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

Quotes

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

  — People

• “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.”

  — Good Housekeeping

• “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.” 

  — Bookstr

• “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.”

  — Kirkus Reviews (featured review)

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

  — Publishers Weekly

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

  — New York Journal of Books

• “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.”

  — Barry Josephson, producer

• “[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.”

  — Booklist

• “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.”

  — AudioFile

• “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.”

  — Seth Doane, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent

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

  — Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday

• “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.”

  — People (online) 

• “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.”

  — Brit + Co

• “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.”

  — Los Angeles Times

• “Her most personal undertaking thus far.”

  — Vibe

• “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.”

  — TV Insider

• “Whoopi Goldberg has lived hundreds of lives.”

  — Salon

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

  — BET

• “A fine addition to biography collections.”

  — Library Journal

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

  — Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper

• “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.”

  — Anderson Cooper

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

  — Gayle King

• “This is the most amazing love letter.”

  — Sherri Shepherd, author and Emmy nominated & NAACP Image Award–winning host of Sherri

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

  — Nicolle Wallace, MSNBC news anchor, former White House communications director

• “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.”

  — SheKnows

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

  — Booklist (starred audio review)

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

  — Los Angeles Public Library

• “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.”

  — TheGrio

• “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.”

  — Vulture (audio review)

• “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.”

  — People (print)