Title: Becoming
Author:
Michelle Obama
Read
by: Michelle Obama
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Length:
Approximately 19 hours and 10 minutes
Source:
Overdrive through the Kewaunee Public Library
Who
is an inspirational figure in your life?
What put you on the path to where you are now? Michelle Obama did not think growing up on
the South side of Chicago that she would be one day be the first lady of the
United States living in the White House.
Although she had a high school counselor who thought she had dreams too
big to reach, she luckily had a supportive family that helped her to achieve
her dreams. Why would a high school
counselor tell someone that they CAN’T do something? Unfortunately, I heard this again in the
current audiobook I’m listening to (Olympic Pride, American Prejudice).
I
have been wanting to listen to this audiobook for quite some time and it was
finally readily available in my library system.
I really liked listening to Michelle Obama read her audiobook
herself. She spoke with a conversational
tone that made me feel like I was talking to a friend about her life. Michelle wrote about her childhood, her
marriage, children, career, and years in the White House. I really loved her frank discussion on being a
working mother and the choices that she has had to make. As a fellow working mother, it was very relatable. I too went down to part time after I had kids
for six years and I also have had to reevaluate what I want to do in life and
where I can make the most impact. You always get pushed to the highest paid
jobs, but will they make the most difference in life? I loved not only her story of meeting and falling
in love with Barack, but how they had to work on making their marriage work.
As an
engineer in the wastewater and water field, I LOVED that Michelle Obama’s
father was a water operator at a water utility.
That was fantastic. Obama’s childhood
in South Chicago was relatable and similar to my upbringing with a big family
in rural Michigan.
I
love that Obama has made it her life mission to help to inspire people, especially
young women, to be able to move beyond their circumstances and work towards
their dreams. It was inspiring to me. “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.”
“His
money went largely toward books, which to him were like sacred objects,
providing ballast for his mind.” I loved learning that Barack Obama is an
obsessive reader just like me. I also
loved learning about how thoughtful his is in making decisions and working toward
the good of all mankind.
I do
have to admit that it all seemed relatable up to the point when Obama learned
her daughter’s BMI was creeping up and she needed to figure out how to eat heathier
with a packed schedule. I thought – I’m
in that exact same predicament. But then
she solved it by hiring a chef to come in a couple times a week and make
healthy meals. I laughed out loud! I wish there would have been some tips on how
to make it work if you don’t hire a chef and have limited time.
I
have been obsessed with first lady biographies / autobiographies since I was a
child. I enjoy reading them and learning
about all of our first ladies. From the
last few, I really enjoyed this one and Laura Bush’s book, Spoken from the Heart. They were both relatable and made me feel
like I would like to go to a BBQ with them and their families. I tried to read Hilary Clinton’s autobiography
when it first came out and could not get into it. Unlike Bush and Obama’s books, it did not seem
personable, but more of a political book to thank people and prove points.
I
watched the Netflix Documentary Becoming while I was listening to this
audiobook and I loved it. It had
highlights that were in the book but had other information that was not in the
book. It also put faces to the names I was hearing about in the book and I
really liked that.
Overall,
Becoming was not only a great autobiography of a first lady, but a great book
about finding your place in the world and inspiring others. I really enjoyed it and the audiobook was a
joy to listen to.
