Book Review "Becoming"

"One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals."

 

Book Review

Becoming

‘Michelle Obama’s memoir, ‘Becoming’ celebrates the diversity of thought. She invites the readers into her world to have an up-close look at her life. The book takes the readers seamlessly through three distinct phases of her life. It includes her incredible journey from humble beginnings in the less glamorous South Side of Chicago to the grandeur of the White House and her life as America’s first African-American First Lady. Michelle Obama, the first lady of the United States of America, has emerged as one of the most compelling women of our era. She became an advocate for women's rights in the U.S. and around the world.

The memoir recounts deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling of her early life, education, relationships, her time in the White House, and her impactful public health campaign. Her journey continues as she is on her way to the next phase of her life. She has not become what she aspires to be; she is still becoming.

The book begins with her reminiscences regarding her childhood days. The first phase is termed as Becoming Me in her memoir. Recounting her childhood events of innocence and exasperation, she narrated that during the era of 1960s, the South Side of Chicago experienced severe political instability and bloodshed where she grew up.  Her small family learned to cope with adversities and lived with simplicity. They resided in Parkway Gardens; it was an affordable housing project to help out the post–World War II housing shortage for black working-class families. After few years, the housing project was abandoned so they began to live in the neighborhood of their old friends, Robbie and Terry. When Michelle turned four, she developed an interest in learning music. Craig was already taking music lessons from Robbie. Learning music with Robbie was an exciting experience for Michelle; it aroused her passion to study music in depth. She believed that playing music gave her an enchanting feeling and helped her find deep relaxation.

The same year Robbie organised a thrilling live performance on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. A long drive to the place was enjoyable and fascinating for the whole family as Michelle recalled her fond memories. Recollecting the time when reached downtown for the piano recital, she was perplexed and anxious as she had to perform among a big audience. Wearing a beautiful dress with leather shoes and her hair in ponytails, she looked pretty and elegant. Regaining her nerves, she concentrated on the piano keys. The young Michelle enthralled the music lovers out there.The year 1969 reflects her childhood memories at Bryn Mawr Elementary School, where she began her kindergarten studies. Remembering her spelling activities, Michelle spelled out all the colours well except for the colour white that she found a bit difficult to pronounce. Being a sensitive she felt embarrassed about her inability to speak the word correctly in front of her classmates. Therefore, she practiced spelling several times while lying in her bed at night. The next morning she articulated the word with perfection. Mrs. Burroughs was overwhelmed by the confidence and devotion the little black girl showed while taking her lessons.

This part elucidates the family values and the quality time the family spends together. As Michelle recalled that her parents used to discuss different issues with their children. When she reached her teenage, her parents conferred on more serious issues about life choices, relationships, social and political issues. Michelle grew more mature and sensible as she reached the age of adolescence. The year 1981 depicted the fond memories of Michelle with her father driving across the flat highways towards Princeton University. She had to attend a special three-week summer orientation program at the university. Her engaging life at Princeton campus continued.

In the early 1980s, Michelle availed the hostel accommodation. She concentrated more on her studies, aiming to improve her knowledge and skills. To manage university expenditures, Michelle never expected her parents to help her, instead she found a work-study job at TWC, Czerny Brasuell. The job helped her to meet the financial expenses. At the same time, she decided to acquire a unique profession in the future. Therefore, she opted to study law from Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school, Michelle joined a law firm called Sidley & Austin. It is at the office of Sidley & Austin, she happened to meet her future husband, Barack Obama.

  "Choose people who lift you up." said Michelle Obama

The second part of the book, Becoming Us deals with Michelle and Barak Obama’s friendship that bolstered closeness and intimacy between them. She introduced Barack Obama to her family. Barack was pleased to meet her family and had a little chat with Michelle’s father. To Michelle’s father, Barack was a practical-minded, sensible, and mature man.The same year, 1989, at Christmas time, Barack Obama took Michelle to Hawaii to meet his family. She felt comfortable with them and was impressed by their modest family background.

