"It's the thing we all have to face, the death of those who knew you the best."

And there it is...the hardest truth, but now with the iconic Whoopi Goldberg, we don't have to feel so alone when dealing with such a heavy loss. With grace, humility, humor, a bit of sadness and so much joy, Bits and Pieces, My Mother, My Brother, And Me by, not the award winning actress or the host of The View, but by the daughter and sister of Emma and Clyde, author Whoopi Goldberg shares how growing up with her loving mother and brother made her whole.

Having lost my Mom in 2020, her story of growing up in the projects of NY with a hard working single mother hit home for me. We have similar memories of trips to Coney Island, rainy days at the movies, and adventures in NY's abundant museums.

As Whoopi shares stories of her life, it's a daughter and sister sharing pivotal moments with the family that molded her. There are fun anecdotes about her Mom meeting famous people like Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, and developing a friendship with director Mike Nichols, who helped launch Whoopi's career into the stratosphere.

Narrated by Whoopi, we get beautiful moments of giggling at a silly time, or a smile coming through at a fond memory. We also get the emotions of losing friends like Patrick Swayze and dealing with being the only one left of your nuclear family.

Remembering isn't always easy but sharing their stories, keeping them alive is a privilege. Whoopi Goldberg taught me that lesson. Do yourself a favor and take a little time, a few Bits and Pieces of your day, to meet Emma and Clyde. You will laugh, cry and love as Whoopi graciously shares them with you for a little while.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Blackstone Publishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg is fantastic on audio. Whoopi herself narrates it and I found her voice so soothing and relatable. It was like listening to a friend. While the book is by far more about Whoopi's relationship with her mother than her brother, the reader learns something about her relationship with him, too. We should all be so lucky to have a mother like Whoopi's. Whoopi's descriptions of her make her sound like a remarkable woman and a wonderful mother.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of this wonderful audiobook.

I really loved and enjoyed this read. Whoppi Goldberg tells a lot about her mother in this book. It is beautiful but there are also parts that are heartbreaking.
It is interesting to listen to her, to learn about her life. How she grew up, how she viewed her life, her childhood.

I loved, that she said that even if you and your parents or siblings have lived through the same , we all have different views and memories. That doesn't make our memories wrong, but we all feel different about it.

I loved how she talked about her mother, I could really imagine her.

If you are interested into reading this book, I highly recommend you the audiobook that she narrated herself.

From the moment Whoopi begun narrating her story I was enthralled.

"Not everyone gets to walk this earth with folks who let you be exactly who are and give you the confidence of exactly who you want to be; so I thought I'd share mine with you."

And I am so glad she did; because its not often I fall in love, and I did, with Whoopi's mother.

It is with considered detail, humour and love that Whoopi immortalizes her brother Clyde, and especially her Mother Emma in this incredibly touching memoir. And whilst this collection of memories speak to several challenging subjects, the love, strength, encouragement and wisdom of Whoopi's mother shines like a star. If there was an EGOT equivalent for parenthood, Emma Johnson would win.

It is also a story of Whoopi, and her evolution and journey from Caryn Johnson into the actor and personality she is today. But at every step, weaves the influence of Whoopi's Mother, from role model as a single parent who made things work, to practical advice, to encouragement of being true to self. This memoir truly is a love letter, and a testament to the power of family unity.

A fabulous read. Thank you Whoopi Goldberg, your memoir felt like a big warm hug.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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!