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sparklelys's review
5.0
Love-love-love this. So many different lenses, all impacted by a truly phenomenal woman. I miss Michelle.
foofers1622's review
5.0
This was amazing to see how Michelle touched so many of our lives in such different ways. She is an wonderful person and a role model to women everywhere. If you miss the First Lady, be careful reading this book. You'll miss her even more!
allieeveryday's review
4.0
Read Harder 2018: essay anthology
Firstly, these are love letters to and about Michelle Obama, written mostly by black women. Some feature more analytical or academic topics, some include conversations and interactions the essayists had with her, many frame her ascent to the White House in relation to their own experiences as black women, and how Michelle changed the game. I enjoyed reading this collection.
Firstly, these are love letters to and about Michelle Obama, written mostly by black women. Some feature more analytical or academic topics, some include conversations and interactions the essayists had with her, many frame her ascent to the White House in relation to their own experiences as black women, and how Michelle changed the game. I enjoyed reading this collection.
takeruoji's review
4.0
First of all, I am probably not the target group of this book. I am not female, not black, not american and to say that I care for the rights of black people and/or women in the US wouldn’t be just a lie, it would be very presumptuously since I can’t even start to grasp what it feels to live as a woman or to be black in the US. I am a middle-class white male with an academic background, a WASP if would live in the USA. Nonetheless I am a curious human being who clearly sees even from the outside that something is very wrong with the society of the United States.
I stumbled upon this book in an article about Black History Month, which shamefully I didn’t even heard about since now. Nonetheless I stumbled about this book in the article and immediately knew that I have to read this.
Since the end of Barack Obamas term in the Oval Office I often read about the couples time as POTUS and FLOTUS. Normally I really wouldn’t be interested in the life of a First Lady, but Obamas term was something special even outside the US, and so was Michelle Obama and her depiction in the media. Even I, who didn’t really care, couldn’t escape for example Michelle’s campaign for the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014. I couldn’t escape the articles about her Let’s Move campaign, and I especially couldn’t escape her public grace. I guess every First Lady had a special grace, but it Michelle was in another league in terms of grace.
And so I decided to read the book about Michelle Obama, and it was most definitive a good decision. I really enjoyed the various views of the now former First Lady. I enjoyed learning about her background from a middle class family. I enjoyed learning about her education and career and it made me angry to learn about the every-day racism still living on in places like Ivy-League-colleges. It was fun to learn about how she met her future husband.
But most of all it was a treasure to read about her symbolic meaning for black women in the US. It was a treasure to learn about all the campaigns, about the inside view of what it means to be a (black) mother and First Lady at the same time. It was a real treasure to see and read the admiration for Michelle in all of the essays.
And then, as I read about her style and her dresses (which I normally have absolutely no interest in), I realized why it was possible for such admiration for Michelle Obama. It was her deeds and what they meant for the black people in the US, her voice for the symbolic voiceless compared to the white majority.
After reading about the dresses of Michelle Obama I had to think of another woman who once wore a famous dress during a dance in the Oval Office. Another woman who had to take a step behind her husband in public and nonetheless tried to achieve the best for the voiceless. I am speaking of Lady Diana, former Princess of Wales and former wife of Prince Charles. While the dance between her and John Travolta during the Reagan Era was a dance between top-class white male actor John Travolta and the English Princess, the dances between Barack and Michelle Obama in the Oval Office represented the black middle-class. And thats a most welcome symbolic change.
But while Lady Dianas’s life ended far too early in 1997, Michelle has still her best years to come. And like so many of the essay writers I am really curious what we will hear from Michelle Obama in the future. The US and also the world needs symbols. But more than symbols they need people who act And thats what people like Michelle Obama do best.
All in all I can recommend this book to everyone. No, let’s rephrase that. I can recommend this book especially for every man out there, regardless of color and race. For it gives a small, but very precise outlook at the still high social costs of being a woman in the 21st century, still far away from being equal to man. And an outlook to a fine example of a woman who tries to change that.
I stumbled upon this book in an article about Black History Month, which shamefully I didn’t even heard about since now. Nonetheless I stumbled about this book in the article and immediately knew that I have to read this.
