Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life.

If it weren't for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010-and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later-she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.

Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn't know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced-and it wasn't until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.

Fans of personal memoirs such as Finding Me by Viola Davis and In Pieces by Sally Field will be touched by Bits and Pieces: a moving tribute from a daughter to her mother, and a beautiful portrait of three people who loved each other deeply. Whoopi writes, “Not everybody gets to walk this earth with folks who let you be exactly who you are and who give you the confidence to become exactly who you want to be. So, I thought I'd share mine with you.”

1144284653
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life.

If it weren't for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010-and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later-she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.

Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn't know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced-and it wasn't until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.

Fans of personal memoirs such as Finding Me by Viola Davis and In Pieces by Sally Field will be touched by Bits and Pieces: a moving tribute from a daughter to her mother, and a beautiful portrait of three people who loved each other deeply. Whoopi writes, “Not everybody gets to walk this earth with folks who let you be exactly who you are and who give you the confidence to become exactly who you want to be. So, I thought I'd share mine with you.”

22.95 In Stock
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

by Whoopi Goldberg

Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg

Unabridged — 6 hours, 43 minutes

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me

by Whoopi Goldberg

Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg

Unabridged — 6 hours, 43 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$22.95
(Not eligible for purchase using B&N Audiobooks Subscription credits)

Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


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Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award) winner Whoopi Goldberg turns her boundless talents to the page with a beautiful tribute to family, childhood and a very special mother-daughter relationship.

An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life.

If it weren't for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010-and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later-she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.

Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn't know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced-and it wasn't until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.

Fans of personal memoirs such as Finding Me by Viola Davis and In Pieces by Sally Field will be touched by Bits and Pieces: a moving tribute from a daughter to her mother, and a beautiful portrait of three people who loved each other deeply. Whoopi writes, “Not everybody gets to walk this earth with folks who let you be exactly who you are and who give you the confidence to become exactly who you want to be. So, I thought I'd share mine with you.”


Editorial Reviews

Good Housekeeping

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.”

Bookstr

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.”

People

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

New York Journal of Books

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

producer Barry Josephson

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.”

Nicolle Wallace

A beautiful, exquisite, and heartfelt memoir…I cried on every page.”

BET

Whoopi Goldberg is looking back on a traumatic moment in her life when she decided to choose a better path for her future.”

|Los Angeles Times

From the boardwalks of Coney Island to the lights of Broadway, Bits and Pieces is a tribute to the New York City of Goldberg’s adolescence.”

People (online)

From witnessing her mother’s mental breakdown when she was a child to growing up in the New York City projects, Goldberg looks back on the experiences that impacted her in this moving tribute to family.”

host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday Ayesha Rascoe

A memoir about love, grief, and coping with losing those you love.”

Brit + Co

Readers will be surprised at how full their hearts are by the time they reach the last page of Bits and Pieces. It’s a beautiful look at not just Whoopi’s soul, but the endearing moments she shared with her family, her ancestry, and ultimately with all of us along the way.”

Vibe

Her most personal undertaking thus far.”

Anderson Cooper

Her book is remarkable…If you think you know [Whoopi], there’s a lot you can learn about her that’s extraordinary in this book—and her amazing mom, Emma, who sounds a lot like my mom.”

Gayle King

It’s a knockout…What a journey you took us on, Whoopi.”

author and Emmy nominated & NAACP Image Award̵ Sherri Shepherd

This is the most amazing love letter.”

CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Seth Doane

Whoopi Goldberg’s trailblazing journey has been one of reinvention, determination…She says she was well-equipped starting with those lessons from her mom in that two-bedroom apartment in New York. It makes her perch here all that more impressive.”

Booklist (starred audio review)

A memoir full of simple life lessons that become vibrantly alive on audio.”

TV Insider

Filled with anecdotes that are intensely personal and yet read like the stuff of Hollywood legends…Goldberg’s memorialization of herself and her late loved ones is emotional and so very informative.”

Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper

The pages are filled with fun and laughter, grief and sadness, and offer a rich tribute to the unbreakable love between mother and daughter.”

SheKnows

While many of us may think we know Whoopi Goldberg well, the actress and TV host shared a whole new side of herself in her memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me.

Booklist

[Whoopi’s] new memoir is an emotional and uplifting exploration as, with her unique voice and trademark wit, she reflects on the people, places, and experiences that have made her the multi-award-winning icon she is today…Goldberg’s fan base will be avid for the mix of memoir and guidance.”

AudioFile

Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg’s raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir…The story of Goldberg’s career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde…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.”

Salon

Whoopi Goldberg has lived hundreds of lives.”

Los Angeles Public Library

A masterful storyteller…Throughout this memoir, be prepared to laugh out loud and maybe shed some tears of joy and amazement.”

Library Journal

A fine addition to biography collections.”

Publishers Weekly

This is no dishy Hollywood tell-all—it’s a salve for wounded souls.”

TheGrio

Goldberg employs the entertainment legend’s wise and hilarious voice as she looks honestly at her grief in the wake of losing her mother and brother.”

Vulture (audio review)

One of the through-lines of the audiobook is Goldberg’s constant, infectious laughter. Though you want to cry, it’s much more cathartic to giggle along with her. I just loved this.”

Kirkus Reviews (featured review)

A poignant, enjoyable, and moving read…Readers will want to call their parents after finishing this behind-the-scenes look at the life of a major entertainer.”

People (print)

Harris’s deeply traumatic experience also had a huge impact on Goldberg, who was eight years old when her mother was first hospitalized. Not having her mother around for two years—‘children were not allowed at the hospital,’ she says—forced the Oscar-winning actress to face the world in a way many of her peers didn’t have to at such a young age.”

APRIL 2024 - AudioFile

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

Product Details

BN ID: 2940160384795
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 05/07/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
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