"Becoming" by Michelle Obama.
Becoming is an autobiographical account of Michelle Obama’s life up to Calendar year 2016 when the Obama presidency ended.
The book has a three-part structure, Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming more, and as you would expect the story is of her upbringing, her relationship with Barack, and her experiences as First Lady of the U.S.
Whilst there are many factors that make her story stand out, the story is grounded in the daily life of black Americans.
With a background of city life and endemic racism placed in a family context, the lessons of childhood can be seen in the way she treats her family and those around her,
and indeed how her values and eventual devotion to Barack influence her whole life.
The story is revelatory in terms of American society, education, politics; and extensively so in political activism, being First Lady, and raising children in such a strange environment as the White House.
The photographs help one’s understanding of the book by bringing some of the people to life.
The unsung hero of the story is Michelle’s mother.
There is much humour in the book from the chipped piano key, to Barack’s proposal of marriage, to escaping from the White House.
The book was generally well accepted and enjoyed by AA book club members.
The quality and quantity of writing were both very impressive, a couple of members felt there was too much detail.
The book has left readers with an impression of a powerful woman in a loving partnership with a differently powerful man, both of whom rose above the system to make history.
However, the inherent racism of American Society and strangeness of American Politics (“mad as a box of frogs”) with the aftermath of white supremacy movement,
the cult of Trump, and the January 6th insurrection, leave many open and unanswered questions about America.
4.3 out of 5
PC, 15th January 2022.
|
