Let me just put this shocker out there: I voted for Obama. Big fan. However, I am not the most politically involved so I wasn’t tuned in to all the goings on of his administration, and also, would not say I had a strong opinion of Michelle Obama. I found her to be a classy lady, and envy her super toned arms, but by and large wasn’t focused on her at all during her eight years in the White House. Her book has been heralded so like any good book lover, I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. I chose the audio, and was delighted to find that she reads it herself. I would now say I am strongly in Michelle’s camp and would love to be her friend. I will; however, settle for being her casual brunch acquaintance.
The tone was even and maybe even a little formal, this is not an expose of any sort, or something in which I feel like Michelle “lets her hair down,” but in a sense, it seems very her. She is a motivated, intelligent woman who has worked hard throughout her life, and shares what she must of herself to be relatable and make a point, but she is also a private woman who “goes high when they go low.”
It is nice to relive the terms of Obama in the White House, but there is a bittersweet quality to reading this book, knowing where we are now. In particular what she shares regarding the 2016 election, and the heartbreak she felt, was poignant. “I will always wonder about what led so many women, in particular, to reject an exceptionally qualified female candidate and instead choose a misogynist as their president.” Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.
In “Becoming” Michelle’s main point is that we are not merely one thing, and the fact that we ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up is erroneous. As if we are all just “one” thing. Seeing who she has become over her life was an interesting journey, and there are lots of takeaways from her life that I would call this book inspirational. And um, if you can make my Michelle/brunch dreams come true, please let me know.