 She writes about Obama,

“What truly made me fall in love with Barack Obama was his character. You hear me? It was his character. It was his decency, his honesty, his compassion and conviction."

 “Barack intrigued me. He was not like anyone I’d dated before, mainly because he seemed so secure. He was openly affectionate. He told me I was beautiful. He made me feel good. To me, he was sort of like a unicorn—unusual to the point of seeming almost unreal. He never talked about material things, like buying a house or a car or even new shoes. His money went largely toward books, which to him were like sacred objects, providing ballast for his mind.”

 We came to know about a great tragedy that occurred in Michelle’s family. Her father’s health deteriorated. The pain in his feet worsened and was admitted to a hospital in Chicago. Michelle remembered the most nerve-wracking moments for the whole family. Her dear father was sinking away. She helplessly watched him in severe pain. Alas! Tears rolled down her cheeks, he kissed her hand, and thus he breathes his last.

The next year, October 1992, the marriage ceremony of Barack Obama and Michelle took place at Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side of Chicago. The wedding was attended by their relatives, family friends, and colleagues. According to her,

"Marriage is a choice you make every day. You don’t do it because it’s easy. You do it because you believe in it. You believe in the other person." 

Michelle explained the challenges she faced during her married life. She resumed her services at the city hall as an assistant commissioner. Her responsibility was to get connected with the city’s departments, including health and human services. Meanwhile, Barack Obama began a part-time teaching job at the University of Chicago. 

Besides pursing their careers, the couple decided to go for a family way. It was in the year 1998, the 4th of July, Michelle gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Malia. Michelle experienced memorable moments of motherhood in raising her daughter, Malia. In the year, June 10, 2001, Michelle was blessed with the second daughter named Natasha. Michelle continued to enjoy motherhood activities and responsibilities and cherished the time spend with her toddlers.

As she said, “When I get up and work out, I'm working out just as much for my girls as I am for me, because I want them to see a mother who loves them dearly, who invests in them, but who also invests in herself. It's just as much about letting them know as young women that it is okay to put yourself a little higher on your priority list.”

 Being a career-minded lady, Michelle planned to have a modern partnership with Barack Obama that enabled them to manage their life, career, and family. Therefore, she opted for a full-time job at the University Of Chicago Medical Center. She worked as an executive director for community affairs, while her young babies were looked after a full-time housekeeper. Working as a fulltime mother and balancing work and home was indeed a challenging task for this energetic lady. Sometimes, she lost patience and grew agitated since Barak was working in Springfield, and she had to manage things alone.

"It has to be a true partnership, and you have to really, really like and respect the person you're married to because it is a hard road." — Michelle Obama

At another moment she said, “That's what marriage is about. Not the big, splashy stuff. It's just the little day-to-day sharing and routines and rituals that we still have." — Michelle Obama

Expressing his deepest love for Michelle, Barack Obama said,

"We’ve been married now twenty years, and like every marriage you have your ups and you have your downs, but if you work through the tough times, the respect and love that you feel deepens." — Barack Obama

 

This section also relates to Michelle’s experience of successfully managing election campaigns held in February 2008 at Iowa, Wisconsin, and Texas. During campaign in 2014 at Topeka High School commencement speech, she said,

 "Every day, you have the power to choose our better history — by opening your hearts and minds, by speaking up for what you know is right."

 On 4th November 2008, Barack Obama and Michelle cast the vote at Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School in Chicago. The election day seemed too long and nerve-racking for them. They desperately watched the election results as though the initial results were relatively confusing. It was around 10 pm the media announced the victory of Barack Hussein Obama. He was officially declared as the forty-fourth president of the United States. The victory was celebrated by more than 200,000 people who excitedly waited at the park to meet their victorious leader.

