Becoming by Michelle Obama

My respect for and admiration of Michelle Obama runs deep, so I was expecting to enjoy this book even though memoirs aren't usually my preferred genre. I was not disappointed, I loved everything about this book.

The narrative is divided into three sections representing three fundamental periods in her life. The first section focuses on Obama's childhood in working class Chicago; she remembers her neighborhood and the strength of their community, and the deep undercurrent of familial love and high expectations that ran through her early years, eventually following her to Princeton and then Harvard Law.  The second section of the book covers Michelle's early years with Barack. She honestly and openly shares her personal distaste for politics, her reluctance related to her husband's early campaigns, and her frustration at the ways in which politics negatively impacted her family life. Her love for Barack is palpable on every page, even when she highlights the difficulty of being married to such a driven, mission-filled partner. The final section of the book covers her family's time in the White House. She discusses the stress and heartache alongside what she recognizes to be the insane privilege of their position; she highlights victory and defeat, and describes the process of finding her own voice and her own mission for her time as First Lady.

Obama's writing is clear and evocative. She doesn't sugarcoat the hard times, nor does she seem to embellish the good times. Her honesty about the compelling and incredible journey she has been on thus far in life was engaging and easy to read, and I highly recommend it to everyone, irrespective of political opinion -- her illuminating tale should resonate with any reader. 5 stars.