Genre: Memoir
Published: 2018
Pages: 421
Michelle Robinson grew up on Chicago's South Side, surrounded by the love of her family in a neighborhood that was destined to fail. Given her background, and living in a United States that was just moving out of segregation and still dealing with pressing civil rights issues on a regular basis, it seemed unlikely that she would ever become America's First Lady.
But become she did. This book chronicles her humble beginnings and recounts the teachers and adults who helped nurture Michelle's talent in the classroom, two Ivy League schools, and ultimately at work. Not thrilled with practicing law, Michelle would struggle to find her purpose. As she was "checking off the boxes" of success, she would meet Barack Obama, and her plans would be thrown into disarray. Suddenly thrust into politics and starting a family, eventually she would become First Lady. But she doesn't tell her story without asking us the question: who do we as people, and as a country, want to become?
All I have to say is: This book. What a step up from the last, a 1-star rating that I just couldn't stand to finish. I need to thank Michelle for bringing me out of somewhat of a "book slump." Just by telling her life story, she is a better writer than several of the last I've read! But is this book truly worth all this hype? My answer is yes.
What I love about memoirs is that they humanize people. Right off the bat, Michelle and I had several things in common. As kids, we both liked to settle our stuffed animals around us at bedtime. We took piano lessons at age 4 (her with great aunt Robbie, me with Miss Sarah). We met a love interest in the same way--by one of us mentoring/training the other at work. We even reacted to the 2016 election in the same way: going to bed before the winner was announced so we could avoid hearing the outcome. This kind of humanization is especially important, and now probably necessary, when it comes to politics. Michelle is just as real as any of us.
The first third touches on Michelle's early childhood and paints a vivid picture of her Chicago childhood before introducing us to political life and finally life in the White House. Even as a student, she noticed the inequalities between students with privilege and those without, and wanted to do something more about it. I also quickly fell in love with her parents, brother, and grandparents. In a way, it's a tribute to all the people who helped to nurture her talent and an appreciation for tight-knit family culture. You may recall how "chill" the president could be at times, which is something talked about on Tumblr occasionally. This attitude shines through in Michelle, too. She isn't afraid to poke fun at her husband--the first mention of him literally reads "Barack Obama was late on day one"--and mentions the tough time she has getting him to be on time. Of course, there are politics too., but not before Michelle gives us her background and shows us that she is relatable.
This isn't a book about politics or a presidential biography, so she doesn't go much in-depth on a lot of issues or what Barack did on a daily basis. Instead, it touches on what the important issues were at the time, especially to her. We also hear a lot about Michelle's initiatives as First Lady, including projects to decrease childhood obesity and help military families. These projects were inspired by her own life and experiences, including her visits at military hospitals and her daughter not getting enough nutrition due to their busy schedule. These were things I certainly knew about, but I didn't know a lot of the details at the time, and I was interested to know more.
I also enjoyed her portrait of White House life, which she does talk a lot about. Living in the White House isn't always as glamorous as one may think and it presents certain challenges. (Yes, the president and his family do get charged for expenses!) Michelle got along with Secret Service agents and even saw some as friends, but that didn't mean that being tailed by them was easy. She could barely even leave the building without permission, as shown in her recount of the night that same-sex marriage was legalized. She and daughter Malia had to stage an escape just to get outside and see the lights and the crowds. I had to laugh, as I remembered her sharing the same story on the Ellen show. Many aspects are discussed, from the anxious anticipation of election night, to meetings with the Queen and Nelson Mandela, to dealing with criticism, to the Thanksgiving turkey pardon. There is something for everyone here; she never lingers too long on any particular topic but spends just enough time on everything, ensuring the book flows nicely.
She is also pretty straightforward about saying that she is not happy with the current administration, and sometimes it seems like she is going after Republicans. But before you call "partisan!", readers should keep in mind that the Obamas had to work with one of the worst, most partisan Congresses of all time and ended up leaving the White House as a bully was coming in. She is just telling it like it is. (This, and Trump, are something I, she, and many others should not be afraid to speak out about. This is not normal politics, as Michelle put it.) As she shares her frustrations about Congress blocking many bills and measures, and her frustrations about Trump, maybe skeptical readers will understand where that frustration is coming from. She doesn't go on a lot of Trump rants or anything, but does feel the need to acknowledge the problems the administration is causing. But her message fits in nicely: keep working at it.
Tying the book together is the theme of "becoming." It shows us what Michelle is becoming, and what the country can become as well. She often looks toward a vision of "what can be" while working with what the reality is in order to inspire change, and she encourages us to do the same. Progress and change are slow, she reminds us, but we should never lose hope and stop working for change.
Even if you didn't always agree with Barack's policies, I would recommend picking up Becoming. It's an exciting yet intimate look into the life of an admirable woman and also an interesting look at what political life entails. It's very well-paced and flows nicely, one of those books that makes you want to go slowly and concentrate on every word. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will have hope for the future. And perhaps the most important message of all? To become, we have to come together and lay our partisan differences aside. (Please? I'm so tired of petty politics, and it doesn't need to be this way.)
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