{book review} becoming by michelle obama

Becoming by Michelle Obama

“For every door that’s been opened to me, I’ve tried to open my door to others. And here is what I have to say, finally: Let’s invite one another in. Maybe then we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us. Maybe we can better embrace the ways we are the same. It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.”

I loved this memoir. I read it and then bought the audiobook and listened to it as well. I guess I can say I “read” it twice in a month. I highly recommend the audio version, it’s like Michelle is talking to you.

I love her authenticity and compassion, whether she was sharing her story or calling on us to do better. This was an engaging and moving read, especially the part where she talked about her dad’s passing.

I was inspired by her determination. I was particularly interested on how she handled being a working parent when Barack was just starting in politics. You don’t realize how much you miss the Obamas until you hear her comforting voice.  I highly recommend and worth the read.

Memorable Quotes:

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”

“Friendships between women, as any woman will tell you, are built of a thousand small kindnesses… swapped back and forth and over again.”

“Time, as far as my father was concerned, was a gift you gave to other people.”

“The choice, as he saw it, was this: You give up or you work for change. “What’s better for us?” Barack called to the people gathered in the room. “Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?”

“When it came to the home-for-dinner dilemma, I installed new boundaries, ones that worked better for me and the girls. We made our schedule and stuck to it. …It went back to my wishes for them to grow up strong and centered and also unaccommodating to any form of old-school patriarchy: I didn’t want them ever to believe that life began when the man of the house arrived home. We didn’t wait for Dad. It was his job now to catch up with us.”

“This may be the fundamental problem with caring a lot about what others think: It can put you on the established path—the my-isn’t-that-impressive path—and keep you there for a long time.”