Whoopi Goldberg, born Caryn Johnson in 1955, is an American actress, comedian, author, and talk show host. Whoopi is one of a small cadre of entertainers who've won the complete EGOT series of awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi wrote this memoir to remember and celebrate her mother, Emma Johnson and her brother, Clyde Johnson, both sadly deceased, who had almost everything to do with the person Whoopi is today.
Whoopi Goldberg's mother Emma Johnson
Whoopi Goldberg's brother Clyde Johnson
Caryn, Emma, and Clyde lived in the Chelsea projects in New York City, in a neighborhood that contained, "lots of folks of every color, religion, language, and culture, all packed into a couple of city blocks."
Caryn Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) as a child
Whoopi Goldberg grew up in the Chelsea projects in New York City
Caryn's mother was enormously supportive, and made Caryn believe she could do anything. When Caryn struggled with reading because of her undiagnosed dyslexia, her mother - who didn't understand the problem - just said, 'Well, do your best.'
Whoopi Goldberg with her mother Emma Johnson
Later, when Caryn said she wanted to go into acting, Emma backed her up. Whoopi writes, "Because of my mom, I was able to go from being Caryn Johnson, the weird little kid from the projects who no one ever expected to achieve all that much, to being me, Whoopi Goldberg."
Though the Johnson family struggled financially, Emma - who was a nursery school teacher and practical nurse - exposed her children to art galleries and museums; took them to a Beatles concert at Shea Stadium; brought Caryn and Clyde to Radio City Music Hall, the World's Fair, the Ice Capades, Coney Island, and Rockaway Playland; and more. The threesome would laugh and have fun and make memories to last forever.
Ice Capades
Rockaway Playland
Coney Island
Whoopi notes, "It wasn't until I was older that I really understood what my mother had to go through to keep a roof over our heads." Caryn's mother and father had separated, Caryn's dad didn't pay child support, and Emma refused to apply for welfare. Young Caryn never understood that they were always one paycheck away from the worst case scenario, and Emma never let on, just doing the best she could.
Caryn was lucky to have a wonderful older brother, Clyde. Whenever, she could, Caryn would hang out with Clyde for the day, though he was six years older. Clyde would tell his friends, "I like taking Caryn. If you don't want to go, then that's okay. But I'm taking Caryn." And Clyde would take his sister everywhere.
Whoopi Goldberg and her brother Clyde Johnson
Caryn cheered for Clyde at his softball games, and with money they got from returning empty bottles, the siblings would buy penny candy - like Bonomo Turkish Taffy. When it snowed, Clyde would carry his Flexible Flyer outside, put Caryn on the front, jump on the back, and they'd slide down the street, laughing and hollering.
Bonomo Turkish Taffy
Unfortunately, Emma Johnson suffered a nervous breakdown when Caryn was in elementary school, and was hospitalized, with electroshock therapy, for two years. Whoopi recalls, "Having my mom taken away and hospitalized was like having a Band-Aid ripped off and facing the real world all of a sudden." Relatives came to stay with the children, and Caryn had the same thought every day: "Don't ask anyone for anything. Be good. Don't cause any trouble. Stay to yourself. As long as your brother is here, you'll be okay." And when mom finally came home, and didn't remember her family, the children helped Emma take care of things as she recovered.
Emma believed in perseverance and moving forward, and she took advantage of opportunities that presented themselves to get a college degree and a master's degree in early education. Whoopi writes that her mother was a great teacher who's still remembered by some of her pupils.
Whoopi Goldberg's mother, Emma Johnson, taught in the early education 'Head Start Program'
As a child in a multicultural neighborhood, Caryn didn't experience racism. Later, Whoopi was surprised when people asked her 'Why do you sound so White?' and remarked that her mother didn't sound Black. Whoopi's mother told her, "Be forgiving. They don't know any better....They don't know anybody like you. They can't imagine that you know about art, music, world history....anything. This is not your problem." Whoopi took this advice to heart, and worked on enlightening people rather than chastising them.
Whoopi tells many stories about growing up in New York, and shares the wisdom she absorbed from her mother, both by what Emma said (and didn't say) and by what Emma did (and didn't do). Of course, like anybody, Whoopi experienced ups and downs as she established a career.
Whoopi Goldberg with her mother Emma Johnson
Caryn became interested in performing at a young age, when she saw street shows like Joseph Papps's ensemble.
Joseph Papp put on street shows
Later, Caryn tried out for the Hudson Guild Theatre in Chelsea, which presented adult and children's shows. After doing a few plays with the Hudson Guild, Caryn auditioned for other things and began to have some success.
The Hudson Guild Theatre presented adult and children's shows
Young Whoopi Goldberg
Along the way, Whoopi had some trouble with drugs, got married, and had a daughter, Alexandrea (Alex). Whoopi has been married several times, but glosses over these relationships. She acknowledges that she concentrated on her career, and that Alex was raised largely by her mother.
Whoopi Goldberg and her daughter Alex
Whoopi writes a good bit about breaking into show business, and the big boost she got from director Mike Nichols, who produced her sketch show in New York. Steven Spielberg then cast Whoopi as Celie in 'The Color Purple', for which Whoopi got an Academy Award nomination.
Mike Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in 'The Color Purple'
Step by step, Whoopi ascended the show business ladder, and she writes about this in some detail, mentioning many people she met along the way, including Patrick Swayze - who was instrumental in Whoopi getting the role of Oda Mae Brown in 'Ghost';
Whoopi Goldberg (as Oda Mae Brown) with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in 'Ghost'
Elizabeth Taylor - who advised Whoopi to always get a nice gift from the studio;
Whoopi Goldberg with Elizabeth Taylor
Gene Roddenberry - who gave Whoopi the part of Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation;
Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation
and Marlon Brando - who popped over to Whoopi's house to play the piano and chat.
Marlon Brando
Whoopi also writes about partying and getting into, and out of, drug and cocaine use, which is ubiquitous in Hollywood.
As Whoopi became successful, she included her mother Emma in her life as much as possible. Emma loved going to Whoopi's shows; joining Whoopi and her celebrity acquaintances for lunches and dinners; and meeting people like Sidney Poitier and President Clinton.
Whoopi Goldberg with her daughter, mother, and granddaughter
Whoopi also brought her brother Clyde to California, to be her driver. Clyde loved the job, and enjoyed meeting the actors and performers he admired. And Clyde, being very handsome, cut a wide swathe through the ladies he met.
Whoopi Goldberg with her brother Clyde Johnson and her daughter Alex
Whoopi's mother Emma died from a stroke in 2010, and her brother Clyde passed in 2015, from a brain aneurysm. They were Whoopi's tethers, and she feels lonely and lost without them. At the end of the book, Whoopi writes a long chapter about death and mourning, and she advises everyone to engage with your family as much as possible, and prepare in advance for the end.
I enjoyed the memoir, and felt the book was honest and authentic. I've watched Whoopi on The View for many years, and she seems to be a straight talker on TV and in her book. I'd have liked to learn more about Whoopi's husbands, which is the kind of thing usually covered in memoirs, but Whoopi apparently considers that too private. Still, fans of celebrity autobiographies would probably like the book.
Whoopi Goldberg on 'The View'
Rating: 4 stars
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