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I’ve been meaning to read this memoir for over five years now. When it first came out, it quickly became the talk of the literary world. I repeatedly tried borrowing the book from my university’s well-stocked library in Singapore, but despite housing multiple copies, it was always loaned out due to popular demand. I looked for it on Kindle, but oddly enough, it wasn’t available for the longest time. I reluctantly complied with my vow not to buy any more books because we had long run out of shelf space at home. Eventually, I got caught up with other books on my to-read list, but this one never really left my mind. Memoirs aren’t usually my go-to genre, but when they are well-written and engaging, especially through a female lens that explores the depth of human emotion and experience, they tend to stay with me long after I’ve finished them.

Published in 2018, Becoming is the deeply personal and widely acclaimed memoir of Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States, lawyer, and advocate for education and health. In this compelling narrative, Obama traces her journey from a modest upbringing on Chicago’s South Side to her years at the White House, offering honest reflections on race, identity, motherhood, marriage, and finding one’s voice. The book not only became an instant bestseller but also won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for its audiobook version, narrated by Obama herself. With warmth, wit, and clarity, Becoming invites readers into the life behind the public figure and gives us all something to think about in our own process of becoming.

Review

Michelle Obama rose from humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago to inhabiting the halls of the White House in Washington DC. Growing up in a small one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a house in a rough neighbourhood, with limited financial means and a father living with a disability, it would have been easy to assume the odds were stacked against her. But the deep-anchoring love of her family, a home filled with music, culture, and soul, and parents who held high expectations for her and her brother turned out to be more than enough for Michelle to rise above adversity.

Michelle Obama graduated from two Ivy League institutions, became a lawyer at a prestigious law firm, served as Vice President at a hospital, led a non-profit that helps young people build meaningful careers and went on to become the First Lady of the United States of America. She juggled the roles of daughter, wife, mother, friend, employee, employer and public figure, all while navigating extraordinary circumstances. What I admired most was her journey of self-acceptance because despite many setbacks and seeds of self-doubt, she comes to acknowledge her intellect and owns her unique story with pride.

Becoming is, at its heart, the story of a Black woman. It challenges the notion that you must look or sound a certain way to make an impression in history. In her memoir, Michelle Obama shares the pain of racial stereotyping, damaging clichés, double standards, and the sense of being dehumanized. These are feelings that Black people and other minorities often carry silently. In sharing her truth, she gives a voice to many while finding her own.

Obama recounts her childhood in Chicago, her family’s values, and the transformative power of music. She writes about her experiences at Princeton and Harvard, her long-standing female friendships, and the impact they have had on her life. She is candid about the frustrations she faced in her early career and her quest for more fulfilling work in public service. Her relationship with Barack Obama, their struggles with unexplained infertility, and their partnership through his dizzying political career are some of the memoir’s most endearing and vulnerable parts.

She also gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at life as First Lady right from navigating family life in The White House, reshaping public perception (from the stereotype of an “angry Black woman”), and launching projects close to her heart. From spearheding The White House vegetable garden to her initiatives like Let’s Move!, Reach Higher, Let Girls Learn, and Joining Forces, she used her platform to bring about positive change. Despite her prestigious education and rich prior work experience, she may not go down as the most politically influential or sucessful First Lady, but she undeniably did a great deal of good. Based on my reading, it appears that the Obamas brought a more relaxed, inclusive and relatable atmosphere to The White House while injecting fun and culture at the same time.

One of the more powerful moments in the memoir is her recollection of being chastised as a child for “sounding white” - a supposed insult that reflects deeply ingrained biases. Today, it is clear that she is an articulate, intelligent, and poised woman which is reflected in her writing. Becoming is elegant, candid, and moving, offering a sense of grace even in its toughest moments.

"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."

Michelle Obama

I do have one gripe with the memoir. While I acknowledge the successes that the Obama administration had such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), economic recovery efforts following the Great Recession, the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, end of the Iraq War, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the normalization of relations with Cuba among others, it is only one side of the story. Barack Obama is repeatedly described in the memoir as an idealist with a forceful intellect, profound empathy and a strong sense of purpose (most of which I don’t doubt) but I wish Michelle had offered more insight into how, in the aftermath of his presidency, the country chose a successor so drastically different (polar opposite even!). Michelle Obama is vocal in her critisicm of Donald Trump and it is implied that she was deeply disappointed in the American public for electing him to be their leader. America has long struggled with racial tensions, polarization and hate, but does that reflect the mindset of most Americans? The fact of the matter is that when the 2016 United Sstates presidential elections came, the majority voted in favour of change. Whether from unmet expectations, economic frustration, cultural anxiety, or political disillusionment - the reasons are complex, layered, and rooted in societal dynamics that had probably been building for years. She largely sidesteps this issue, remaining diplomatically silent on controversial issues or internal conflicts within the administration. Claiming to be apolitical feels like the easy way out. While the rest of the memoir felt authentic and open to me, this part came across as restrained and sanitized.

That said, Becoming remains a nuanced, thoughtful, and inspiring read. It reminds us that we are always a work in progress and that becoming is an ongoing journey. Everyone can take something away from this book, particularly women, people of color, and young readers.

Wholeheartedly recommended!

My rating for this book is