#Books : Michelle Obama - What are you becoming?

"What you want to be when you grow up?" How many times were you asked this question as a child? Michelle Obama, the first African American First Lady of United States, in her memoir Becoming writes that what you want to be is one of the useless questions you can ask a child. As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that's the end. I read these words and it resonated with me. Here is a direct message to each one of us that it's all about evolving, it is all about upgrading yourself, refining your skills, becoming the better YOU each day. These words in the Preface of her memoir establishes an instant connection with the reader and this book becomes a journey you take with Michelle to find your own voice and to own your story and to realise that you matter.

Humble Upbringing and Strong Values

The book is beautifully divided into three parts - Becoming Me, Becoming Us and Becoming More. After establishing a direct connection with the reader with a powerful preface and sharing how she feels relieved post Presidency evoking emotions of the reader. As I began reading Becoming Me, she writes about her upbringing in the South side of Chicago, she describes her humble apartment where she lived with her parents and elder brother Craig. She tells us about the sacrifices made by her parents to provide a good education to her and her brother. The importance of strong value education imparted by her parents and the importance of hard work and subsequent rewards like Pizza treats was a delight her. She mentions her parents being progressive and the way they dealt with everything with equanimity and how they treated both the kids as adults and involved them in all the decision making. She narrates a pre-school incident that highlights her determination. She writes that once she was asked by her teacher to spell a few words and if she did well, she will be rewarded. Michelle could not spell the last word and she lost the prize. As a child, she was so determined that she went the next day and spelt all the words right and took went home beaming.

Smartest in the Class

She further writes about going to High School Whitney Young and one question she asked herself often was "Am I good enough?" She posed this question to herself because she was a meritorious student always ahead of her class however as she got into High School which was one of the best schools which had students who were sons and daughter of wealthy businessmen, Governors, etc that led to moments of self-doubt. The question if she is good enough was pose by her to herself throughout her life, even in the White House because she was from the minority and with a humble upbringing. She overcame all this and emerged as one of the smartest students in the class. In the growing up years she writes about understanding the bigger city Chicago that was a revelation to her, she dreamt and worked hard on getting into the Best Colleges and she eventually got into Princeton with a scholarship. Getting into Princeton was indeed a great achievement as she mentions that the College Counsellor looking at her told her that she was not a Princeton Material which was a judgement based on her appearances and not on the basis of her grades. Michelle deal with this situation beautifully she writes, "Failure is a feeling long before it's an actual result. And for me, that's exactly the College Counsellor was planting- a suggestion of failure long before I'd tried to succeed. She was telling me to lower my sights, which was the absolute reverse of every last thing my parents had ever told me."

Days in Princeton, Harvard and Meeting Barack Obama 

As a scholarship student at Princeton, she had to work and cover her other expenses. She worked relentlessly. She was a smart student, she had this strategy of being this quiet student in the start and understanding her peers and showing her cards. She writes about her affection for children. She subsequently graduated with a Law degree at Harvard. She writes about landing in the best law firm and her improved financial conditions and paying off her educational loans. She then met Barack who was interning under her while pursuing a law degree who changed her life. He was regarded as one of the most intelligent students and was indeed charming and soon they started dating and eventually got married. She mentions how her worldview changed after marrying Barack, she describes him as a nerd who read books incessantly and how she was inspired by his vision and finally made up her mind to support him for his election campaign. It was during the campaign days that she developed connections with people.

First Lady of dignity, grace and style

While reading her initial years and her constant evolution was a delight. I was way too excited for the last part of the book Becoming More and it was indeed an inspiring read. This part is something I truly enjoyed and it will be forever cherished. I admire how she got settled in the white house. As the First Lady which is an unpaid role, she made sure she plans everything from appointing her secretaries and setting up her team but at the same time being a Mother she made sure she planned her daughter's life well. Once she settled her family in the White House. She focused on various initiatives that were Let's Move to introduce healthy lifestyle for children, Reach Higher to promote and motivate smart students to reach higher. She realised that she is a role model and carried great responsibility and she chose to use her popularity to open the doors of the White House for the common people. She planted trees and created a garden to promote healthy living. She wore amazing dresses to promote unpopular designers and emerged as a revolutionary First Lady of style. The significant learning for me was her approach to criticism. She writes that I know that no matter what I do, I will always offend a certain group of people but that should not stop me and that I will continue to work. She carried herself with dignity.
" When they go low, We go high."

My Views: Michelle Obama and her Legacy 

To my mind, here is a woman who made wise choices, worked hard relentlessly and most importantly gave her hundred per cent in every role she played be it a daughter, student at Princeton and Harvard, Mother to her daughters and the First Lady. She writes that she is an ordinary woman who has lived an extraordinary life. She advocates the Power of Hope and the hard work that hope inspires. I admire her work with young people and how she is always involved in empowering young people. She is open about her life she speaks in this book about her first kiss, her miscarriage and how important it is to speak about it to help other women going through the same, she is relatable to all the hardworking students who want to work hard and make it big in this world. She gives hope to everyone. She is a teacher who is teaching us not to take our freedoms for granted and lead by example.  Her story resonates with me. Reading this memoir leaves me hopeful and optimistic. I realised that I matter and that if I worked hard enough I can be anything I aspire to be. So, I am becoming more grateful, I am becoming hopeful and becoming the best version of ME. What are you becoming? 

Concluding with an exquisitely written and one of my favourite excerpts from Becoming.

"In sharing my story, I hope to help create space for other stories and other voices, to widen the pathway for who belongs and why. I've been lucky enough to get to walk into stone castles, urban classrooms and lowa kitchens, just trying to be myself, trying to connect. For every door that's been opened to me, I have 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 way we are the same. It's not about being perfect. It's not about where you will 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 is grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become."