Becoming - Michelle Obama
I'm currently traveling in India, hence this departure from my usual sci-fi reading. I pulled this book off my aunt's shelf, curious to see what the ex-First Lady of the US had to say.
As expected, this autobiography tells the life of Michelle Obama (née Robinson) from her childhood through the end of Barack Obama's tenure as President of the US. I came into the book having no clue about the author's background or story, and was pleasantly surprised by how she came up from roots that would, if one believes in the stereotypes, have condemned her to a life of poverty and suffering.
There are a few core messages in the book, but the one that resonated most with me is this: every child can be helped by love and positive reinforcement of their ability to succeed. The story warns against overconfidence and false praise, prescribing instead a pragmatic and hands-off approach to bringing up children. Let them know they are loved and supported, and then get out of their way. It was exciting how Obama recognized that this type of upbringing had led to her own success, and how she used her political influence to push for a world in which all children can be supported in this way.
The other fascinating part of the book for me was, of course, the "behind-the-scenes" action in the White House. It was interesting to see how difficult it is for the First Family to have any semblance of an average life. Due to their political and celebrity status, they are immediately cast into an absurd world of protection and publicity. A common refrain in the book is the "optics" of any action.
I will say that the book was, in many ways, frustrating and depressing. For example, much of the book is plagued by a strange feeling that Obama was in her husband's shadow the entire time -- this is partially because the author spends much of the book fighting impostor syndrome. She is a successful and impactful individual in her own right, but perhaps her idea was to show that even those with great achievements can feel very, very small. A second frustration with the book was less with the narrative style, and more with the fact that the Obamas were stymied so often in their genuine attempts to help people. I realize the author is biased, but it certainly feels that she and her husband worked on thoughtful and well-intended policies that were immediately dismissed simply because of their political party and race. This is the world we live in, but it is infuriating to be confronted with it.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a charming and inspirational look into political life.
As expected, this autobiography tells the life of Michelle Obama (née Robinson) from her childhood through the end of Barack Obama's tenure as President of the US. I came into the book having no clue about the author's background or story, and was pleasantly surprised by how she came up from roots that would, if one believes in the stereotypes, have condemned her to a life of poverty and suffering.
There are a few core messages in the book, but the one that resonated most with me is this: every child can be helped by love and positive reinforcement of their ability to succeed. The story warns against overconfidence and false praise, prescribing instead a pragmatic and hands-off approach to bringing up children. Let them know they are loved and supported, and then get out of their way. It was exciting how Obama recognized that this type of upbringing had led to her own success, and how she used her political influence to push for a world in which all children can be supported in this way.
The other fascinating part of the book for me was, of course, the "behind-the-scenes" action in the White House. It was interesting to see how difficult it is for the First Family to have any semblance of an average life. Due to their political and celebrity status, they are immediately cast into an absurd world of protection and publicity. A common refrain in the book is the "optics" of any action.
I will say that the book was, in many ways, frustrating and depressing. For example, much of the book is plagued by a strange feeling that Obama was in her husband's shadow the entire time -- this is partially because the author spends much of the book fighting impostor syndrome. She is a successful and impactful individual in her own right, but perhaps her idea was to show that even those with great achievements can feel very, very small. A second frustration with the book was less with the narrative style, and more with the fact that the Obamas were stymied so often in their genuine attempts to help people. I realize the author is biased, but it certainly feels that she and her husband worked on thoughtful and well-intended policies that were immediately dismissed simply because of their political party and race. This is the world we live in, but it is infuriating to be confronted with it.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a charming and inspirational look into political life.
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