It’s been a while since I finished reading Michelle Obama’s memoir and I have to admit that I still do not know how I feel about the book. At the risk of offending the hordes of Michelle Obama lovers, I do have to be honest in the fact that I was genuinely underwhelmed by the book. Having said that, it’s important for me to provide a review of the book while noting that I am not providing a review of Michelle Obama. I am personally a big fan of the Obamas, mostly for their characters and attitudes and to an extent for their policy positions. But is Becoming really one of the better books of 2018? I wouldn’t make that claim.

Becoming traces Michelle Obama’s life to the current day, from her upbringing in the South Side of Chicago through her life in Princeton and working in various roles as a lawyer and non-profit director. She talks about the love story between her and Barack and finally tackles the ascension to the White House and how life was as a First Lady.

Now I think it’s one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child – What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that’s the end…

For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously towards a better self. The journey doesn’t end.

This is probably the most important idea of the book – about playing with the cards that you’re dealt, but doing so in a way that still reflects aptitude and character. I’m very much used to stories of great men and women who decided to defy norms as an active effort, people who were triggered to lead a campaign or protest an injustice. Yet Michelle Obama’s story is ultimately one that is understated, passive yet with impact. I am not used to such stories, and I think Michelle Obama herself did not see a big part of her life being sidekick and companion to the most important person on Earth at some point. But this memoir talks about how Michelle became who she was in the fullest sense of the word – in the thoughtful and paced responses to the whirlwind of a situation that she was in.

This later part of her life is well contrasted with the drive and energy that Michelle describes in her early days before meeting Barack. In a lot of ways, meeting Barack made Michelle have to contextualize a lot of her life. Her decision to want children, have a career and support her husband simultaneously becomes admittedly difficult when the mandate of leading the USA is in view. A good amount of time is spent explaining how Michelle navigates the impositions of life in the White House, especially in consideration of giving her children Sasha and Malia as normal a life as possible.

I am learning to understand the advantage of Michelle’s approach to life. The book club members who are women in our group pointed out how significant it was to read not only the story of a woman who talked openly about the struggles of motherhood and being a career woman but also of someone who did it knowing it would be difficult as a black woman. I am learning to appreciate that memoirs such as Michelle’s don’t have to be deeply motivating but can be quietly inspiring.

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 to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.

One of the key things that Michelle does talk about is her role in empowering and advocating for issues and people. From her work with nutrition to her supporting of women in city schools, Michelle talks about how she advocates in a humble but powerful way. Michelle recognizes the values of the stories of people we come across and how we can use stories as means to build bridges. This is why I love Michelle but this is also why I was ultimately frustrated with her memoir. Rather than draw the connection in a developed and intentional manner, Michelle’s recount almost becomes a simple chronological recount with spatters of perspective, doing her own work major injustice. Her life has accumulated wisdom and yet unfortunately, it does not permeate the pages in a way that is evident nor memorable.

I want to love this book, but I can’t. Perhaps it was wrong of me to have high expectations, but when you recognize the value of someone’s contributions to society, it is probably understandable where my dissatisfaction with the written work comes from. Regardless of my opinion of the book though, I am excited for the future work of the Obamas and their foundation and the goals they seek to achieve. That will speak for itself.

Here are my ratings:

Readability: 4/5

Intellectual Stimulation: 3/5

Perspective Shifting Capability: 3/5

Would I Recommend? – Not unless you’re a big fan of Michelle. Hopefully there’ll be future biographies that do a better capture of her life.