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paradewitham's review against another edition
5.0
My only “problem” with this book was how often I had to pause to jot down direct quotes. Everything! Such a lesson in how to tell your story respectfully and intentionally. Words matter. All the feelings.
Extra big truths and keepers:
* “There’s no hurrying a bus, let me tell you.”
* “Not everyone has to have file folders. [...] there are simply other ways of being.”
* “do we settle for the world as it is, or work for the world as it should be?”
* “They weren’t striving for perfection but managed somehow to be always excellent—the two of them bound in a deep and mutually helpful friendship, which also made a real impression on me. They dropped any masquerade and were just wonderfully, powerfully, and instructively themselves.”
* “it wasn’t helpful for me to worry about his worries. [...] it wasn’t my job to interfere with his optimism.”
* “The best and most sustaining answer to nearly every question arising inside a marriage no matter who you are or what the issue is — you find ways to adapt. If you’re in it forever, there’s really no choice.”
* “or maybe I was just feeling the acute burden of being female.”
* “Motherhood became my motivator. It dictated my movements, my decisions, the rhythm of every day. “
* “Here is me. And here also is my baby. I knew I’d at least done something good for myself in speaking up for my needs. There was power, I thought, in saying it out loud.”
* “we live by the paradigms we know.”
* “It was possible that I was more in charge of my happiness than I was allowing myself to be.”
* “This new [5am workouts] regimen changed everything. Calmness and strength—two things I feel I was losing—were now back.”
* “he could live in the ocean; I needed the boat.”
* “who were we? What mattered to us? What could we do?”
* “The easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.”
* “No one I realized was going to look out for me unless I pushed for it.”
* “Ultimately though, like so many things, it was a matter of perception. How we decided to look at what was in front of us. Barack and I were focused only on our faults and insufficiencies, seeing them reflected in that drab room and thrown together party. [...] Life was better always when we could measure the warmth.”
* “If I hadn’t done the proper thing at Buckingham palace, I had at least done the human thing.”
* “I loved anytime I could glimpse my daughters in the context of their own worlds.”
* “The truth was I intended to do everything. To work with purpose and to parent with care.”
* “I am still in progress.”
Extra big truths and keepers:
* “There’s no hurrying a bus, let me tell you.”
* “Not everyone has to have file folders. [...] there are simply other ways of being.”
* “do we settle for the world as it is, or work for the world as it should be?”
* “They weren’t striving for perfection but managed somehow to be always excellent—the two of them bound in a deep and mutually helpful friendship, which also made a real impression on me. They dropped any masquerade and were just wonderfully, powerfully, and instructively themselves.”
* “it wasn’t helpful for me to worry about his worries. [...] it wasn’t my job to interfere with his optimism.”
* “The best and most sustaining answer to nearly every question arising inside a marriage no matter who you are or what the issue is — you find ways to adapt. If you’re in it forever, there’s really no choice.”
* “or maybe I was just feeling the acute burden of being female.”
* “Motherhood became my motivator. It dictated my movements, my decisions, the rhythm of every day. “
* “Here is me. And here also is my baby. I knew I’d at least done something good for myself in speaking up for my needs. There was power, I thought, in saying it out loud.”
* “we live by the paradigms we know.”
* “It was possible that I was more in charge of my happiness than I was allowing myself to be.”
* “This new [5am workouts] regimen changed everything. Calmness and strength—two things I feel I was losing—were now back.”
* “he could live in the ocean; I needed the boat.”
* “who were we? What mattered to us? What could we do?”
* “The easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.”
* “No one I realized was going to look out for me unless I pushed for it.”
* “Ultimately though, like so many things, it was a matter of perception. How we decided to look at what was in front of us. Barack and I were focused only on our faults and insufficiencies, seeing them reflected in that drab room and thrown together party. [...] Life was better always when we could measure the warmth.”
* “If I hadn’t done the proper thing at Buckingham palace, I had at least done the human thing.”
* “I loved anytime I could glimpse my daughters in the context of their own worlds.”
* “The truth was I intended to do everything. To work with purpose and to parent with care.”
* “I am still in progress.”
pikapichu's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
amyjo_75's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this book in audible book and read by Michelle herself. Fantastic listen. Great life story an amazing woman!
books_tea_and_fantasy's review against another edition
5.0
✨REVIEW✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Becoming is the first autobiography I’ve ever read so I was nervous about the pacing. I listened to the Dutch audiobook and let me tell you, once I started, I COULD NOT STOP.
The books reflects on her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, her life at Princeton and Harvard Law School, her career as a lawyer, the loss of her father, what it was like meeting and dating Barack, motherhood and the struggle with being the First Lady.
You get to follow her through all stages of her life and see how this shaped her into the intelligent, strong and inspiring woman we know today.
This memoir has truly left me speechless and all I can do now is encourage you to read it yourself and fall in love with it like I did.
TW: racism, terminal cancer, death of a parent, death of a friend, gun violence, mass shootings, war, poverty
4/60
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Becoming is the first autobiography I’ve ever read so I was nervous about the pacing. I listened to the Dutch audiobook and let me tell you, once I started, I COULD NOT STOP.
The books reflects on her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, her life at Princeton and Harvard Law School, her career as a lawyer, the loss of her father, what it was like meeting and dating Barack, motherhood and the struggle with being the First Lady.
You get to follow her through all stages of her life and see how this shaped her into the intelligent, strong and inspiring woman we know today.
This memoir has truly left me speechless and all I can do now is encourage you to read it yourself and fall in love with it like I did.
TW: racism, terminal cancer, death of a parent, death of a friend, gun violence, mass shootings, war, poverty
4/60
melinda_and_her_books's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing memoir about an amazing woman. I was skeptical at first because I'm not a very political person but this story is so much more than that. It turns out she doesn't care for politics either. She has been through so many things in her life. I love that she was the one narrating the audiobook.