Becoming by Michelle Obama
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Pages: 448 Pages
Writer:Michelle Obama
Recommendations:
I want to start this review by saying I am not judging this book based on what party the Obama’s were a part of. If you love this book based on that or hate this book based on that, then you are really missing out. From the standpoint that you get a glimpse in the life of the Obama’s and how the journey to the White House started. From the humble beginnings on the south side of Chicago, to the struggles of getting a good education, to meeting the man of her dreams, to the challenges of balancing ambitions with family, and finally the challenges of being in the White House. I learned a lot about the journey that Michelle had to get to life beyond the White House. I appreciated that journey and was surprised with how quickly things went for them. It seemed that at every turn, the next step was waiting for them. It also seems that Michelle is fine taking a little breather now that things have calmed down. There are parts of the book that get very long-winded, or at minimum they drag on a little too long. These moments seem to be Michelle’s way of telling her story, and it is important to her to put them in her words, so she does it. It was great that she told her story her way, but for a reader, this does make the book feel long at times. The biggest section of this was a time before the Presidential run and really was a time that was not a lull but just didn’t translate into much of a story.
Overall, I found the story interesting. I found a lot of things in this book that I didn’t know about the former first family. I have seen others write about this book and dismiss it because it goes against their political views, and that is a shame. If you agree with their politics or not, they still deserve respect for the role they had in our countries’ history. I have also seen others write about this book as if it was printed on pure gold. That is also not fair, as the book itself does have some flaws in its story telling, even if the author was going to tell her story even at the expense of the story telling. What I am getting at is it is ok to enjoy the story without it being about politics.