Thicker than water A memoir

The star of Scandal shares her life story. Most people know Washington (b. 1977) from her role as Washington, D.C., "fixer" Olivia Pope in Scandal, the series that launched thousands of provocative tweets and even a fashion line. But the author wasn't new to Hollywood or drama by the time she was cast in the role that would make her a household name. Washington begins her memoir with an explosive cliffhanger, letting the central question hover just below the surface until she's ready to revisit it near the end of the text. Washington was an only child who loved her parents and her apartment complex's swimming pool. Unlike at the pool, however, where she felt the most freedom, the time she spent with her parents was often strained. She strove for success in all endeavors and usually found it, yet she felt she was never as connected as she wanted to be to her parents. This lack of connection is especially evident in her response to the "sexual trauma that had remained a secret for far too long." Washington confronted the perpetrator, but she wanted to protect her parents and never told them. Acting proved to be the perfect vocation for her. Throughout high school and college, Washington diligently honed her natural talent for the stage and screen. As an adult swept up in the Obama campaign, she discovered a deeper purpose and identity. "This is when the connection between art and social change became crystal clear to me," she writes. "I started to understand the power of representation, the need for people to see themselves in the content they consume, but also the power of content to change how they think and feel and behave." Well paced and artfully crafted, Washington's memoir reminds us of the volumes we all carry but seldom speak. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.