An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WATCH THE EMMY-NOMINATED NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most … 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.
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I loved this book. I gained so much insight into how difficult it is to raise a family in the White House and be the first family in America. It was written with humor and so much sensitivity and love for her parents and her family. Reading about her struggles growing up and now knowing all her accomplishments just reinforced my respect for her. She was so honest and made sure to reveal her humanity and concern for others. Her appreciation for all the people who helped her and worked for the family seemed so sincere and genuine. I think that Michelle Obama wrote the book with such openness and allowed us into her personal life and made sure to explain that she had plenty of doubts about herself and her decisions along the way. I would recommend this book to my friends and to anyone who loves biographies. No matter what political beliefs one holds, anyone can enjoy this book if they are openminded enough to believe that the author is honest in her story-telling.
A meaningless and weakly written apology for a life of smallness and intellectual infidelity. It staggers to hear one given so much unearned can persist in sniveling self-pity.
I liked hearing Michelle’s story, how she grew up, and her path.
I learnt that one can overcome all odds of life to reach his or her set destiny
Reading this puts a whole different perspective on ‘First Lady’; and, Mrs. Obama was a First Lady with more firsts than most. Rather than dwell on the various sections of the book, reading her story in her words was an unusual experience.
Straight forward, written with both humility and bravado combined, Mrs. Obama tells us a story we should have known, but did not. In my recommendations and reviews, I do not believe in telling the story of the book. What I will say, is every person who has the chance, should read this book and learn what it means to be both a woman, a black woman, and a First Lady. And learn as well what the effects of being the First Lady of the United States means.
Great lady…great book.
Behind the scenes look at how things really are in the White House. Her brilliance comes through in the way she’s lived her life, found great mentors and friendship. Even the choice of words that she uses in. The book. VERY highly recommend.
This is the best autobiography I’ve read in a long time. Everyone should read it.
I enjoyed getting to know her, and she was so honest and realistic.
I loved this! I admire her even more after hearing her coming-of-age story and of her struggles and accomplishments!
This tells us more about are Former First Lady Michelle Obama.
An intelligent, thoughtful book that’s both interesting and well written.
This woman is a wonderful writer.
I don’t follow news so almost everything o this book is new to me. Michelle is a brilliant writer who drew me into her world leaving me eager to know more. I highly recommend this book to all humans.
While I knew some of Michelle Obama’s story, I truly enjoyed learning more about her background, origins, her perspective, and her inspiring life. I am glad I read it.
Interesting and well-written. Thoughtful observations about interesting times and people.
Loved it.
The title “Becoming” suggests a work in process—a “this is where I began, these are the steps I went through, and here is where I am now.” It also forecasts a future that suggests the world is better because of “my becoming.” Michelle Robinson did not grow-up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Like many young children, she knew what it was like to desire, but not get, work hard, and sometimes achieve little, fall down, but get up, massage bruises and start again.
As I read the final pages of her story, I knew my “self” had been transformed, renewed and re-constructed. I was no longer gripped with excitement and wonderment about external forces, but with each word, sentence, paragraph and story within a story, a sense of internal quietude, restfulness and serenity infiltrated my thought and took root. I began to see the bigger picture Mrs. Obama was painting. With each brushstroke of thought, she planted on the massive canvas of thoughts, ideas and practices, a portrait of America—an America becoming—an America that can use many colors to form its portrait, or only one—an America that recognizes the value of each color, culture, ethnicity, gender and economic status, or an America that clings to its past of division, partiality and inequality. What road will we take? What will we place on the eternal canvas?
This is the story of someone who makes a difference in the world by being herself and becoming all she can be. I read it in a week and will doubtless read it again at some point. It offers a rich perspective on the life a person of colour in the times she has lived through, and what can be achieved when people in the community are given a helping hand.
Politics is a messy business and Michelle Obama is very clear that she never wanted the life of being married to a politician. But she embraced it and emerged at the end of two terms of Barack Obama’s presidency with her marriage, her family and her integrity intact.
I especially loved her raw description of the pain of grief in Chapter 11 and her delightful account of Barack’s marriage proposal later in the same chapter. I also cheered when I read that after moving into the White House, she made it clear to the housekeeping staff that her daughters would make their own beds each day (see ‘Does it make a difference if you make your bed in the morning?’ at http://www.karenkingston.com/blog/make-your-bed).
Barack, she reveals, is not a naturally tidy individual and functions best when he has a “hole” – a place where he can ‘flip between the six or seven books he’s reading simultaneously and toss his newspapers on the floor’. To her, it’s a mess and she insists that he keeps the door closed. But she can see that for him, it’s an essential environment to read and write, where ‘insights are birthed and clarity comes to visit’.
After becoming POTUS, Barack’s three valets keep his closet neat. But I would love to know if and when his creative “hole” ever got tidied at the White House, or was he happy for the mess to endlessly pile up? Hopefully, he allowed his staff to take care of this for him, freeing him to do what he did best. I had a lovely taste of this myself during the final decade of the 20 years I lived in Bali when I employed Balinese staff to take care of all my household tasks, providing them with a much-needed income and leaving me free to focus on my work.
She has such a strong voice and used it in the best of ways.
I love a good memoir and this is definitely a favorite. A beautiful thread of life experience woven from childhood to adulthood, through the Whitehouse, to where she is today.