Dying of Politeness

A Memoir

By: Geena Davis

Narrated by: Geena Davis

From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.

At three years old, Geena Davis announced she was going to be in movies. Now, with a slew of iconic roles and awards under her belt, she has surpassed her childhood dream—but the path to finding yourself never did run smoothly. In this simultaneously hilarious and candid memoir, Davis regales us with tales of a career playing everything from an amnesiac assassin to the parent of a rodent, her eccentric childhood, her relationships, and helping lead the way to gender parity in Hollywood—all while learning to be a little more badass, one role at a time. Dying of Politeness is a touching account of one woman’s journey to fight for herself, and ultimately fighting for women all around the globe.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

WONDERFUL story

One of the best memoirs I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Geena Davis has led a fascinating life and there is no one better to read her story. I enjoyed every minute of this book and highly recommend it

An absolutely delightful listen!

I have always appreciated Davis’ work (e.g. LOVE her in The Accidental Tourist, etc.); but I had no idea what a fascinating person she is.

All the expectations Davis experienced on girls growing up—not taking up too much space or attracting too much attention, doing what one is told—all were so relatable. So it was a special delight to learn how Davis’ natural curiosity, can-do attitude, and her evolving professional life taught her to push her way past those imposed, limitations—to speak up, follow her interests (even if she didn’t have a perfect plan in place) and expect to ‘get there.’

I also appreciated the way her activism isn’t used as a cudgel to bludgeon the reader into awareness, but like her growing into herself as a human, we again see her evolving in this way through her work—which brought her face—to-face with issues that needed addressing. So she did. Naturally.

Along the way, as she ‘becomes,’ she regales us with the hugely entertaining backstory to her life and career—without (as some memoirs of the famous do) resorting to salacious details, designed mostly to titillate. For example, she provides us just enough detail about her children to satisfy normal curiosity, but no more. Similarly, she is kind, even to those who (again, without providing details) have not been kind to her, acknowledging their strengths, nonetheless.

I didn’t want the listen to end; but the experience launched me into an equally delightful revisit of some of my favorite Davis movies, now illuminated by the colorful backstory to her life and work!

Perfect book

So grateful for Geena Davis for sharing so openly and funnily about her life.
Easy to read, highly recommend!

wonderful storytelling

such a relatable story as a woman who is also been known to nearly die of politeness

Well, now Geena is my new BFF

I’ve been somewhat of a GD fan thru the years, but I didn’t realize we shared the same brain! A truly enjoyable read that I identified with strongly as a woman in my 40’s with ADHD. Loved hearing her anecdotes about movies and her dear sweet parents, especially her Dad, who she must have gotten her adhd from! ❤️