Author: Michelle Obama
Genre: Autobiography, Memoir
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: As always, Michelle has said it all beautifully! As always, this will be my pick-me-up for inspiration, hope and just plain warmth!
I cannot not read this book. It was only a matter of time before I set out to read this. 2023 has already started on a very busy schedule at home and work and I hardly find time to actually sit and read. So I listened to this as an audiobook during my morning workout and commuting to work.
All I can say is Wow! Just like with Becoming, Michelle Obama has written it all with grace and glory. She has always been an inspiration and a role model for me. Throughout the entire book, it made me feel like I was sitting with her and listening to her talk about her life and its episodes. It felt so personal to listen to her stories in her own voice. Many times during the book, I wanted to walk up to her and say - "Oh God, that's exactly how I thought about it too". I also found it so comforting that she is just like the rest of us with our own uncertainties, questions, doubts, fears and anxieties when it comes to parenting. How she dealt with it and waded through being a woman of color and many other biases in her life are life lessons for any of us trying to survive out there. There are some hilarious anecdotes and situations which made me chuckle, especially the one with her mother. By the end of it, I yearned to meet her mother some day as much as I yearn to meet her.
This book is a collection of stories from Michelle's life put in a very refreshing way, there are strong messages at the end of every chapter. The chapters on partnering well and friendships stood out to me. Reading about her relationship with Barack Obama and their early days together in Hawaii made me go all "awwww", it felt like a warm blanket wrapped around me on a chilly day. The chapter on friendships was equally endearing - The way she thinks about it are exactly my thoughts too when it comes to maintaining relationships and rejuvenating in the company of good friends.
I can keep writing about this one, but I'll stop here. Oh, I almost forgot to mention - there is only very little mention about Barack Obama and his work which was very different from Becoming where she talked a lot about it and I think this is precisely what made it very refreshing!
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- "Great is the enemy of good"
- Read books by people whose perspective is different from yours, listen to voices you haven’t heard before, look for narratives that are new to you. In them and with them, you might end up finding more room for yourself.”
- Any time your circumstances start to feel all-consuming, I suggest you try going in the other direction - toward the small. Celebrate small victories.
It uplifts me, It gives me hope and reminds me how to live a life with its core values and integrity intact.
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