Michelle Obama divides her memoir into three parts: Becoming Me, Becoming Us and Becoming More. The first recalls a close family in a small apartment on Chicago's South Side, a father with multiple sclerosis who never missed work, and the teachers and doubters she met on the way to Princeton and Harvard Law School.
The second part follows her career at a Chicago law firm, where she was assigned to mentor a summer associate named Barack Obama, and her move into public service and hospital administration. She writes candidly about marriage counselling, a miscarriage and IVF, and her deep reluctance about her husband's political ambitions.
The final part covers the 2008 campaign and life in the White House: raising two daughters under constant scrutiny, launching initiatives on childhood nutrition and military families, and being judged as the first Black First Lady. The writing is warm and conversational. The book sold more than ten million copies within months of publication and was followed by an accompanying documentary.
Book details
| Author | Michelle Obama |
|---|---|
| First published | 2018 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 448 |
| Setting | Chicago and Washington, D.C. |
Themes
- Identity
- Race
- Family
- Public life
- Ambition
Who should read it
Readers interested in American politics, women's leadership or an intimate account of family life in the White House.
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