Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michelle Obama is absolutely one of my idols. I think it’s so important to have someone like her in a position of power like FLOTUS. She has so many positive characteristics and ideals to share with young people. Her outreach with children’s health and safety is really impressive, and her obvious respect and empathy for people is admirable.
As for this memoir specifically, this is so full of candor and humility that it was hard for me not to get worked up about how good the Obama family was (is) and what our nation is facing now. Michelle narrates her life by speaking her truth and she encourages other people to do the same. She covers her childhood, her early career, her relationship with Obama and her family, and how these aspects of her life were altered when Barack Obama ran for and won the US presidency. She tells us the absolute truth of her feelings, even if they’re not completely flattering to her and/or her husband. She does a really excellent job at defending her actions without coming off as too defensive/accusatory.
Many of us go through life with our stories hidden, feeling ashamed or afraid when our whole truth doesn’t live up to some established ideal. We grow up with messages that tell us that’s there only one way to be American. That if our skin is dark, or our hips are wide, or if we don’t experience love a particular way, if we speak another language or come from another country, then we don’t belong. That is, until someone dares to start telling that story differently.
As a powerful, admirable black woman who defeated the odds and rose up to one of the highest positions you can hold in this country, I think Michelle’s story is really important for POC and young women to read. There is hope that change is coming, and Michelle is living proof of that.
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