Becoming

 

Becoming – by Michelle Obama

This was the first book that I have ever read by a First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS). Reading this did feel a tad strange, since I've probably read about 65-70 books about the US presidents themselves. Yes, there are stark differences. The main thing that interested me about picking up this book is that it came highly recommended and received rave reviews. So I figured, why not?

This book was definitely worth the hype. It is very sincere, well-written, and interesting. This account, in many ways, could have been about the life of anybody and still would have been an enjoyable read. Obama knows how to tell her life story and keep it somewhat interesting throughout. The fact that she’s the first African America First Lady definitely adds to its overall appeal. One of the lessons here is that if can happen to her, it can happen to anybody. Michelle Obama’s upbringing was less than ideal considering where she eventually ended up from a monetary perspective. She was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago and she and her family didn't even own their own home. They lived in an apartment on a floor above relatives. However, Obama never gives the impression that she grew up poor nor needy in any way. No, this was just a way of life for her and her family and they managed just fine. She’s very proud of the fact that her mom was able to sew her new outfits out of second-hand fabric, and the fact that her father trudged to work every day to his blue-collar job even though he silently suffered with multiple sclerosis for many years.

The main appeal of this book, though, is not “what” her story is, but “how” she tells it. We must always remember that any time a person tells their own story, it might be interesting to them, but it doesn't always translate into being interesting to other people. Think about that one coworker that you have who comes back from vacation and wants to tell everyone a three-hour account of their three-day vacation.  We might be polite when listening to that person, but we really wish that the individual could sum up their story in 5 minutes or so. The same is true about telling our life story. It's interesting enough for us, but maybe not necessarily for other people. Obama succeeds, though. And of course, since we all know where she ended up, it makes her journey that much more interesting.

This isn't a strict, linear account of her life. There are some gaps, but she does cover the highlights, including a lot of her legal profession after college, and trying to figure out what she really wants to do with her life career-wise. We also read a lot about when she meets and falls in love with her future husband – that guy who would eventually become the 44th President of the United States.  Of course, this is really what the readers care about the most, and to be perfectly honest, I wanted a bit more. Yes, we do read about her husband's dream-like journey to the White House and how unlikely it seemed at the time, but those couple of years probably could warrant their own book. In fact, husband Barack covers much more ground about this time in his excellent reflection “A Promised Land.”

Once we get to the White House, we read about Mrs. Obama's experiences as First Lady. Now I know this is a politically incorrect thing to say, but it was very obvious to me by this point that this book was written by a woman. I don't mean that in a negative way. It's just there are obvious differences when comparing to a book written by a man. For example, a bit earlier we read about her spending an entire day shopping for her daughters to ensure they have warm winter clothes for her husband's acceptance speech. Then when she becomes First Lady, we read about her interaction with the Queen of England and how both ladies were complaining about the shoes that they were wearing. I think it’s a fair assumption that no man has ever written in a biography about how uncomfortable his shoes were. We also read a lot about Mrs. Obama's garden at the White House. An awful lot.

Speaking of her White House Garden, she devotes a lot of pages about her “make the kids healthy” initiative that she pioneered as First Lady. I'm not sure I ever completely agreed with her enterprise. I can remember my children who, ironically, are the exact same age as Obama's daughters, were in school. Her “healthy eating” initiatives were quite strict. My kids weren't even allowed to have pizza parties at school. I guess pizza is just too unhealthy. Sadly, no matter how many times you put cabbage, cucumbers, and cauliflower on a child's lunch plate, you're never going to have those children enjoy them as much as they do cookies and cupcakes.

Anyway, this is a wonderful book. I must once more state that I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that Mrs. Obama is African American and that does add to the overall appeal of the journey. Sadly, though, even though our country and our society have come a long way with civil rights, this book does remind us that we still have quite a ways to go.  It's nice to read about personal stories such as Obama’s that can give many other women and people of color hope. She shows herself as a true champion. Sure, there were many events that happened during her life that caused bitterness in her soul, yet she never comes across as angry. She comes across as mature, thoughtful, and as someone who always makes the best of her situation. It really is quite wonderful to read her journey. As I write this review in April of 2023, my guess is that her life is far from over in terms of what she will accomplish. I feel she will achieve an awful lot more as time goes on. That can only be an extremely positive thing for the country of the United States.