Black History Month Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Release Date: November 13, 2018
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
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.
Michelle Obama will long be remembered as America’s first black First Lady. However, she is a remarkable person in her own right, not just because she’s married to a former president. I knew she went to an Ivy League law school but I didn’t realize that she gave up her career as a well-payed corporate lawyer to do more meaningful legal work that didn’t pay nearly as well.
Michelle starts Becoming with her childhood in Chicago and ends it at the end of Barak Obama’s presidency. My favorite part of the book was when she talked about her relationship with Barak because she wrote it like any of us would when talking about our spouses. She’s honest about their disagreements. For example, she’s very structured and believe it or not, he is not! That was a source of conflict early in their marriage. They had to go through fertility treatments to start a family, something I could relate to having gone through them myself for my first child. I appreciated her honesty – she doesn’t shy away from addressing her shortcomings and mistakes that she’s made.
I started out listening to the audiobook but switched to the print version about halfway though. Michelle reads the audiobook herself and she reads the book in the same slow, deliberate way she talks when she’s giving a speech. She is an amazing public speaker and while I think her speaking style is wonderful for speeches, I found it a little tedious to listen to for long periods of time. The print version zipped right along.
Becoming is an inspiring memoir of a phenomenal woman. While there is some political content, I honestly think it will appeal to people on both sides of the aisle. Highly recommended.
