Authors:Michelle Obama
Published: November 13, 2018
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: November 13, 2018
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Becoming Michelle is Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama's autobiography about her life. The book's chapters (including a preface and epilogue) are divided into three sections: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More. Becoming Me follows Obama's life growing up with her family on the South Side of Chicago, her education at both Princeton University and Harvard Law School, then moves on to discuss her early career as a lawyer at the law firm Sidley Austin. This is the section where she first meets Barack Obama since he was a summer associate at the firm. Becoming Us focuses on the marriage between the two, the birth of their children, the beginning of his political career in the Illinois State Senate and ends with his first Presidential election in 2008. The final section titled Becoming More describes their life and challenges being the First African American family in The White House.
Not only is Michelle the first African American First Lady but she is also the First ever to have obtained degrees from two Ivy League schools (Princeton University and Harvard Law School. )In this book, she discusses the challenges of being both African American and a female at both Princeton University and Harvard Law School. I think that it is really important that she mentions her own struggles with school and exams such as how she failed The Bar exam (154. ) Overall while reading this, you can tell how much she values her education and the education of others.
In her writing, she is also brutally honest about living in the White House as a First Lady and as a mother of two young girls. She makes the reader realize that though its an honor being part of the First Family and it comes with many incentives, it is not always amazing and wonderful since she is always under the public eye. She talks about how there is no rule book about being the first lady and that it is a live and learn experience. She also describes how she was trying to raise two daughters with some form of normalcy while still trying to remain in her important role.
Some themes in the book:
Normalcy is a theme that was incredible present in the second half of the book once she and Barack were put into the public spotlight as he became senator and president. As Barack became a senator, they were under the public eye but still able to do normal stuff such as the kids going to birthday parties and attending swimming class. They brought the girls on the campaign trail but still tried to maintain normalcy such as the girls getting their face painted while on the campaign trail ( page 243) which is something most kids would have had done at their age. Later, the Family came to realize that under the public eye as a presidential family they can no longer be spontaneous about doing stuff because of the threats to there security and that being "normal" was even harder but Michelle still made the girls do chores around the White House.
Michelle also lost her best friend Suzanne. She wrote “In the span of a year, I’d gained Barack and lost Suzanne, and the power of those two things together left me spinning. Suzanne’s death had awakened me to the idea that I wanted more joy and meaning in my life. I couldn’t continue to live with my own complacency.” (page 133) This quote shows that even though she has experienced loss, she was able to use it as a way to reassess her life and find the love of her life. Later, Her father Fraser C. Robinson III, who had multiple sclerosis eventually died after suffering a heart attack related to M.S. His illness took a toll on her emotionally because it was hard to see what was happening to him and she wanted to try and help him even when he did not want her help.
Celebrityhood:
Michelle Obama is a celebrity because she is the first African American First Lady. She used this status to voice her opinions on many different causes as well as to become a fashion icon. Michelle wanted as the first lady wanted to fight obesity for both children and adults but was then told to narrow her idea so that she could better tackle it during the presidency and thus only focused on childhood obesity through her Let’s move public health campaign. She also took it upon her to help military families both currently serving and those who were veterans, and as part of this, she used status as First Lady to reach out to CEOs to have them try and hire those who were veterans and military spouses more and better understand what being a veteran or military spouse means.
Favorite quotes:
Quote: "Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own." (page xi.)
Why I like it: She loses a lot of things her life such as friends, family and being able to do the most basic tasks because of the public eye and security details but she gains a lot of good things in her life too such as Barack, her children and the ability to make a positive change in the society.
Quote: "Am I good enough? Yes, in fact, I am."- (page 92)
Why I like it:This quote might be super small and for some might be considered a little cliche. For me, this quote shows that even the First lady of the United States, a successful woman also has those days where she questions herself.
Quote: “So many of us go through life with our stories hidden, feeling ashamed or afraid when our whole truth doesn’t live up to some established ideal"- (Page 415)
Why I like it: I agree that society does put pressure on people to fit into a so-called narrative or ideal and thus people do not always own up to their own story. Society also creates this idea of “normalcy” and if you do something even if its true to yourself outside of this box it will be rejected.
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