It’s Bits and Pieces That Make Us – A Review of Whoopi Goldberg’s Bits and Pieces, My Mother, My Brother, and Me

I love Whoopi Goldberg. I have since I was a little girl. She fascinated me. I was intrigued by her ability to be Ceelie in The Color Purple, and both fascinated and amused by her in Jumping Jack Flash. Over the years I grew to love her more and more. She stood in her truth regardless of what media and now what social media had to say. She faced backlash for social mishaps and showed her humanness in ways that were inspiring to others. Her memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me took her transparency to another level.

​If you’re looking for behind analyses of some of her public issues in this memoir, you will not get it. Instead, Whoopi opens up about who she is and why she is who she is. Her mother is a huge part of the woman we see, know, and love as Whoopi Goldberg. Born Karen Johnson in the Chelsea Projects in New York, Whoopi grew up with her mother Emma and brother Clyde. She describes her mother and brother as a “lockstep duo” by the time she was born, but she surely rounded out their trio.

​Whoopi was an independent child who indulged her own joys and chased her own passions. This was not by accident. Emma raised both children predominantly on her own. When I said predominantly, I mean, her children knew their father, but she’d split from her husband early enough so that they didn’t exactly miss his presence. Other than that Whoopi and her brother grew up close to various relatives on her mother’s side of the family. She remembers a time when she was a small child, and her mother experienced a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, adults looked out for Whoopi and her brother, but they mostly took care of themselves. They had gained so much independence from Emma that even as children under thirteen, they were fine on their own.
 
Today, we see Whoopi as an individual trendsetter. In her position on The View, she is known to stand her ground and present her opinions supported by strong facts and experiences. This stems from the type of parent Emma was. She supported her children’s endeavors and asked very little of them. Asking little doesn’t mean she had low expectations. She did expect young Whoopi and Clyde to put their best foot forward in all that they did; however, she didn’t demand success in areas that didn’t interest them. Imagine if she had demanded that Whoopi not cross the country as a teen mom in pursuit of a Hollywood career. She probably wouldn’t be the EGOT winner inspiring Black women across the globe.
 
The only thing I find flawed with Emma as a parent, and this is my humble opinion because I am clearly a flawed parent myself, is that she hid so much of herself from her children that they never had a chance to experience her vulnerabilities. I think it’s important for our children to see us as vulnerable human beings, particularly when they reach adulthood. I think the respect deepens when we see the Clark Kent side of our parents. Again, this is just my opinion, I am lightyears younger than Emma and Whoopi, and an imperfect parent.
 
At the start of the book, Whoopi talks about losing her mother and brother back-to-back. Though she’s very straightforward and lighthearted in her approach, the events are heartbreaking. I have enough siblings to fill a minivan, and I can’t imagine losing a parent and then one of them right after. Whoopi’s losses sound devastating; however, I think she has reconciled her grief knowing that she has so much to offer the family she created with her daughter and grandchildren, as well as her devoted fans.

​As I mentioned earlier, this book wasn’t salacious. Whoopi didn’t drop names. She told stories of her past and painted the map to her success with her mother and brother as her constant guides. A lot of Black women experience complicated relationships with their mothers, but Whoopi and Emma’s relationship showed that things don’t have to be as jumbled and hard. It’s also important to appreciate people while you have them. Whoopi, Clyde, and Emma never missed an opportunity to be good and appreciative of each other. That’s a beautiful thing. This was a calming and insightful listen that I recommend for all. It was masterfully written, and I expected nothing less.
 
Five full glasses, cheers!