Becoming by Michelle Obama

I don't read a whole lot of memoirs. This is probably related to the fact that there aren't a whole lot of public figures that I feel particularly connected to or interested in. I have my own little collection of personal heroes, of course, but I generally don't seek out books about them. Michelle Obama, however, is different. Over the years she was in the White House, I developed a deep and abiding admiration for her. I agreed with her policy positions and her relentless optimism. I looked up to her intelligence and determination. I was also definitely a little bit jealous of her successes. When her memoir was released, I picked it up right away.

There wasn't enough space on my bookshelf for Becoming to fit in neatly (moving to Connecticut meant we had to downsize on the amount of bookshelves we owned), so I placed it on the front edge of an already packed shelf, facing out. Over the next few months, Michelle Obama's face would be beaming out at me whenever I walked by my books, reminding me that I hadn't read her story yet. When I was assembling my list of novels I finally wanted to get to in 2019, this daily reminder made Becoming an easy choice to include.

Becoming recounts the story of Michelle Obama's life so far, from her childhood in Chicago's Southside, to her young adulthood as a successful lawyer, to her tenure as First Lady of the United States. The book is divided into three sections. In the first, she explains how her early life was shaped by family, love, and a firm commitment to her studies. She recounts her mother's patient parenting and her father's relentless work ethic, and how these factors helped her to stay on a straight path and excel in her studies. Her family didn't have a lot of wealth financially, but they were rich in the kind of things that money can't buy-love, kindness, and respect. Those influences led her all the way to Princeton and Harvard as she earned her law degree and began practicing.

The second section details her relationship with Barack Obama and the birth of her two daughters, Malia and Sasha. She discusses how she fell in love with Barack, their struggles with infertility, and the joy she experienced when her daughters eventually came along. She also spends time explaining all of the emotions she experienced as Barack began his meteoric climb to the White House. It's not easy to be the spouse of a famous politician, and it's doubly not easy to be the spouse of someone who has practically become a folk hero in his own time. It's all too easy to fade away into the background of a larger-than-life partner, and she had to deal with a lot of questions about finding her own voice in the situation, and making sure her girls got to have as normal and grounded of a childhood as possible.

The final section of the book, predictably, is about her experiences in the White House. Becoming First Lady of the United States was a life-altering experience, and she describes both the wonderful and not-so-wonderful aspects of it. She found great joy and purpose in traveling to distant countries, meeting foreign dignitaries, and working on meaningful community projects. She was less enthused about being under constant scrutiny from the press, being unable to come and go as she pleased, and the frequent threats from extremists against her husband's life. The information contained here is fascinating and gives readers an inside view of what being First Lady is like. The novel ends with the beginning of Trump' presidency, an event that Obama describes as gut-wrenching. Still, in spite of the disappointing outcome of the election, she ends on hope, ultimately delivering a message encouraging people to come together and support one another.

This book was phenomenal and it deserves all the hype surrounding it. Obama's writing is beautiful and thoughtful, and the stories she has to tell, even the simple ones of her childhood in Chicago, are very engaging. I learned a lot about the background of many events I recognized from the news, and a lot of new facts about the White House too. Her tone is perfect throughout; this is a woman who has achieved extraordinary things, but the way she conveys everything feels down-to-earth and relatable. I was constantly making connections as I read, and thinking, "that's just how I would react here," or, "I know exactly how she felt." Her warm personality shines through on each page. Reading this truly feels like having a conversation with a friend.

Aside from the factual information about the people, places, and events in her life, Obama's descriptions of her feelings were extremely well-written. She perfectly captured the doubts, worries, joys, and triumphs she felt throughout the years, and her honesty was very compelling. Similarly, the way she explained her beliefs was inspiring. Her fierce commitment helping others had me wanting to go out and volunteer somewhere. Memoirs are usually inspirational at some level (assuming you are reading about a person you admire), but this one felt more inspiring than usual. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

I was a fan of Michelle Obama before I read Becoming. I'm an even bigger fan now. Anyone with even a passing interest in the Obamas would do well to pick this up. At 421 pages of pretty small print, this is a lengthy read, but the hours melted away for me once I started in on it. I finished it in just a few days and was sad it was over. There's not many memoirs I can say something like that about. I'm very happy to have finally read it. Now I need to find it a place of honor on my shelf - somewhere where it actually fits this time.      

Challenge Tally
Finally in 2019: 3/6 Books Read

Total Books Read in 2019: 6