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From the publisher:
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States
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.
When this book came out last year, I knew I would read it eventually, but I had to get myself into the right frame of mind. As regular readers know, I am not happy with the current administration. I look at this book, a great deal of which is about the Obama presidency, with longing and admiration.
It was like taking a journey back to a kinder, gentler time, at least during the Obama administration. Mrs. Obama is pretty candid and open about her foibles, her successes, and why it all mattered so much. She talks a lot about their marriage, their problems and how they solved them. She talks about her struggles with her career and juggling work and family. She explains why she’ll never forgive Trump for endangering her family and why she didn’t smile at his inauguration. She talks about Sandy Hook, the only day in Obama’s eight year presidency that he requested his wife’s presence in the Oval Office. She is as open and forthcoming as she always seemed to be while she was the First Lady. Her voice rings true.
Michelle Obama embodies the quintessential American story. We learn about her upbringing on the South Side of Chicago, her close knit family living in their small apartment. We learn about her education and the opportunities she was lucky to receive, the guidance from her parents, her close relationships with them, her brother and her extended family. The values that were instilled in her as a child have lasted a lifetime and how she passed those values on to her children, despite their growing up in the White House.
This was a very emotional read for me. I have been a great admirer of Mrs. Obama since she came on to the national stage and this book just reinforced those feelings. Her story made me laugh and made me cry, but most of all made me remember a better time in America. And best of all, hope of that happening again.
2/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
BECOMING by Michelle Obama. Crown Publishing Group; First Edition edition (November 13, 2018). ISBN 978-1524763138. 448p.
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