Becoming, by Michelle Obama

RATING

3 stars

N/A = good but not on the scale

1 star = perspective supplementing

2 stars = perspective influencing

3 stars = perspective altering

*No Long Summary*

SHORT SUMMARY (272 words or less):

I’ve been on a streak of three star books, and this one is no exception.  Instead of summarizing the book, I’ll summarize my takeaways.

Michelle Obama provides an honest and deeply reflective view of her journey, how she became who she is, and how she is still becoming who she hopes to be.  In these extraordinary times, it’s an important and inspiring memoir to read.  Not just for the grandeur symbolism of American optimism (rising from the south side of Chicago to the White House), but also for its relatability in the successes, set backs, fun, sorrow, and just plain living, that Obama recounts in her life.  It’s refreshing to hear her life story told with such authenticity and groundedness.

One of the themes in this book that I enjoyed was the idea of “swerving.”  How your life plan may take you one way or another, and sometimes that can largely be influenced by upbringing or personal philosophies, but every now and then, you can take a swerve.  It could be deliberate, it could be accidental.  Obama describes this concept early and often in her book:  a college boyfriend who “swerved” from his medical school path to pursue becoming a pro-football mascot; her brother who left his corporate career to coach basketball; her career change from a big law firm to public service.  At the end of the book, she recognizes that her biggest swerve came the day she went on a date with Barack, and how two people born with different backgrounds and innate influences complimented each other, supported each other, and had faith, but no guarantees, in their future together.