Since the end of Barack Obamas term in the Oval Office I often read about the couples time as POTUS and FLOTUS. Normally I really wouldn’t be interested in the life of a First Lady, but Obamas term was something special even outside the US, and so was Michelle Obama and her depiction in the media. Even I, who didn’t really care, couldn’t escape for example Michelle’s campaign for the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014. I couldn’t escape the articles about her Let’s Move campaign, and I especially couldn’t escape her public grace. I guess every First Lady had a special grace, but it Michelle was in another league in terms of grace.
And so I decided to read the book about Michelle Obama, and it was most definitive a good decision. I really enjoyed the various views of the now former First Lady. I enjoyed learning about her background from a middle class family. I enjoyed learning about her education and career and it made me angry to learn about the every-day racism still living on in places like Ivy-League-colleges. It was fun to learn about how she met her future husband.
But most of all it was a treasure to read about her symbolic meaning for black women in the US. It was a treasure to learn about all the campaigns, about the inside view of what it means to be a (black) mother and First Lady at the same time. It was a real treasure to see and read the admiration for Michelle in all of the essays.
And then, as I read about her style and her dresses (which I normally have absolutely no interest in), I realized why it was possible for such admiration for Michelle Obama. It was her deeds and what they meant for the black people in the US, her voice for the symbolic voiceless compared to the white majority.
After reading about the dresses of Michelle Obama I had to think of another woman who once wore a famous dress during a dance in the Oval Office. Another woman who had to take a step behind her husband in public and nonetheless tried to achieve the best for the voiceless. I am speaking of Lady Diana, former Princess of Wales and former wife of Prince Charles. While the dance between her and John Travolta during the Reagan Era was a dance between top-class white male actor John Travolta and the English Princess, the dances between Barack and Michelle Obama in the Oval Office represented the black middle-class. And thats a most welcome symbolic change.
But while Lady Dianas’s life ended far too early in 1997, Michelle has still her best years to come. And like so many of the essay writers I am really curious what we will hear from Michelle Obama in the future. The US and also the world needs symbols. But more than symbols they need people who act And thats what people like Michelle Obama do best.
All in all I can recommend this book to everyone. No, let’s rephrase that. I can recommend this book especially for every man out there, regardless of color and race. For it gives a small, but very precise outlook at the still high social costs of being a woman in the 21st century, still far away from being equal to man. And an outlook to a fine example of a woman who tries to change that.
bookmarkedbylauren's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
cathyj's review
5.0
First of all, I definitely give 5 stars for Michelle! The book is maybe more like 4, but personally I needed it right now!
I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays by so many voices I admire. There was one or maybe two chapters towards the middle I could have skipped. I could also see that maybe there are a few moments that feel repetitive, but I could read about her all day and she’s so important so I embrace it.
Parts felt conversational, some moments felt obvious, some really blew me away.
Don’t miss Ava’s intro, the chapter which talks about my love Zora Neale Hurston, and Roxanne Gay’s concluding essay.
I can see this as one to come back to again. It feels like a complication of convos we’ve all been having, some new insights, and an invitation as that this is only the beginning.
I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays by so many voices I admire. There was one or maybe two chapters towards the middle I could have skipped. I could also see that maybe there are a few moments that feel repetitive, but I could read about her all day and she’s so important so I embrace it.
Parts felt conversational, some moments felt obvious, some really blew me away.
Don’t miss Ava’s intro, the chapter which talks about my love Zora Neale Hurston, and Roxanne Gay’s concluding essay.
I can see this as one to come back to again. It feels like a complication of convos we’ve all been having, some new insights, and an invitation as that this is only the beginning.
jillyfay's review
4.0
I'm thinking more 3.5 stars. I was hoping for more insight into Michelle Obama, more details on her past and path in life. While some of the stories described and shared this info, much was speculation and opinions. Also, many of the stories and ideas were repetitive. I did appreciate what a large variety of authors presented essays. I also appreciated hearing how much Michelle's position as First Lady inspired and changed so many people's lives. I know having the Obamas in the White House was inspirational to me - real people, and down to earth, embracing their position and inspiring others.
mcerrin's review
3.0
As with any essay book there are good essays and some okay ones. Some I felt veered from the path and stopped even relating directly to Michelle, which is the point of the book. I wanted more from this but I still enjoyed reading what she meant to different people.