Why You Need to Read “Becoming,” The Autobiography of Michelle Obama regardless of Your Political Sensibilities

Do you consider yourself conservative? Or maybe liberal? Or maybe somewhere in between? No matter where a person falls on the political spectrum, it is my (fairly centrist) opinion that you will thank me later for having suggested this delightful read, or listen if you choose the audiobook read by none other than the author. (I definitely suggest the audiobook!)

Right out of the gate you will catch her conversational tone. Michelle Obama is a skilled wordsmith, probably with a strong team of editors! Together they have produced a work worth the 19 hour listen. Wait! Don’t let that number deter you. I will be honest that it took me several months to finally finish, and I had to keep renewing and putting it back on hold at my library, but during this journey with the former first lady, I felt that she truly invited me into not just her personal sphere but also into the nitty gritty parts of the worlds she interacted with daily.

I learned so much about the path a politician takes and the agonizing decisions for not just a candidate but their family. I loved how she talked about Barack, sitting quietly and consulting with each of his daughters on the couch before finally deciding to run for president of the United States. This decision dramatically affected their lives and neither Barack nor Michelle took that lightly. Significant portions of the book share in detail the behind the scenes family life of getting to, and then living in the White House. Michelle’s voice is that of a mother in much of this beautifully woven narrative.

Her humorous and often poignant telling of situations that her family experienced left me with the thought that I would love to research more deeply into the lives of other first ladies. I found myself envisioning a young adult book highlighting the presidential experience of each first family particularly the presidential wives. Michelle’s empathetic telling of her journey encouraged me not to look at her through political eyes, but through the eyes of another mother; another human. Regardless of our agreement or disagreement on matters of state, she endeared both herself and her family to me. My closing sentiment was that I would love to invite her to my home for tea and truly learn to know this conscientious and deeply thoughtful woman. Listening to her speak candidly of her growing up years and where both she and Barak came from made her feel entirely approachable; I could actually imagine sitting with her casually on my back porch, having walked her through my less than perfect home to get there.

Not to neglect Michelle Obama’s passions and opinions, she describes what it was like to not only be a young mother in the white house but how she managed the role of first lady, tackling projects and policies that were of greatest importance to her. In 2009 she started a large garden to provide food for the family and staff as well as large amounts of produce for donation. This tied in closely with her passion to fight childhood obesity by setting the example of healthy food choices, while demonstrating how to accomplish these on a smaller scale. According to her own account, Michell along with Jill Biden, successfully ran a campaign to improve school lunches for children across the nation and increase the amount of exercise and activity school children were offered each day. Desiring to make the White House and the office of president feel more human and approachable to the general population particularly children, Michelle invested time and effort into numerous events at the whitehouse that catered to youth.

Responding to many tragedies throughout the 8 years they resided in the White House, Mrs. Obama revealed a tender humanity and a fierce desire to make the world better while maintaining the utmost of integrity to her core beliefs.

I personally could not have agreed more with her beautiful conclusion. Becoming, she said, is not so much about arriving at a particular end goal, but rather always continuing on one's life path. As long as she was always moving forward, she would forever be “becoming.”

You may find this book anywhere books are sold. She also has different editions available on her own website, including a young adult version. https://becomingmichelleobama.com/