The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Fall 2022 Group Read Becoming in the category Non Fiction - A President or President's Spouse. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

Laure Y

I picked up Michelle Obama's autobiography in one of the local charity shops a year ago and I had been keen to fit it in into the SRC since then. Lo and behold! I found out that 'Becoming' was actually one of the group reads for this season.

This was a great read. Michelle's voice comes through loud and clear and it holds the narrative of her exceptional life throughout.
I was particularly interested in her early years on the Southside of Chicago and the details of her upbringing.
I was also unwittingly making comparisons with my own life. Michelle and I got married pretty much at the same time and our children are roughly the same age. It was interesting to read about her struggles with work life balance mirroring my own, all very relatable in a strange way.
I think this is why this book has been such a hit with readers. Despite the extraordinary aspects of her life, Michelle always appears approachable and her struggles reflect our own.

Kathy KS

Listening to Michelle Obama read her book felt like actually getting to know her. Michelle begins with her childhood and continues through her education, career, campaigning for her husand, becoming FLOTUS, living in the White House, her work on various issues during Barack's tenure there, rearing her daughters, and ends when the Obamas move out of the White House and begin their new lives. Her advice to tell your own story, although specifically focused towards women and people of color, made me think that many U.S. citizens wouldn't understand that my life as an educated woman in rural Kansas (towns from 170-2500 population) and blue in a red state is possible. Many would assume that we are all a bunch of far right hick farmers. (I know lots of well-educated liberal farmers...) So, thanks, Michelle, for reminding us how important it is to try to understand people living in different circumstances with other challenges.

I enjoyed getting to know more about all of the Obama family and found it amusing that some of her descriptions about her husband also remind me of my own.

There seems to be another audio version of the book read by someone else. This may also be good, but I think hearing Michelle's life in her own voice seems most appropriate to her expressed views. Recommended.

I bought Becoming as soon as it came out but never got around to reading it. When I found out that Michelle narrates the audiobook, I decided to listen to her tell her life story instead of reading it. I’m glad I did. I think listening to her tell the tale was more interesting than just reading the text.

I agree with Laure. Even though Michelle Obama and I have virtually nothing in common, I found her experiences strangely relatable. I also liked the inside peek at their family life. It was so ordinary and yet so extraordinary at the same time. I found it really interesting that she’s not a big fan of politics. What an adjustment that must have been! She seemed to handle it well, but sheesh. 🙄

Now I’m even more interested in picking up the books Barack wrote and narrated. I could happily listen to him read the side of a cereal box…..

I loved listening to this one. It was like having a conversation with Obama herself.

XBM

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was interesting to hear about her family and the sacrifices her parents made. The part of the book that focused on family was the most interesting to me. The political part, though, exemplified everything I hate about politics, that is, one party making out the other to universally be the problem.

Michelle Obama's open and honest memoir was a humanizing and inspiring welcome into her world. I felt like she opened up the door and invited the reader in to have a chat to get to know her better without pretense or artifice. From early childhood until now, we got to see how our former FLOTUS became who she is today.

Michelle shared her struggles and successes with family life, parenting, work-life balance, and being First Lady. I would never want to live my life in the public eye, where everything I did, said, or wore (clothes and facial expressions), was scrutinized so heavily. In a world where we seem so quick to criticize and point fingers, I admired how Michelle tried to gracefully rise above it and stay true to being a down-to-earth human being.

I read this back in December 2018 for my book club. I found the first part (up to when she met Barack) a bit hard to relate to, perhaps because her background was so different to mine. However, after that, I found it fascinating to read an insider's account of high-level US politics.

Sadly, reading about the Obamas' hopes, fears and initiatives two years into the succeeding presidency, it made me angry to see what that individual was doing then, and continued to do, to dismantle their legacy.

First Lady seems to be a thankless job. Everything she did seemed wrong to someone. The book certainly showed that Michelle carried out her responsibilities with grace. It also showed how difficult it was to raise a family under those circumstances.

As a side note I always wondered how they decided which school to send their daughters to. This book revealed the thought process behind that decision.

Honestly, I didn't think I would've liked this book. I thought it'd be way too political and dry for my liking so while I was aware of it, I've never added it to my TBR or bothered to even check out reviews etc. Until, a good friend said that's it's actually pretty good and noting her reading preferences, I thought, this could be okay. I picked up my copy from a street library and as soon as I started reading, I was just so surprised at how very readable this was. All very up close and personal and very human. Loved it!

Kathy wrote: "First Lady seems to be a thankless job. Everything she did seemed wrong to someone. The book certainly showed that Michelle carried out her responsibilities with grace. It also showed how difficult..."

I have been fascinated reading about Irina Karamanous, the partner of the president of Chile, who says she doesn't want to be "first lady" and doesn't think this should even be a thing.

Tien wrote: "All very up close and personal and very human.."

We heard her speak last spring at a program at the Richmond Forum, a benefit to support their Speech and Debate program for high school students. She was just so lovely and warm and personable - it was fun listening to her.

Angela IL
I have been wanting to pick up this book for some time now and this task obviously made it the perfect opportunity. I live near, about 25 miles south, of a lot of the places Michelle Obama mentions in the book and the gun/ gang violence in the south side of Chicago and surrounding areas is truly devastating to read about on my news alerts every morning.
I really enjoyed reading about her experience as FLOTUS, especially as the first black FLOTUS. I also liked learning about her childhood, her teenage years, and her first interaction with Barack, and of course their eventual relationship. I am not overly interested about reading about politics, but this did not feel like it was overly written. Such a powerful and inspiring read!

i finished. and i liked it. the insight of family live was interesting.

I found her description of growing up in Chicago very interesting. I was glad it did not get too political but talked about what life was like as the first family.