that eventually caused her to drop out of high school but her mother was supportive and wisely counseled her to substitute school time with opportunities to explore the vast cultural resources afforded by the city. Thus Caryn attended lectures, concerts and visited museums as an older teen. As she gravitated toward a career in theater she took the stage name Whoopi. Thus she began a career shaped in part by industry greats such as Mike Nichols and Steven Spielberg who recognized her considerable talents. This powerful personal memoir is available in print but the audio of the book read in Whoopi’s own inimitable voice is worth the listen.
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Amazing woman, amazing book. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was read by Whoopi and it is always a plus when the author reads their own book. Her mother sounds like an awesome mom. She encouraged her children to be what they wanted to be, dress how they wanted to dress, pursue their own dreams.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It was interesting to find out how Caryn Johnson became Whoopi Goldberg and what the inside of her life looked like with her family. Great read.

I don't always agree with everything this woman says. Lord knows the both of us have a lot of opinions. However, these stories about her mom are clearly something so special that they needed to be shared. The entire book was so endearing and I loved how it really just felt like we were having a conversation.

This was fantastic! I am so glad I listened instead of reading. Whoopi giggled throughout the entire book. She told great stories and I loved every one of them.

Who was a Sister Act fan 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

To this day, I can probably still sing every song from Sister Act 1 & 2. I loved Ghost and just watched, for the first time (I know), the original The Color Purple.

I’ve always like Whoopi! She’s made me laugh many times and when I saw this one on the shelf at my local library, I thought I’d give it a try.

I LOVED the relationship she had with her mom and brother and really enjoyed ths book. It spans from her childhood growing up in Harlem to ths mid 2010’s I beleive. I don’t follow much of what she does now, or her on The View, but I really enjoyed learning about the early life of one of my favorite childhood actresses.

I flew through this memoir and am happy I picked it up!

I enjoyed this book so much. I felt like sitting with an Aunt and listening to her tell me about her life, it was very natural.

Bits and Pieces by Whoopi Goldberg is not really a memoir, but a love letter to the two people who knew her best in the world – her mother and her brother. Whoopi narrates the audiobook, but it doesn’t feel like she is reading the book. As I listened, it felt like she was sitting in my living room telling me stories from her life. She would laugh or chuckle when she told a story. Her love for her family was evident. We learn of her childhood and the way she was raised. We learn a little bit about her career. She was candid about her addictions, but didn’t go into great detail. Mostly, we learn about her mom and what an extraordinary woman she was. Whoopi talks of the grief of losing her mom. In the last chapter, she offers advice about preparing for the loss of a parent or sibling and how everyone grieves differently.

I highly recommend Bits and Pieces. I cannot imagine reading this book. You need to listen to it to get the full experience! It made me smile and think of my loved ones. Excellent book!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir was great! It was refreshing listening to this as Whoopi was narrating. I felt like we were just sitting down talking to one another. Overall, it was pretty well paced. I personally, would have liked to hear more on her relationship with her brother. Great listen! I highly recommend 👌🏾

I don’t think I have enough words to express how much this book meant to me. And you have to LISTEN to it- don’t read it. Whoopi’s laugh is just wonderful to hear. Her voice and tone during this book were addicting to me and I finished this audiobook in like a day.

The content was so inspiring. So moving. I don’t know if it would have had as powerful an impact if I wasn’t listening to it, though.

This book is amazing. I recommend to everyone.

At first I thought this book was going to be very heavy and sad as it begins with the death of Whoopi's mom and brother. However, it very quickly turns into a weaving of stories together of her life spent with both of these relatives. I enjoyed hearing these stories, told in Whoopi's voice, as an audiobook. What could have been a very intense book, ended up being very reflective and heartfelt, even funny at times. I would definitely recommend listening to this as an audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Bits and Pieces was an excellent memoir and told really well on audio. I liked learning more about Whoopi and that her life wasn't always happy and successful.

Whoopi is exactly how she is in her movies funny and entertaining!
There were definitely moments of heartache and sadness and I’ll never think of Disneylands It’s A Small World the same again🫣✨😢

There’s a lot of fun (and sad) and interesting facts about Whoopi that I don’t want to spoil so you gotta give this is a read!
I highly recommend the audiobook because it’s narrated by Whoopi! How cool!

My favorite memoir of the year! This is definitely one you have to listen to for the full experience.

I learned so much I never knew about Whoopi, and the entire book felt like I was listening to a friend share stories about their life. I laughed more times than I can count, but also had some moments that tugged at my heartstring.

I was so impressed by her mother and could easily understand why she adored her. She was and extraordinary woman and very progressive in her thinking and teaching. The way she treated her children like full people, teaching them to know and be comfortable with themselves, and to do what makes them happy all resonated with me. Miss Emma gave so many life lessons that everyone needs. I aspire to be the type of mother Whoopi had.

I highly recommend this audiobook.

I really enjoyed the audiobook of Whoopi Goldberg’s Bits and Pieces. It has all the sass and flair I love and know from Whoopi, but also got to glimpse into her life as Caryn. Caryn is a young girl full of life and hope and just learning how to navigate the highs and lows of life like all of us. I enjoyed getting to know Whoopi on a deeper level and learn about the different facets of her life!

This was really good. The way she told stories reminded me so much of my Aunt Jill. I can’t say I am the biggest Whoopi Goldberg fan… I have seen several items of her work, but not all of her work. I was still fascinated by her story, and I am so glad I listened to her book.

I was interested in this book on the advice of a friend. He said it sounds like you were having coffee with Whoopi and she was telling you stories about her family. That is exactly how this book is, particularly the audiobook since it is performed by the author. Whoopi makes a point to say that she doesn't know everything and that things are from her perspective.
I loved hearing her stories, particularly since her mother sounds a lot like mine and my mother has also passed. The end part of life for her mom was so relatable: funeral (or not), cleaning, etc that I vividly remembered going through all this. While our mother's grew up in different circumstances it seems they shared the same spirit and values and that was lovely to me. This was less of a performance and more like I say down and Whoopi and I were talking about our mother's

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

4.5 🌟
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I wouldn't call this a memoir. I would say this is a love | thank you letter to Whoopi's decent mom and brother, and boy, oh boy, how amazing it is! I love how it's short and straight to the point. She isn't dragging this book along. You get what she is putting down.
Whoopi is also the narrator, and I love that she narrator it herself. Her voice definitely gave you all the emotions you needed.
𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎!
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Thank you, Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing, for this audiobook.

While I listened to the audiobook of Bits and Pieces and enjoyed Whoopi Goldberg sharing her story, I think if I were to purchase this book for our library, I would get the physical copy. It was enlightening and entertaining and felt like a great conversation as a storyteller shared their life.

Goldberg’s writing was fluid and enjoyable. The audio production feels like she's right there, having a lively conversation with us, sharing all the laughter and tears of her life. I often found myself both laughing and crying along with her anecdotes! I grew up watching her movies and loved the characters she played.
I really knew nothing about her however and was so happy with how caring and kind she is and loved the stories and her insights about life and family. I would definitely recommend this book to others..
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC to review.