Becoming [MINI REVIEW]

“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.”

Edition: Hardcover

Release Date: November 13th, 2018

Page Count: 426

Publisher: Crown (Imprint of Penguin)

My Rating: 5/5 stars ★★★★★

Mini Review

I was only 9 years old whenever Obama was sworn in as President of the United States. I don’t remember the election at all and unfortunately, didn’t start truly learning about him and his family until I was about fifteen. But, I did know about Michelle Obama. I watched her speak out about children’s health on TV and I saw her changes whenever it came to school lunches. She worked hard to improve the health of children across America and as a child, I could tell.

I picked up this book out of pure admiration for the former first lady. I loved seeing how laid back, independent and strong she was. She was unapologetic and always herself — that’s why I loved her. In her book, she goes through her life in chronological order from when she was younger growing up in Chicago to her position as first lady. Hearing her talk about living is Chicago was humbling. It was so nice to hear someone so influential talk about the hard things they had to overcome in order to get to where they are. I loved hearing about her experiences in college too. As a college student myself, I saw bits and pieces of myself in her. Her ambition was mutual and I wish I worked as hard as she did.

I think the most interesting part about this book for me was listening to her speak about whenever Barack Obama was getting into government work. She was already working for Chicago’s government at the time as an assistant to Richard Daley. Quick note, I had no idea she worked in the government at the time of Daley’s career. I read a book about him once and can’t believe the things he did. Anyways, back to what I was saying! I loved hearing about how Barack Obama took off so much time to finish writing his book, taking it as far as leaving the country to isolate himself for work. I loved how Michelle decided that corporate law wasn’t for her and went into something that’s more community oriented like city government work. Hearing her speak about her intentions as the First Lady and what she wanted for our country was so heart warming. I can’t believe the things people said about her and her family. It broke my heart whenever she talked about how it made her feel.

Overall, I gave this book five out of five stars because I was never bored. I listened to her talk about growing up in the space above her aunts, going to Princeton and Harvard Law, her family, and her time as First Lady. I would recommend this to anyone, honestly. I think anyone could learn from this book while also learning about Michelle Obama’s life as well.

I apologize if this review isn’t too in-depth. I was reading this book for pure enjoyment and ended up finishing it all in one night so my thoughts are completely scattered. I just thought I’d let you know some of my thoughts anyway!

 

Buy this book for yourself at your local bookstore or at Barnes & Noble!

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