The last part of the book, Becoming More describes her experience at the white House, her political activities and community development works. Michelle was overwhelmed to play her part as the First Lady at the White House. Life at the White House was surprisingly different from the lifestyle they lived in Chicago. It was an exalted experience for the president and the First Lady to get a protocol at the White House. In her memoir, she explained the pros and cons of VIP treatment and how it hampered her private life. She aimed to live a normal and regular life like others such as, enjoying Thanksgiving holiday, family dinners and attending social events and recreational activities. She strongly opposed the publication of the photos of her family on social media since it disturbed her privacy.

Some memorable foreign tours Michelle remembered that highly fascinated her. The first international trip was made to meet the Queen of England. Michelle was overwhelmed to meet the Queen and felt glorified for the privilege provided to them at Buckingham Palace. She also remembered her visit with Nelson Mandela Foundation headquarters in Johannesburg. It was a brief yet, memorable meeting.

During the presidential phases of their life, Barack faced various challenging tasks .Michelle supported the Barack administration in meeting their tasks. The first priority was to capture Osama bin Laden and to end up the economic crisis in the country. Speaking at G 20 Summit, she said, 

“Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude."

She launched a health care awareness campaign for the parents and helped the schools to access healthy and high-quality food for children. Looking back to her fond memories in the year 2011, she remembered her passionate vision of empowering young girls. She initiated a mentoring program at the White House. 

Her speech during her visit to Africa in 2013 highlights her idea of girl’s empowerment. "When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous."

 Another major political event was the reelection of Barack Obama. He was elected to a second presidential term on November 6th, 2012. The second term was more challenging and, he vowed to take necessary steps to stop violence and protect US citizens. Obama and Michelle initiated an educational campaign worldwide, known as Let Girls Learn. The campaign aimed at providing greater access to education to young girls and enabled them to choose a better career.

 Speaking at the Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders 2014, she said, "No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half its citizens."

During his last tenure in the year 2015, Barack Obama showed a strong commitment to people. By the year 2016, Barack Obama and Michelle moved to their new house in Washington since Sasha had to complete her high school. While Malia was in her way to finish her graduation. Michelle beheld that they were the forty-fourth First Family who enjoyed blissful moments and had a splendid time at the White House.

Her speech at Democratic National Convention 2012 depicts her love for her family. "My most important title is "mom-in-chief". My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the centre of my world."

At a Democratic National Convention in 2016, she said,"With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents, are their most important role models."

With tears, they left the White House but continued to serve the nation with devotion and fervor. They launched Let’s Move! Active Schools program to improve the health of school-going kids. Furthermore, various foundations and campaigns established by them are still providing social and educational support to underprivileged girls across the world.

During her final speech as a first lady, “You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms... you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation."

 Ending her memoir with strong inner conviction, she narrated that Barack Obama was a leader of leaders, his affiliation with Americans has interminably grew with time. People still show great reverence to him and wish to work and collaborate with him at every platform. Addressing the nation, they said that they have lived as a nation and will continue their efforts gracefully. With a sense of progress, the change Barack and Michelle aspire to bring across the globe would hopefully yield astounding results in the near future.

 Becoming inspires the readers as they found it  a warm, intimate coming-of-age story of a strong-minded girl who grew up to become one of the most powerful and influential black women in the country. It is filled with determination, love of family and many subtle and not-so-subtle lessons about being female, black, and black and female in America. She talks openly about things that many people are uncomfortable discussing. The book shows her concerns as worries that derive from the universal anxieties of marriage and motherhood. Still, Becoming is satisfying for the quiet moments in which Mrs. Obama, the woman who supported a black man named Barack all the way to the presidency, gets to let down her hair and breathe as Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, girl of the South Side. Thus, Michelle Obama gives us endearing, insightful, honest memories that taught us how to attain the journey to success. This book was eye-opening and inspiring, giving us a glimpse into how much effort it takes to lead a glorious successful life.

An extract from her book, 'Becoming' says,

“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”  

This Book Review is written by Sadia Wali. She works as Senior Executive at ABTACT Private Limited. She can be contacted at: sadiawali@hotmail.com