Becoming

 Becoming is the book Michelle Obama published after she and Barak left the White House.  int he books he goes back to her childhood and sets the stage for her future as the first lady of the United States.  She talks about growing up in Chicago with her parents and her brother.  She had a large extended family who were close and spent family holidays and special occasions together.  

She was very bright and attended college and Law School. She talks about her mentors and her breaking into the field of law in Chicago.  She meets Barak at a law firm she is working at when he comes for a summer internship. as he is finishing law school.  They are colleagues first, then friends which leads to a romance.  She is very supportive of his initial political bids.  They start a family and Barak becomes more and more determined and successful in his political life.  

Michelle is very open about the life she lives, her pride in Barak and  her disappointments and  adjustments to living with him and their growing family.  There are a few incidents that she details in the book that I thought were quite intimate and I was surprised she shared.  But on the other hand she also shared so many of her accomplishments while in the White House, many I had not known about before I was amazed.  She was a powerful woman in her own right.  She was a fabulous first lady.  

The contrast from Michelle Obama as first lady to the next first lady are really starkly clear as you read this book.  I actually listened to this book and it was an added pleasure to listen to Michelle's voice reading her story.  It is interesting to listen to her accent and voice pattern as she is reading.