The Book Club: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Being a strong, independent woman of colour in today’s society is hard. There’s no sugarcoating that. The story of how one girl from humble means, who grew up in a small house in south-side Chicago, became a Lawyer and oh yeah, The former First Lady of the United States of America, advocate for change leading the initiatives: Let's Move!, Reach Higher, Let Girls Learn, and Joining Forces. Thought-provoking, and inspiring. This month’s Book Club read is none other than Becoming by Michelle Obama.

Check out the other books in The Book Club.

I’ve wanted to pick up this book for so long since it came out and definitely was not disappointed. If you are thinking about reading it, I would say this is a must-read, not only for little girls of colour but everyone. Her story is one that is a part of a turning point in Western History. I will keep spoilers to a minimum in order to make sure that I don’t give everything away.

I downloaded Becoming on Audible. It has honestly become my best friend when it comes to reading books. The 401 in Toronto is a dreadful thing and the only thing that keeps me awake and makes the journey worthwhile is Traffic Univerisity (AKA the Podcasts, TEDTalks, and Books I listen to during my commute).

What I loved most about listening to Michelle’s book was that not only was she actually narrating the book in the audio format, but the way she wrote the book makes it feel so personal. Like you are sitting one-on-one with the former First Lady herself, having a little coffee chat. As one does with Michelle Obama.

She starts out talking about her childhood, where she grew up, and how life was for her family of four living on the second floor of a tiny house in Chicago. One excerpt that stuck out to me, was when she was telling the tale of how she learned to play the Piano. As a music lover myself, I have tons of stories about learning the instrument and the struggles of learning the finger-key hand placements. Michelle’s piano teacher had an old piano, with character. The black keys were a little broken, and the white keys had chips on the corners, but she described how she used those imperfections on the keys to help her find the keys.

At the recital, she recalled walking up to the white pristine piano at the front of the room, center stage. Its elegance beaming in the light almost as if it had never been used. When she sat down at the bench, she froze. She had been learning to play piano on the imperfect instrument, with its quirks and all of its character. On this beautiful piano, she couldn’t find Middle C.

I talk about this story because it is an underlying theme that I noticed in the book. Michelle came from very humble means and maintains that same humility throughout adulthood and even the White House. She never took her circumstances for granted and recalled feeling a bit “out of place” with the newfound amenities that were afforded to her. Instead of basking in the luxuries at her fingertips, she used the position she had (even though the First Lady really has not set a job description) to start a ripple effect of change in any way she could.

To me, Michelle’s memoir reminds us to dream big. To believe in our own abilities, and fight for what we believe in and ask for what we deserve. To know our own worth. It is a powerful message displayed again and again throughout the chapters of the novel.

Deemed a must read for 2019 and awarded a spot on Oprah Winfree’s coveted Book Club, this novel is one you won’t want to put down.